What's it really like?

[LauraBrown1]

I'm due my first in August. I know I have a lot of time to go yet but recently I've had friends/ work friends asking me am I excited, am I scared of giving birth and such.
Yes I'm excited but to be honest I haven't really given much thought about the birth part just yet. I've heard horror stories and stories of people saying it's not that bad. So (I know everyone is different) but what is birth really like? 🤔
I've broken my nose and had an infected wisdom tooth before (to what my friend said she would rather deal with labour than having a infected tooth again) but I think I'm such a wuss with pain. I just don't know!

[coffeeandpyjamas]

To be brutally honest I honestly felt like I was going to die. I consider myself to have a pretty high pain threashold I have a chronic pain syndrome and am used to feeling uncomfortable a lot of the time with twinges etc. But, the pain of contractions and labour was like nothing I ever imagined. When the anaesthetist finally came in to do my epidural after I’d had 2 hrs of contractions coming one on top of the one before, I could have kissed him.

I ended up with an emergency C-Section which was no walk in the park and recovery had its own challenges and pain.

BUT, I would do it alllll again in a heartbeat as the end result is the most beautiful, all-consuming love for the little person you have created.

[PerfectPeony]

I’ve forgotten most of it now but I remember struggling a lot in latent labour- which I wasn’t prepared for. I couldn’t sit down, the contractions were very intense early on- she was back to back though!

When it got too bad I just got an epidural so I got to sleep through the contractions and relax for the last 10 hours. It was lovely!

Remember pain relief is there for you to take what you need. Gas and air is great, as in pethidine. Each birth is different, just see how it goes!

[PhoebeBear]

@coffeeandpyjamas 'to be brutally honest I honestly felt like I was going to die'

Omg haha now I'm freaking out, I'm glad for the brutal honestly though 😂

[MiceSqueakCatsMeow]

Just when you think you can't do it anymore you have to push a human head out of your tiny vagina. The shoulders are wider too. If you get a back to back baby it's peak contraction pain the whole time. Thanks ds1. I felt like I was being ripped inside out. Also contractions really hurt. And pushing on a contraction makes it hurt more. Why is that? However I did the whole first stage at home with just a tens machine with ds2. But the high after was amazing, I felt invincible and I had a lovely baby.

[PerfectPeony]

Also agree with Houston! The birth is one day.

You’ve got looking after a newborn, breastfeeding, lack of sleep, potentially colic and birth recovery to deal with. I remember going to NCT and only thinking about the birth- like it was an end point but it’s the start.

[MiceSqueakCatsMeow]

Ds2 was crowning when the contraction stopped. The ring of fire has a different meaning to me now!

[MiceSqueakCatsMeow]

Get sports drinks for during labour. It really helped with ds2.

[TwittleBee]

At the start of labour, like the early labour stage, I was like "yes I have this! I can do this!" - that was because it was just like bad period cramps, I was able to carry on doing normal stuff.

Then my waters broke... "right this is a bit more painful but I got this!" (I had to go in hospital and be monitored as I was only 36+5)

Then a bastard of a MW done an unconsented sweep on an open ward with a load of women & their partners waiting for the C-Secs.. "woah WTF, make this stop, I am dying!!!!" - the pain was solid, no stop at all, my mum gave up trying to record my contractions because they didnt stop, like it was just one long contraction for hours

Finally that awful experience post sweep stopped and I was back on the lines of "yes, breath, keep this going, keep active, I have this"

When I was finally in active labour and able to be moved to my own birthing suite things just didnt progress quick enough.

A student MW then tired to break, my already broken waters, and started cutting my inside. I remember screaming as it hurt so much and that is when my mum shouted at the student MW to stop. I thank my stars that it was me and not DS she was hacking into!

I kept walking about, I was able to manage the pain without anything but I needed to sleep. I was so so so so tired, by this point I had been wake for coming up 36 hours. I started being sick, like constantly. Any time I drunk anything I would throw it straight back up. I remember thinking "I am dying" - the sheer force at which I was sick and the tiredness was worse than the pain.

I was given an epidural as it looked like I would need a C-Sec as I still wasnt progressing. I was hooked up to drips too and tbh I did then manage to get in some sleep. Although I could still feel the contractions on my right side it had certainly dampened them. Once I woke up after about an hours nap I was really wired for it all to start happening again... my body wasnt though!

The drips were ramped up and I did end up getting to the pushing stage and that is when the pain of sciatica suddenly developed.

Then it was discovered I had contracted sepsis so they had to cut and pull DS out with forceps.

Honestly, the cut and stitches werent that bad for me.

I still suffer from sciatica now, even with physio it reoccurs. Dreading it getting worse with labour of next DC.

a PP was right though in saying just how wet labour is, blimey with the sick, the constant flowing of my broken waters and then all the blood it was very wet!

[FartnissEverbeans]

Stages of Labour Pain

Yay! My waters broke! My adventure is beginning!

Haha contractions are starting! Take a picture DH haha isn’t this exciting

Ooh these contractions hurt a bit now haha

No seriously DH no more pictures, this is a bit sore now

Ok this is really fucking sore now

Jesus fuck this is not a fucking joke

DON’T TOUCH ME! DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!

sobbing help me please

GGGGNNNNAAAARRRRCChHgHHhhgg

pain stops Wtaf just happened to me (continue to ask this for months/years)

I surprised myself by mooing like a cow in calf for much of labour. Genuinely was one of the worst, but also most surreal and incredible, experiences of my life.

[MiceSqueakCatsMeow]

I surprised myself by mooing like a cow too!