What does it really feel like?

[sweetchilli77]

Sorry in advance if this has been asked numerous times before but...

What does labour pain really feel like.Can anyone explain in the best ways possible the type of pain?

Im 30 weeks now and starting to think a lot more about labour and getting quite anxious

The actual crowning/pushing out part felt like pooing out something the size of a sofa......or small car.....

Before that ds was back to back and the pain was intense like period pain x100- no real respite between contractions because the pain was in my back too......

I had a cs due to placenta praevia 2nd time round but most second vbs I've heard about are easier

Just to correct what I wrote before (sorry, sleep deprived, over due and generally a bit dizzy!!) G&A - not at the height of a contraction - use it at the start of a contraction to the height and then try and stop using it until the next contraction.

For me it was immense pressure! And feeling a bit out of control, like my body took over and I was just rolling with it.

All I will say though is that the people that say "it's not that bad" and "it's manageable" aren't being truthful. For me it was horrendous. But both my babies were back to back and the second time around I had no time for anything other than gas and air and spent most of the day begging for pain relief but they didn't believe I was in labour. I insisted they check me and turns out I was 6cm!

It's like nothing you've ever felt before BUT (and this is the cliche bit) once the baby is out it's so so soooo worth it.

Good luck x

I had a local in my foof (well my perenium really) for my episiotomy and I really think it numbed the 'burning' that lots of people describe when the baby is crowning. There aren't many advantages to an episiotomy, but that was one!

This back to back malarky is making me a bit nervous ladies......how do they know this? if they know can i ask for epidural or does the baby move and become back to back making it too late?
Sorry if i sound numb, cant you tell its my 1st :(

I've had 4 DC. IME, any woman that says that you forget the pain of childbirth is telling fibs.

For me, it was as though baby was trying to claw their way out of my tummy button mixed with someone really really heavy straddling me. As the pain was mid thigh to belly button.

Then they put me on the synctocin drip and it became much more like I expected- really really bad period pain radiating from the top of my pubis and pushing eased it.

My local in the foof did not numb the burning pain of crowning but I had forceps so extra stretching.

It was by far the worst thing I've ever done and the most pain I've ever experienced but I had the same speed/ duration/ intensity of contractions for about 19 hours of my 21hour labour. Baby was also back to back and face presentation.

I'll never do it again.

And I'll never forget it.

It feels like a baby is going to explode out of your bum. And before that bit, awful period pains and back pains. A day or so later you will feel like you've just run a marathon. Hopefully you will do all your poo in the run up. I did, I kept going to the toilet and just felt awful like when you've got a terrible hangover or a tummy bug.

I found that it was different every time. I had 3 and each labour was completely different.

First was irritating pains for a few hours. I was kept in on a normal ward and DH sent home around 10pm they kept sending me have a bath which I bloody hated so I just went in and paced the bathroom. They said I "didn't look in enough pain" to go to the labour ward when they eventually examined me I was 6cm and wheeled down in a wheelchair. Once there the midwife asked "any sign of vomiting?" I looked at her and threw up on the floor in front of me. She very calmly went "that will be a yes" and helped me into bed. I was embarrassed but she made me feel much better. I got gas & air and lost track of time. I had DD about 4 hours later. My DH missed the vomming but not the birth. I had a retained placenta so had a spinal (like an epidural but a one shot version) and went to theatre to get that removed. I prefer not to think about how they got it out as they didn't cut me. The thing I remember most is being pissed that I had the epidural (which I didn't want) for the placenta when I got the baby out on gas & air and even more pissed when I realised my DH had been given toast and tea and had baby cuddles and I got fuck all for another 2 hours.

Second was so fast you could blink and miss it. Got into hospital at 11am still feeling fine. Stuck in a side room. Got into an actual room around an hour later. Still fine. Niggly pains not really too bad. Sent DH for lunch. He came back 20 minutes later and said I "flipped out like something from the exorcist" Apparently I just started screaming and swearing. A midwife came and examined me and told me "not to panic but the baby is coming" I have a horrible feeling I said "no shit sherlock" as the baby arrived after one push, into the arms of the midwife still unpacking the labour kit thing... I don't remember much between sending DH for food and sitting there after the birth saying "did I just do that?" and the midwife freaking out that "I will probably need loads of stitches because it was so fast" (for the record I didn't. I needed zero.)

The third took forever. I went into labour at lunchtime, hospital at around 6pm on Thursday. They kept me in due to my fast second stage labour last time. I had him finally at 11pm Saturday. It took for fucking ever. It was quite chilled though and mostly |I was uncomfortable but not in horrific pain.

I was lucky. I know people who had easier labours and some who had much harder ones. It is a total luck thing. It does hurt and it is painful but it is usually just one day (or 3 if you are my DS) I also found that gas & air is awesome at making you lose track of time which really helps.

I went in expecting it to hurt but telling myself it's just a day. I found that helped. You can do this. If you go to hospital it's very safe, you are in good hands and the labour ward midwives have always been awesome in my experience.

