were my labour pains normal?

[BumpyPhee]

Hi everyone,

Im mum to an 18mth old son and would love to give him a sibling but a horrible pregnancy (two words - hyperemesis gravidarum!) and 3 day labour have made me terrified of being pregnant again. The hyperemesis i have pretty much accepted will happen again as it is more likely the second time, but i'm not convinced my labour pains were normal.

I have endometriosis and during periods would get a crippling pains in my bottom, a stabbing pain as if something was inflating and pushing on everything. I got the same pain through most labour contractions, although ten times worse and wondered if anyone else experienced this? During the 3rd day it caused me to wet myself each contraction. Midwife at first thought it was my waters but turned out they were still in tact. Has anyone had that as well?

The biggest fear i have is that i was refused any sort of pain relief except paracetamol until the final evening of labour and ended up having a wee breakdown on day 2 as the pain in my bottom was so intollerable and even then was just sent home with a bottle of aromatherapy oil to stick in a bath.

On the plus side, i finally had an epidural and only spent 45mins pushing before meeting my son and i would go through it all again just to have him.

Any comments/advise appreciated.
Thanks x

I had this with dd1 as she was back to back. Didn't have it with dd2 at all.
However I did have it after dd2 when my milk came in and it lasted about a week. Was bloody horrible.

I get it around my period too but haven't been diagnosed with endo.

I get the stabbing pain in my bottom when I have my period aswell, sometimes I can't sit down its that bad. I don't think I had them when I gave birth but then again I was out of control with all the pain, it just seemed to come from everywhere and I ended up mooing like a cow.

I sometimes get that pain leading up to my period! Weird isn't it!

My dc1 was back to back and I had terrible pain in my "tailbone" area and now tend to get my period pain in my lower back which I never seemed to before.

Not sure if my pain was the same. I describe it as like a Chinese burn to the spine. I didn't wet myself. I did get the 'hysterical by day three when told to take a bath' though.

If it is any help, DD2 was 9 hours and DS was 4.

Have you thought about trying to get some support? Would you consider an elective section if it was an option?

I didn't have this. Doesn't sound too normal.

I did have HG through. Just indescribably ghastly. And yes, Exactly the same in second pg.

I sympathise. I want another one but it was such a horrible experience. Like you, they wouldn't give me anything but paracetamol (later admitted I should have been allowed pethidine at least- but too late!) Don't fancy going through it again and completely don't trust that I'd be looked after if I had another child.

Thanks for the replies. Glad to know its not just me that got hysterical. I was mortified and it took a change of midwife to calm me down. I would probably find it funny if it wasnt caused by them refusing to listen to me. Thats my biggest fear about a second time round. The final 2 midwives were brilliant, but the very first one was all 'new age', lets 'feel the love in the room' (i kid you not!), sticking tissues of aromatherapy oil near me and wouldnt even let me have a lie down, she had the bed in a corner out my way.

I really dont like the thought of a c section next time. Once the epidural was in everything was plain sailing. I just dread the thought of the run up to the epidural. Even morphine was rubbish.

My hg was pretty terrible the whole way through but i count myself lucky compared to some folk. I was in a room with a girl 8mths into her pregnancy having beem admitted for the 13th time due to severe hg. I only requires to be admitted 3 times for hydration and that was horrible enough x

Hi OP I had similar altho luckily the pains only lasted 24hr. My DD was back to back. A midwife had to come and take control of me as I lost the plot. The pain was all lower back/bum. Like being stabbed in the bum or scraping feelings. I could only wee standing up. I always had dreadful period pains when I was younger too (not so bad now). I get bum pains during my periods too.
I got induced as there was meconium and thank God they did an epidural as it was a forceps delivery and didn't feel a thing (I do now)
I am too scared to have another unless by ELCS which I doubt I would be allowed. So unless we win lottery and pay for one, DD will be an only.

