What do contractions feel like?

[Rnm62]

Hi everyone,

I’m curious to know what contractions feel like. All examples and experiences welcome!

Also the most painful part of childbirth. The contractions? Crowning? Transition? Pushing?

Mine weren't in my stomach, but in my bladder, lower back & my hips, felt like someone had their hand inside me & were ripping my muscles & bladder which felt like the worst ever uti you could imagine but I couldn't pee, they had to use a catheter to empty my bladder, ds was back to back.

Induced contractions don't build up, they start at 100%

@Givemebackmylilo it’s ok that we had different experiences, relax you don’t need to pull each comment that was different to yours.

@JuneJuly oh wow! You’re the first person I know of who has had the same experience. I was ready for all of the pain it was so strange and very surreal. My midwife also checked me as I was walking around and wanted to be disconnected from the monitor to go to the toilets, then she just looked at me and said no you’re fully dilated and ready to push. I think my partner got off lightly as I’d prepared him for all of the shouting and swearing!

Relieved to know it was the same second time around for you! Have my fingers crossed if I’m lucky enough to have another little one.

[quote FTEngineerM]@Givemebackmylilo it’s ok that we had different experiences, relax you don’t need to pull each comment that was different to yours.[/quote]
Seems like you're the one that needs to relax

Like being disembowelled

Like being torn apart in the teeth of wolves

Like being tortured with red hot pokers

Whilst sprinting on a running machine

For hours. No respite. No "in between the contractions."

Sorry. It's not like that for everyone but it was like that for me.

And when it was time to push I got a very sharp, excruciating pain in my bum hole!
The glamour!

These threads make me think back fondly to my epidural 😂

Mine started off like a period pain. I had to breathe through them but carried on as normal. Waters broke after 11 hours of this at only 2cm and was having back to back contractions like my insides were being pulled out forcefully. Screaming pain. This was because dd was transverse though.

@BertieBotts

Crowning is the worst bit, but contraction pain is bizarre, it kind of takes over all of your consciousness, I would black out. Afterwards I'd get this hazy oxytocin feeling.

I think crowning feels worse (to me) because you're "back in the room" so to speak. With contraction pain there are a load of endorphins which go with it, so you're kind of in this other worldly space. Which doesn't mean it isn't horrendously painful. Somehow all of the natural birth things seem to skip this part and imply that the being in another place makes the pain not exist either absolutely not in my experience.

I've never had a c-section but have been reading about it as my baby was breech for a bit (fingers crossed seems to be OK now). I came to the comclusion that while vaginal birth is pain on a 9-10/10 for a few very intense hours, c-section recovery is probably pain on a 3-4 / 10 for several days/weeks. So overall you probably experience about the same amount of pain, just a bit more spread out! Both options are no walk in the park. I think on balance I'm OK with the intensity over a shorter period.

Laughing at this. My first csection i had no idea the pain i would still be in after 38hrs of labour then to feel like my inside would drop out if i dare move too quick!