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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

pushing and crowning, how painful are they?

42 replies

HazleNutt · 16/04/2015 16:49

I had a partially failed epidural with my first - did absolutely nothing for contractions, and as I was induced on the drip, with back to back baby, the contractions were quite intense, to put it mildly. But I did not feel pushing or crowning (or stitching).

Am now pregnant with DC2 and my hospital has 2 kinds of delivery rooms - normal, with nothing but medical equipment and bed, and what they call a "nature room", where you have all the mats and balls and beanbags and baths. But you can't have an epidural there. Last time I found labouring on the bed very uncomfortable, so I am considering the other room - but am a little terrified of the stage I didn't feel.

So if you had your baby without pain relief - how painful is the rest, compared to contractions?

OP posts:

emsyj · 16/04/2015 16:55

I think, like all aspects of labour, it's different for everyone (and different for different births for the same person!) I was terrified of this with DD2 as I had a c-section first time round but my personal experience was that the 'worst' part was the final 3 contractions before the expulsive 'pushing sensation' stage started. After that, the expulsive type contractions were an effort and tiring (like running I suppose) but I wouldn't describe them as painful - overwhelming, effortful, exhausting yes - but I didn't feel I was in pain as such. I had a brief moment of thinking 'mmm that is a stinging feeling' which I guess was crowning, but I ignored it (ostrich approach!!!) and it wasn't reallypainful, just odd (and brief). I didn't have any active/directed pushing, I just kept fairly upright and baby came out. It took nearly an hour but I didn't feel it was more than about 10 minutes - labour time distortion at work!

Have you thought about Hypnobirthing? I think the breathing and relaxation techniques helped me in labour, worth checking out if you haven't already.

badRoly · 16/04/2015 16:57

My memory is that it stung rather than ached so a different pain. I had all of mine in a normal 'medical' room. I had the first with gas & air and pethedin, no2 with nothing and no3 with gas & air.

The first was flat on back, the 2nd I was stood leaning against the worktop unit thing and the 3rd kneeling on the bed over the head rest.

All 3 were monitored as they were vbacs so a a 'nature room' alternative was not offered to me. I tore with all 3 but they were all very quick pushing stages. From memory (and it's a few years now), the sewing up afterwards was worse than the birth itself!

VenetiaFleet · 16/04/2015 20:09

Tbh OP, the pushing was a walk in the park compared to the pain of contractions! That was the worst part of my labour but once I got to the second stage I found that pushing and crowning was fine. I had less than two hours of it and got a second degree tear but I can honestly say that it was nowhere near as bad as I expected and I healed within a fortnight with hardly any pain from the tear.

Original poster

HazleNutt · 16/04/2015 20:25

Thanks - I also found the pushing easy, he was out in minutes. But of course I don't know if what it would have felt like without the epidural.

OP posts:

6LittleOnes · 16/04/2015 20:29

I love the pushing stage, it's nice to feel like you are doing something instead of just trying to get through the contractions. I found with my first dc the crowning stung, with the others it didn't really hurt at all

plantsitter · 16/04/2015 20:30

You felt the worst bit I think. Crowning stings like a bastard but you a) know what it is and that's actually encouraging and b) it stops very suddenly. Pushing didn't hurt much.

museumum · 16/04/2015 20:32

I had the easiest pushing ever, it was just a contraction with an urge to push so I did. No crowning pain. Quite quick and all upright so he came down with gravity. It was the easiest bit of labour pretty much.

HolgerDanske · 16/04/2015 20:36

Crowning stings a lot. Pushing doesn't hurt as such as far as I remember, it's just hard work.

gamerchick · 16/04/2015 20:39

My last birth the consultant injected my bits with anaesthetic to numb them up. It really helped avoid the ring of fire.

Maybe that's an option?

HolgerDanske · 16/04/2015 20:40

From my own experience I wouldn't be worried about delivering compared to the contracting stage.

humlebee7 · 16/04/2015 20:42

I had an epidural, episiotomy and forceps the first time with DD1 and just had DD2 two weeks ago with just gas and air. It was a really good experience this time - crowning was more an 'intense' pressure feeling rather than painful and I didn't really notice the urge to push - more I just had to push with the contraction - my body sort of did it itself and I just did two pushes deliberately at the end. Then suddenly it all stops and you realise the baby is out. That surprised me as I thought it might ease down not stop entirely.

Athyrium · 16/04/2015 20:44

Everyone is different as mentioned. I was v v v lucky. Contractions were intense rather than painful, didn't really notice crowning, tho remember being glad when DS was out. Could have happily done it all over again, was exhilarating!

Awellboiledicicle · 16/04/2015 20:44

I shouted "this really fucking hurts" at crowning. But my contractions were really far apart, well from what they should have been at that point. So I had to hold onto the ring of fire for longer.

I have a low pain threshold too.