It sounds very much like you had a back-to-back labour which tends to take a while and there is a lot of pressure focussed in your lower back/bottom. You can have a 'mini transition' phase very early on in dilation terms with an OP baby and even a very early urge to push because of all the pressure in your bottom. Most people tend to find this sort of labour worse than with an OA baby. In my experience, my first OP labour was much worse than my next two. Probably because the baby took longer to turn in to an OA position. I was much calmer and more comfortable after the baby had turned than before. FWIW, you are much better off avoiding the bed if you can during an OP labour. I did find resting my head on the raised head rest whilst on all fours in between contractions was a good compromise.

Oh, and I have a retroverted uterus so my period pains are generally in my back/bum.

I had that pain in my bum/tailbone too. Was awful and seemed to be where all the pain during my labour was focussed. She wasn't back to back but was facing to one side (so not back to back but not the right way either... Kind of halfway between the two. If there's a name for this I can't remember it!)

Never thought it was normal contraction pains as I didn't experience it how everyone always explains it.

An alternative option could have been to give you a shot of pethidine or diamorph and get you to have a nap whilst laying in your left hand side. Hopefully the relaxation and positioning could help baby to rotate through LOT to LOA. Plus you'd avoid being stuck on your back like you would with an epidural which probably wouldn't encourage the baby to turn.

I had a back to back baby too, and oh my god I've tried explaining to people just what the pain was like but I can't even find the words. Sometimes I feel like maybe it can't have been as bad as I remember? No one else seems to have gone through the same level as pain i did during labour. I'm an extremely introverted person usually but I screamed the place down once I got to 3cm.

My DS is 13 months now and whilst I'd love to give him a sibling in the near future, it's the fear of another painful labour that puts me off.

I get bum pains, described to Dr like I've got a massive stake up my bum and someone is trying to hoover insides out before and during period, but all three labours free of that pain (plenty of other pains though) so think you just unlucky

Hmmm, no one said anything about the babies position during labour so you've got me wondering now if he may have been lying funny. I assumed the long labour was due to me getting stressed and slowing things down as i would progress at home and it would then slow to a snails pace each time i was at the hospital.

No alternative maternity unit in my neck of the woods, but i hope i'd be more assertive second time around.

I agree with the stake up the bum analogy, its the strangest feeling to try and describe, buts it really is like something rammed up there while half your innards are trying to push their way out.

I can't comment on the pain.

BUT second labours tend to be much quicker if that is any help

My first was 15h (51h from me timing first contraction to delivering baby but only 15h officially recorded. I did two days at home!!)

Second was 80 minutes (4 hours from start to finish but I was only in birthing centre for 80 minutes!)

Sounds like back to back, ive had 2 back to back babies and one normal labour in between which was a walk in the park

It feels like your bum is going to explode and you need a poo when in labour, its very hard to lie down and it feels like your back is breaking. I literally gave birth in a crab position with my bum up off the bed resting on my elbows. Its painful to stand, it's painful to lie down. I blacked out with DD3 i was in so much pain with my back.

You go into labour and have the normal pains but baby is pushing into your back and bum as baby is the wrong way round so nothing happens front end, I was going from nothing to a few cm then back to nothing for hours and hours.

DD3 a birthing ball helped a bit. I really have no suggestions as no matter what i done i couldn't do anything to stop the horrific pain in my back and bum

I told the MW i was B2B with DD3, i knew i was before i went into labour, PG had been awful had problems walking with pains in my back and they didn't seem to know what it was, said it was sciatica, i told so many people, this baby is the wrong way. Labour they just firmly kept telling me to lie down and calm down. I could't lie down, i think they took more notice when i was out for the count and they were shouting Fifi Fifi, my friend was with me and she said MG you were stone out for a bit. DD2 was the right way and i actually thought it was easy as i was just in the normal amount of pain, thought this isn't too bad and felt relaxed. DD1 i got told to go home take some paracetamol, this is the part no one tells you about as nothing was happening front end.

Just to give you hope I had hyperemesis with DC1 but am 37 weeks with DC2 and has just been 'normal' morning sickness. Hope it's the same for you.