Good luck, you will be fine. Don't worry. It's just one day. I hated pregnancy so I also kept repeating "I wont have to be pregnant anymore..."

First 5 hours was just like period pain, a sharp pain in my stomach but manageable. Then all of a sudden it became unbearable. Got to hospital and had diamorphine which made me drowsy so it was still painful but I was less aware.

DS was back to back. The mw will be able to tell you in the appointments closer to your due date. Basically means head is down but they're the wrong way round so their back is against your back. Your tummy will dip if that's the case. DS moved at 39 wks and didn't move back. My mw told me to prepare to throw away my birth plan and prepare for an epidural. At the birth centre they were less bothered, barely mentioned it and I just got in the water pool and carried on. DS born with gas and air only. It was only after that all the midwives seemed amazed that I'd pushed him out and he was my first. Kept saying 'wasn't that sore?'. Well yes it was....but it was my first so I assumed it was normal birth pain. I'm due in a few days and this one is the right position so hoping for a much easier time!

I really feel there should be a book about how truly awful childbirth can be. Obviously it can be okay but media and celebs and most people seem to make it sound magical...

It was the worst thing I have ever had to do and kick started my PND. I put a lot if the events down to me being hooked up to the devil drip!!

Thing is OP chances are you will have a lovely birth and probably even if you don't you will be overwhelmed with joy for your lovely new baby but I still think it's good to know it's okay if things don't end up that way.

For me it was not magical. It was like torture. My "natural" birth was so far removed from the meaning of that word. I was ill afterwards and mentally couldn't cope with what I had been through. Again, this is prob not common but it happened and I think I might have felt better prepared if people were just honest!

Like - look your going into battle here and it may be okay or you might come out battered and bruised and scarred by it all

But at the end of day we are giving life... A human born ... A new soul in the world. I don't reckon it should be easy.

No matter how bad it gets before during or after, you will do this and you will cope. I remember screaming that I couldn't do it anymore, like when you are running and you can't breathe and your brain tells you you can't go anymore ... But you keep going because there's no other option!

My parting words of wisdom... If they put you on the drip, have an epidural before the contractions start

Are you doing hypnobirthing? I practiced it loads before my first baby and sort of convinced myself it wasn't going to hurt. I was completely wrong of course, it does bloody hurt! But the hypno really really did help me in terms of remaining positive throughout the whole experience. I had no pain relief at all for most of it, apart from use of a pool, contractions increased in intensity but I could breathe through them (as someone said earlier it's a bit like getting a tattoo, really painful but moments of reprieve). The pushing part went on for hours and hours for me and felt like doing a massive painful poo. I was shattered and hallucinating by that point as had been awake for days so ended up with emergency c section in the end. The c section was incredible! Loved it, especially getting that pain relief right at the very end. Really think the hypnobirthing made what could have been a potentially scary situation really positive for me personally.

Helenagwells, laughed out loud at 'no shit Sherlock'!!

Hi OP. Back to back labours take generally longer (the descent is harder because essentially baby is facing the wrong way) and you might very well need an epidural to carry you through. (I haven't had a back to back labour but screamed for an epidural so I imagine that pain with back to back would be going through the stratosphere)
There's an interesting article about whether to have an epidural (generally) you might want to look at.
Google "epidurals birth trauma association" and you should find it. It's written by Felicity Reynolds.

I only got to five centimeters then had a section as DS was discovered to be breech.

BUT I can say that the pains to get to five cms weren't that bad at all, in fact I've had worse headaches TBH.

first one was back to back and induced, horrific pain, vomited all the way through- couldn't speak/focus/breathe due to the pain.

Did hypnobirthing for the second, was amazing, i had a few twinges/gripes, nothing too bad, no gas and air, no pain relief and then had a baby about half an hour later (9lb 8)

third one was quite long (compared to number 2) was probably my 'truest' labour (only natural one of normal length) was 9 hours, it 'griped' really hard for a long time, was tiring, didn't hurt that much, i did remember that if i wiggled my fingers and toes during contractions and made a conscious effort to relax my jaw and count 'up' to the peak of the contraction and back down once it's hit it seems easier and helped.

