If childbirth hurts so much...

[tickingboxes]

How come women don't vomit during it?

When I first got my period I was throwing up for hours. I'm terrified that labour will be the same. Someone reassure me :(

I threw up quite a bit at first, but I think it settled down after a few hours. Only sick once at hospital, on arrival. After I received decent pain relief (G&A then pethidine) I wasn't sick again; I think it might have been to do with all the writhing and twisting I was doing in the early stages at home and in the cab.

Some women are sick in childbirth, others are not. Some women cope well with the pain, others find it harder.

You really cannot know how it will be. It just is how it is. I have had three babies, and the births were very different for each of them.

I wasn't sick during childbirth, but I met others who were.

I found that in the end I just accepted what was going to be. You have no control over it, so there is no realistic alternative.

It is virtually impossible to describe labour and birth to someone who has not been through it. Not without terrifying them anyway. It is a very individual experience. No two deliveries are the same, even for the same woman. My three were all chalk and cheese.

If you are worried you might make a fool of yourself then don't be. All of it is perfectly normal, and midwives and doctors have seen it all before many times.

I threw up. It was not due to the pain, but the bloody pethedine injection! If I ever go through it again, I intend to be as high as a kite before labour kicks off. It will make the lack of dignity much more amusing.

I puked everywhere. My midwife had two uniform changes

Everyone is different. Childbirth is painful, but - honestly - I was OK with paracetamol, gas and air, and a massage during contractions. I think not only is everyone's pain tolerance different, but some people have much easier labours than others do.

I know what you mean, OP. I used to vomit during my period because the pain was so bad it would make me feel nauseous and faint to the point where I would whitey. When I was put on Implanon, I still had bleeds but it took the edge off the pain so I was no longer vomiting.
I reckon I'll be sick in labour too because I've been having some of what I assume to be BH contractions and it makes me feel so yuck and periody. Had that salty 'about to be sick' in my mouth feeling a couple of times. (I'm 36+3).

Some do. My friend did. I put an anti-emetic into my birth plan if I was vomiting.

I didn't find labour painful. It was a great pressure but no real pain as such. DD was in a great position so I was really lucky. I used a TENs machine and paracetamol at home and then I got into the pool at the midwife unit (I was 8cm when I arrived). DD was born in the water.

I found Breastfeeding far more painful than labour and birth. I would describe as razor blades being scored down my nipples. I really wish I had done far more research about bf before I gave birth. I was too focused on the labour and I didn't think enough about afterwards.

I would recommend buying The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding book. I truly regret not buying while pregnant.

I did. Copiously. Not from the pain, necessarily, but I had an extremely vomitous pregnancy and my body seemed to decide that labour shouldn't be any different.

I've never been sick with pain, but thinking about it they made me take anti-emetics (sp?) in labour. I can remember being pissed off about this as I felt there was no need.
DD is only 21 mths so not like it was in the days of enemas or anything

I didn't vomit during first DC's birth. It was very painful, went on for hours and in the end I had an epidural.I vomited after they gave me ergometrine to control the bleeding afterwards. (stopped once they got me the anti sickness medication.

Didn't vomit at all the second time. It was painful and drug free and, dare I say I enjoyed it (except for crowning).

I threw up. And, all I could drink was cranberry juice so the vomit was bright pink! Fun for the HCPs.

First thing I did with DC2 was throw up my dinner! Couldn't even keep down a mouthful of banana. Just stuck with sips of water after that...

I don't vomit when I'm in pain. I've broken bones, given birth, had major stitching and suffered chronic pain and never vomited due to it. I do vomit with migraines but thats due to the migraine nausea, not pain.

I know lots of women who did vomit in labour though.

Sorry, but I also vomited several times. At least once I also weed on the hospital bed, mid-vom. The midwife was lovely & said she'd seen much worse!

I did.

I vomited both times, it wasn't due to pain, just seemed to be something I needed to do shortly before I pushed out a baby.

The first time was a bit distressing, and was all over the bathroom (and DH) the second time I was more organised and had a bucket and was not so copious.

I threw up once during my labour. will never look at cabbage the same way!

I vomited LOADS during my labour. I think it was a reaction to the diamorphine though.

I couldn't keep anything down until they let me have has and air and get into the birthing pool (which also acts as pain relief). Even then I didn't eat or drink very much at all despite encouragement.

I did.
both times.
plenty.

I was sick 5742578 times when in labour. I have NEVER known thirst like it. Every drop I drank cane straight back up. I was so so thirsty. Awful.

Me too, sorry.

To reassure you, it will be different to your period. The body is basically working towards birth with masses of hormones working to get to that one point where you deliver.

You sort of go into your 'reptilian brain'. You are sort of more out of it/in a different place and time. So you'll not probably experience it like any other pain you've ever had. This doesn't mean it will be painless or even that you won't remember etc just that it's very different in quality to any other experience so there's no point freaking yourself out by trying to compare it to previous situations/memories.

I wasn't suck during my first labour but was during transition with my second. I'd been in labour all night and drinking loads of energy drinks so it wasn't too unpleasant: DH held a kidney bowl and I threw up lots of raspberry lucozade :o

I've no idea why you equate pain with vomiting. Not my experience ever in my life. I relate vomiting to stomach upsets and perhaps fear.

There was a clearing out phase in early labour - massive poos, then vomiting a bit later, just after I'd taken paracetomol of course, so not sure what had been absorbed, so didn't take more.

The painful part was later and was combined with awareness of breathing and body position, drank water, breathed g+a.