MrsWildermac · 16/04/2015 20:44

Have you considered hypnobirthing as suggested by PP? I did it, and had a back to back baby born face-to-pubes and the only bit that was even slightly painful was when she crowned and I tore. Otherwise, other than a LOT of pressure, it absolutely did not hurt.

womaninthewildsofwales · 16/04/2015 20:46

By the time you get to pushing it's nearly over- I didn't even think about the pain, just the fact that I'd soon have my snuggly newborn! It's hard (labour- duh!) but rewarding I find. I'd love to give birth over and over again because for me it's a feeling that nothing compares with. I hypnobirthed and my body just took over and I went with it- if you relax rather than fight it a) it's quicker b) it becomes mind over matter and c) you might even enjoy it :-D

AnythingNotEverything · 16/04/2015 20:54

I found crowning to be like a stinging "ring of fire" type pain. Not unbearable but quite distinct and intense.

Pushing was painful in the way that I imagine pooing a wardrobe would be painful - I could sort of feel corners and sharp edges but I could feel progress towards the exit which was good.

I think the actual contractions hurt more than either crowning or pushing and as labour progresses they get closer together so there isn't really a gap between them. That's what I needed the G&A for.

westcountrywoman · 16/04/2015 20:55

Really not that bad. DC1s birth was with an epidural so I was a bit apprehensive with DC2 when I arrived at the hospital and was told I was already too far on for an epidural. But it was fine. A bit stingy but not that painful and being mobile really helped ease the contraction pain and sped things up too.

Can you not transfer to a normal room if it became unbearable?

Original poster

HazleNutt · 16/04/2015 21:20

In theory I should be able to transfer if I change my mind - just that it might be too late then already. Should also mention that I'm abroad and they don't to G&A here.

OP posts:

MoominKoalaAndMiniMoom · 16/04/2015 21:24

Think it really is different for everyone. I was induced with DD and was told they'd expect me to be pushing for a long time - three pushes and she was out, no epidural. I have no memory of the pain at all other than this kind of burning that was like doing a difficult poo out of a different hole.

The only bit that really really hurt for me was the transition-y bit. Pushing and crowning was a relief after that!

Dumbledoresgirl · 16/04/2015 21:26

IME when you get to the pushing part, the worst is over. The contractions still feel like they are going to be painful, but there is something about going with it and pushing through them that takes away the pain.

Crowning - meh. I don't recall it particularly (4 vaginal births). Perhaps intense stinging? But at that point, the midwife is telling you you are nearly there or she can see lots of hair or some other sort of encouraging comment and somehow, for me anyway, that saw me through any pain.

And yes, I ripped, though didn't need stitches for any but the first who was born by forceps (so I possibly missed crowning with him). Don't the medical books tell you that by the time you get to crowning, the baby's head is blocking the nerves that allow you to feel pain in that area?

SnozzberryPie · 16/04/2015 21:37

This is really reassuring as in my labour with dd I had a spinal block and forceps at the last minute so didn't feel the crowning. Pushing didn't hurt iirc although I never had an urge to push, I was doing it because the midwife told me to

I'm pregnant with dc2 and hoping for a homebirth next time so just hoping the last bit doesn't hurt too much.

chocmeup · 16/04/2015 21:37

I had the same fear as you with dc2 as had an epidural for dc1. I did find crowning the most painful part - intense stinging as pps said. However it was still quite bearable and over very quickly, and at that stage you know your baby is nearly there which helps a lot. (No G&A for me either as was a sudden home birth).

Lindt84 · 16/04/2015 22:35

I don't remember crowning actually being particularly painful, although I had had local anaesthetic for an episiosity so I guess that may have dulled the pain a little.

I found the pushing part the easiest part of labour. I almost felt relieved to be doing something towards getting the baby out and found it very easy to focus. I was stuck lying in a bed, with my legs in stirrups as the baby was being monitored but I still preferred that part to the earlier contractions!

Roseybee10 · 17/04/2015 02:45

With the first I didn't find the pushing that bad until she crowned. It wasn't sore so much is tiring and weird feeling. She came out facing up with her hand at her face so when her head came out it was pretty sore.

With my second I found the expulsive contractions very painful (I didn't voluntarily push with her, my body just started doing it) but I think it's because it was so intense. I had her in the water and her head was out in one contraction and I didn't find that part bad this time because she was in a better position and so was I - I was leaning over side of pool kneeling). I think the pushing was more painful as it was much quicker and things were happening very intensely (with dd1 I was pushing for 2 hours and she kept sliding back up so it was more exhausting) but the actual crowning and birthing was much less painful.

BananaPie · 17/04/2015 03:26

Crowning was very stingy. Probably the worst part for me, mainly because I was terrified of tearing. The midwife tried to reassure me by saying " it might sting a bit". I seem to recalling telling her in no uncertain terms just how f*cking stingy it was. On the plus side, it was over quickly. Not sure I'd be all that keen on going through it without gas and air though!

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