pushing and crowning, how painful are they?

[HazleNutt]

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?

I found the pushing bit wasn't as painful as the worst dilation contractions. More of an intense urge, very weird sensation! I did have gas n air to focus my mind and I tried to just listen to my body and made some very odd grunty noises rather than gritting my teeth to push iyswim.
Hope it goes well for you!

Personally I didn't even notice with DS because the contractions hurt so much - I found labour pretty rough and I even tore "down there" and didn't feel it, thanks to contractions and chugging down gas and air!!

Good luck.

OP, by the time you get to pushing you're on the home straight! All being well, of course.
The hard part, IMO, is getting to the pushing stage. Up until then you have to just take the pain form contractions. When it comes time to push-you'll feel a really strong urge that you can't resist to push-you can work with it.
Each contraction where you can push is a step closer to the end, you kind of push the contraction, IYKWIM?
I once read that at crowning the nerve endings don't reach each other which helps to reduce the pain.
With DC3 (10lbs 12!) my contractions stopped just at crowning! Midwives splashed water on my fanjo until they started up again, which really helped too.
By that stage you will just be ready to give those last few pushes to get your baby in your arms.
Don't forget to blow, blow, blow as baby crowns, as this will mean you cant push, try it now, you can't push and blow. This slows the exit reducing your chance of tearing.
You'll do brilliant!

Now if I do go to the nature room and the last stage is horrendous, I'll come back and blame you lot

Will have to ask what other pain relief they have available, before I make up my mind. Friends of mine who had working epidurals really loved them. But in my hospital, that would mean stuck on the bed, hooked up to 101 different monitors and wires, that I really hated.

Oh well, maybe I'll just end up like my friend who had her second baby at home in an hour, before the ambulance got there..

I abandoned the gas and air for the delivery - it didn't help so it seemed pointless to keep on with it. I would liken delivery to vomiting - a similar sensation to when you are puking and have no control over it, but 'down there'! Painkillers wouldn't really help with vomiting (IMO). Similar with delivery. It's just hard work.

I just had gas and air and, like Venetia, the pushing stage was a walk in the park compared to the previous 48 hours of contractions every 2 minutes! I finally felt like things were moving and therefore the pain felt productive rather than the constant awfulness of contractions.

Also the gas and air was taken away while I was pushing but that didn't seem to make any difference useless stuff anyway

Don't do what I did though OP, and take the "stay at home as long as you can" advice too literally. I got to the hospital and DS was born two hours later. I wish I'd gone in earlier so that I could've taken advantage of the pool and gas and air during contractions but I was convinced they'd say I wasn't dilated enough and send me home!

I gave birth in a birth centre rather than a hospital that sounds much like your nature room. It was lovely there, so much more relaxing without the medical paraphernalia around you. I stayed on my feet for most of my labour, lying down made it so much worse. The last few contractions before pushing were the worst bit then pushing and crowning was relatively painless in comparison. I had a 18 hour back to back labour and think the baby turned in the last few contractions, they were excruciating! Its all over quite quickly though and so nice being able to shower and move around after. I would have hated an epidural but then I am a bit of a control freak. I found hypnobirthing a bit too out there for me but pregnancy yoga was brilliant, the breathing techniques and positions you learn really helped me. Good luck!

Pushing & crowning a doddle, minor pain compared to ctx.
Stand up if you can, btw, best way to deliver I finally found.

Contractions were definitely the worst bit for me - for the last couple of hours I had hardly any gaps between them, just constant excruciating pain. I didn't have to push, like others have said my body kind of took over. But I can remember the feeling of ds descending - thinking 'shit, he's never going to fit out of there!' and panicking.,I was even trying to hold back - but failed obviously! I don't really remember crowning, just the sheer relief that he was born and it was all over.

I had gas and air and lay on the bed. Midwife was desperate for me to get into birthing pool but I refused. My baby was back to back too. For me, contractions were most the painful part by far. I think what helped me with crowning and pushing was mentally I knew each push meant I was closer to the end so I tried really hard on those and didn't feel the pain. Contractions were more like a grin (well grunt, moan, scream) and bear it type thing.

Pushing was fine for me, bloody exhausting but not actually painful. Crowning however was absolute agony, I tore quite badly and could feel every bit of it, it was without doubt the worst experience of my life. Sorry!

First time round I found the contractions unbearable, couldn't cope at all. Panicked. Had Pethidine and didn't really feel pushing or crowning, but tore quite badly and needed episiotomy.

2nd time I read something about breathing through your Jose controls panic. I clung on to that religiously in desperation to avoid what happened before and found it really worked for me and could manage contractions fine, even chatting in between. Got in the pool for the actual birth and was ok with the pushing, though it was undeniably more painful than the first time, like others have said, felt in control and was making progress. Had no gas and air.

Crowning, maybe because I hadn't felt it at all first time round, was the worst bit for me. Agony and fear, horrific. I screamed and panicked, but still regained composure and then it was plain sailing after that and I didn't tear hardly at all.

Felt worse in a way physically afterwards having had no drugs, achy and bruised, but mentally exhilarated, and recovery was loads better than with the drugs.

*nose! Don't breathe through your Jose!

I will try not to breathe through Jose.

On the one hand, I have so many friends telling me their lovely epidural stories - "oh, went to hospital, had an epi, it took all the pain away so I had a nap, and when I woke up, it was time to push." If I could have one of those, I would not hesitate. But if the chance is that it's not working again, then I'd rather be in the nature room, where I can have a bath and roll around on the floor, and not stuck on a high bed, wires all over.

For me, the pushing part was very quick (or it seemed to be anyway) and although painful I have forgotten the pain. The contractions however, I don't think I will ever forget the pain of them!!
I didn't have any pain relief.