After two weeks of intermittent latent stage tightenings/mild contractions my labour kicked off with half an hour of more regular tightenings which felt the same as braxton hicks but came every 3-4 minutes. As things ramped up I felt like I needed to poo but nothing was happening- the sort of gripy feeling I get after a spicy curry. Then as I got into the car an hour after the initial tightenings started, a whole world of intense pain started, which felt like the most intense trapped wind imaginable. It was all behind my pubic bone, nothing in my bump at all. Sitting down was awful - I can't describe the feeling but it just felt wrong. It was 40 horrendous minutes to hospital through Friday afternoon rush hour with an idiot dh who put the wrong address in the sat nav and didn't know the way so I was navigating the back way around country lanes in the brief windows between contractions ("do you want me to fing drive myself there" might have been screamed at one point... but that's by the by...) By the time they examined me in hospital I was in transition. I desperately needed to pee but every time I tried to relax my muscles it triggered another contraction so that just added to the discomfort. Pushing felt like the most intense food poisoning-type projectile vomiting sensation, but instead of just trying to minimise it and get through it and hope that everything's out, I had to engage with it, push into it, make it worse, and after an hour everything was still very definitely not out. I don't remember pain for the pushing, just a really horrible sensation. I don't remember any pain during crowning or for the episiotomy either - and I don't think it's because I'd blocked it out, I remember thinking at the time "oh well at least that bit wasn't too bad". I had a small tear towards the front and was fully aware when it happened (I shrieked in shock and the mw patted me and said something about the ring of fire but that couldn't have been further from my mind, I was thinking "oh f what on earth have I just torn? Do I still have a clitoris?") (Answer was yes, thankfully) but felt no pain. I had a problematic third stage, in that the bloody placenta made itself too comfortable, so for an hour after giving birth- when I thought I'd be cosied up with my wonderful new baby- instead I had a non-stop low level contraction (pretty bad compared to my usual period pain) plus massive shakes from the adrenaline. I was so uncomfortable that I couldn't hold my baby. Plus I was bleeding heavily so got left sitting in a damp sticky puddle, another uncomfortable experience.

So all in all - I don't rememember the pain (although it was horrendously painful) as much as the things that made me feel uncomfortable. On the plus side, it was pretty quick (3 hours labour, 1 hour pushing). I felt more stiff and sore afterwards than when I ran a marathon, and needed ibuprofen for a couple of days to ease the muscle pain where I'd been clinging onto the bed so tightly during pushing.

I'd do it again in an instant though (despite what I said to the midwife immediately afterwards.)

My description would be the same as Mistermagpie on page one which is interesting as I also had a precipitate labour (0cm to delivering the placenta in 17 minutes). It felt like every bone in my body was being crushed. There was no build up so it came as a breath taking shock! But I hope to have another baby and it was bearable with no pain relief (no choice when it is that quick!).

Agonisingly excruciatingly painful.

And as an endometriosis sufferer, I was no stranger to pain.

First one. No build up. Contractions started every 2 mins, then 1, and lasted for 16 hours. No. Break. At. All. Hour and a half to push. Waters broke at last second. Pain of contractions was worst period pain x 1000.

Second. Waters broke first. Intense again, no build up. Minute apart, lasting a minute, no let up for 8 hours. But 20 minutes to push.

Third. Intense again, but more of the standard build up. Got stuck in transition. This was utter hell. For hour and a half, then pushed out.

And the after pains, fuck me. After number 3, they are like the worst contractions all over again.

Anyways. Probably worst sensation is the crowning. It burns like hell, but those magical words of 'just pant now, babies head is here' is pure heaven, as once head is out, you're pretty much there.

I loved gas and air, couldn't have done it without it!

Good luck OP x

Mine started like period cramps but coming in was from in pelvis and up bump. Got to about 6/7cm breathing through and counting to 30 (first labour) or cycling to a hill (second labour). First had an epidural but in second was determined to 'stick it out' so when iy went up a gear when waters went and I was sick, started on the gas and air, 45 minutes later asked mw to examine me, was 10cm so straight in pool and about 15 minutes of being away with the fairies hanging round DP's neck (think I nearly broke it). Felt like needing a massive unbelievable poo which was going to tear me in half. I could feel the baby's head just inside my foof and was so pissed when the next contraction just produced some poo and no baby. Then suddenly there was a baby.
It was amazing and I totally want to do it again (DP gets a bit traumatised by birth and has said two is enough...).

My second was back to back but I wasn't told until he was about to come out.

It was so much more painful than my first and I couldn't understand why. I turned to DH and whimpered "why does it hurt so much?" And the midwife suddenly pipes up "oh yeah, he's back to back"

Thanks for telling me.

Honestly I can't quite remember and all I had was gas and air which was crap.

What I do remember is;

Wanting to tense my body with the pain at the start and being told not to

The transition phase making me feel queasy

It was pain but not like a pain of something wrong, a 'working' pain almost that had a reason for being there.

The pushing stage was like massive constipation

Hurt like buggery coming out but dd had her hand over her face and gouged me on the way out with her talons (no stitches needed though)

The next day every muscle in my body ached more than any crossfit class or bootcamp could ever do.

Best of all the most awesome endorphin rush that made me feel like I could conquer the world and had just done something freaking amazing. That lasted for days after, I felt high and wanted to do it all over again

Good luck to you!!

My labour felt like enormous pressure, like I was going to explode. And when the pushing stage came, it was like vomiting downwards! My body did it itself - I couldn't push in between the pushing waves, and when the pushes came they came in three heaves which felt exactly like vomiting going into reverse. Horrible sensation, actually! I had a very quick first stage and then DD got stuck so I was pushing for nearly two hours and it was exhausting like I've never experienced. I started to get too tired at the end to push along.