What was the most painful part of labour?

[ALS17081982]

I had an EMCS 7 weeks ago after 38 hours of labour. I had an epidural at 7cm dilated which dulled the contractions and then a spinal block before failed ventouse and then c section.

I found the contractions painful enough to ask for an epidural but I wasn't at any point screaming in pain. I used a TENS machine and later gas and air. Before the epidural the contractions were so painful I was being sick a lot and could no where near talk through a contraction. I want to know how much painful it would have got so I can be prepared if I try for a VBAC next time.

Which part of the whole labour did you find most painful? We're contractions at 7cm dilated easier than at the pushing stage? Was crowning the worst bit?

Thanks!

Contractions during transition.
Literally one after the other, hardly any gap in between.
I think pushing your baby out is a breeze compared to the pain of transition

(2 babies, one in hospital, one at home, no pain relief with either)

Contractions every time , crowning always felt a bit stingy , stitches couldn't feel and then the first wee is like your foo is on fire

I hypbobirthed second time and it was bloody amazing. I got to transition (in hindsight) with just breathing, nothing else. At transition it got very very intense suddenly combined with meconium so the midwives didn't tell me I was transitioning, I just asked for gas and air, baby arrived less than 45 mins after that including an ambulance trip because of the meconium (where I was told not to push as they didn't want me delivering in the ambulance, which is when I realised how close I was to delivering). I didn't feel crowning particularly.

Before the epidural. And the contractions from about 5-7cm
Then I got the epidural

Transition... That's when I asked for something stronger than gas and air...unfortunately they didn't know I was in transition and I delivered DS1 before the drugs took full effect...

Transition. When I screamed for an epidural and as they started to examine me, said I was 10cm and needed to push. Crowning wasn't great and I needed an episiotomy but I didn't find that as traumatic because I knew that was nearly the end.

The afterpains hurt most I think, but transition was the hardest part for all 3 - made me feel quite out of control and panicked. Wasn't so bad second and third time as I could recognise it and rationalize the fear a bit, but was still quite a primitive response.

After birth contractions. Why did no one mention them????

The pushing. Both times. I could handle the contractions fairly well with just gas and air but with the pushing I kept telling the midwife I couldn't do it any more.

To clarify in was pushing for about an hour both times though. I know it's often a lot shorter for others.

I take it back what I said about forceps and episiotomy. I lost 3L blood and had a retained placenta that I needed a general anaesthetic for. My first poo was the worst. I was constipated due to the iron tablets and I begged for lactulose (I'm a nurse so know people can get bunged up on iron). They said I'd be ok without it. That poo was absolutely horrific, it took me 45 mins and was absolute agony. I was sweating buckets. My poor baby was screaming the place down for a feed and I couldn't feed him. I thought my episiotomy was going to burst open.

The pushing was ok because it felt like I was doing something with the contractions, it took the edge off in a way. I pushed for a long long time with ds1 though and it exhausted me and I think led to poor recovery and complications. With ds2 I was induced and contractions went from nothing to excruciating very quickly. It was so so painful. I remember kicking the bed and saying fuck a lot. It was more painful but less scary because I was still prepared for it. And lucky ds2 came out after 1 hr of contractions and only 3 pushes! No complications afterwards just euphoria.

My induction drip was put up too high and I was contracting too frequently. I just remember wailing in pain and digging my feet into the bed. I had managed fine on gas & air till that point but took pethidine then fell asleep from around 6cm till ready to push!

With my first it was transition 18 hours in. I just lost it at that point. After that I had an epidural.
With my second, I had a very fast labour with no time for any pain relief. I only pushed twice, so I guess crowning was the worst, like an intense stinging/burning pain, but it was over so quickly I can't really say it was that bad.

Awww no. I had forgotten about the after pains! Pregnant with DC2 at the minute. I should prob stay off these threads

The tearing 🙈

When the baby turned back to back and suddenly contractions felt like a melon was repeatedly trying to make a break for freedom from my bumhole. I will not forget that pain!

I had an epidural for them to try a manual rotation of back to back baby (which failed and then needed emergency forceps) so can’t comment on crowning, but prior to that was fully dilated and had been pushing 2 hours. The only bit that was desperately painful was when the midwife suggested we try pushing in the stirrups in case it helped to unstick my big wedged baby. The rest was intense and knackering but basically tolerable.

Transition absolutely, I hate transition! Crowning is nothing in comparison for me.

With my first I don’t remember any of it being really awful or painful - it was long but I found pushing really satisfying and it was all just very intense rather than painful.

With my second it was the crowning that was painful and terrifying, he came so quickly I felt like he was ripping me in half. But as a pp said once you get to that point there really is no way back and I remember thinking that I just needed to give it my all and it would be over. The relief when the head was out was amazing. This is probably really weird but even now thinking about it I feel excited to do it again if I have more children 🤦‍♀️

Being stitched up wasn’t really very fun though but I think I was quite high on gas and air so it was ok

At the end when the contractions roll into one and don't seem to stop.
Although the contractions in general are the worst part. I had two very quick labours, I can't imagine doing it for hours

Actually worse than labour was the palpation of my uterus after to try stop the pph. That was awful.

Definitely the tearing as the head popped out. I actually saw a flash of white across my vision as I tore

Pushing and crowning. With my third I did 22 hours of contractions without any particular upset but as with my first two pushing and crowning was terrifying and painful in the extreme. Thankfully it’s too bloody late by then and crowning especially is over quickly :)

Oh yes but the stitching after is the worst of all. The anaesthetic seems to do nothing so insist on gas and air to chug. You still feel every stitch but you’re so high you don’t give a sod.