Levels of pain in childbirth??

[beakysmum]

Obviously, most people find childbirth painful, but I've never heard it discussed whether or not there are different levels of pain. Surely there must be?

In both of my labours, I was doing all right until suddenly pain levels went through the ceiling. My doula on the second birth confirmed that as she was massaging me she felt me tense and something change, tho she wasn't sure what at the time. A minute later she saw me go from managing with breathing to screaming.

Discussions since then have suggested that

• my SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction) kicked in

• Baby turned back to back (midwife confirmed this)

• Baby's head went over my piles (nice!!!)

Anyone any comments on this? Any midwives or doulas out there?

Also, as this has happened on both my labours so far, any ideas how I should approach a third, if ever there was one?!

Thanks

Baby's position can definately have a great impact on the level of pain a labouring woman experiences. My 3. child was back to back and the pain was so much worse then with my other 2.
With my middleson, I had a very slow progressing labour, and it was the least painful one out of my 3...

Purely anecdotal - but I think back-to-back labours can be much more painful, and it isn't just a case of individual pain thresholds or whatever. My best friend just gave birth to her third child (last month). Labours 1 & 2 were both very quick (3 hours & 6 hours respectively) and she described the pain as like 'severe period pains - painful, but manageable'). Baby 3 was back-to-back - she laboured for 14 hours and said the pain all the way through from the very first contraction was much worse than with her previous labours - and intensified so much towards the end she passed out twice and was violently sick several times. She said she really felt like she was going to die, although she wasn't (!) - it was a perfectly straightforward delivery, no danger at any stage to mum or baby, but the pain was so bad that's how she felt.

I was talking to my midwife about this the other day and apparently there is a point during contractions a bit before you need to push where pain levels rise dramatically which they call 'transition'. With DD I was coping absolutely fine with the gas until I reached this point but then started begging for any kind of drug or even a mallett round the head to relieve the pain.

lol@hatrick

Yeah, definitely experienced that point where you'd rather die than carry on. I got to 10 cm dilated without unbearable pain with dc1 (I mean yeah, it hurt a lot, but I felt in control). And then at transition, the pain just went way off the scale - I remember thinking I wanted to die and just bellowing like something inhuman! I also found the actual crowning of the head excruciating - imagine someone saying 'open your legs' and then aiming a blow torch at you!

I would love to get to 10cm and only then have unbearable pain in transition (actually would rather never have that much pain!)but....

confession.... I seem to hit that pain level about 4cm. I just can't believe I'm imagaining it, or that much of a wuss, but I really do seem to go from Ok to unbearable quite early.

Which is kinda my OP: dilating is not the same pain level for everyone; there are different levels of pain? There must be? e.g. baby back-to-back is worse.

I guess there are different levels of pain and different responses to pain. I also think individuals have different coping thresholds. I found it helped a lot to keep mobile with dc1, whereas with dc3 (VBAC) I was kept on a bed and strapped to a monitor which made the pain much worse. Considering my body had gone through labour before, the first time round, I would have expected another vaginal delivery to be easier, and I think it was the way I was kept on the bed which made it feel worse, not the pain itself. Also, there's no doubt women have different thresholds of what is 'nasty', 'unbearable' etc. I had my second child as a CS under epidural which was a breeze - nothing that I would call pain, yet I've known other women say they've had a really hard time with an epi.

I guess there are different levels of pain and different responses to pain. I also think individuals have different coping thresholds. I found it helped a lot to keep mobile with dc1, whereas with dc3 (VBAC) I was kept on a bed and strapped to a monitor which made the pain much worse. Considering my body had gone through labour before, the first time round, I would have expected another vaginal delivery to be easier, and I think it was the way I was kept on the bed which made it feel worse, not the pain itself. Also, there's no doubt women have different thresholds of what is 'nasty', 'unbearable' etc. I had my second child as a CS under epidural which was a breeze - nothing that I would call pain, yet I've known other women say they've had a really hard time with an epi.

In answer to your question - bury you head in the sand until the time comes! Always works for me!

I think that labours can be so different to each other that it is impossible to put them into little boxes. For example, my first birth was four hours straightforward etc. Managed with gas and air and had a 2nd degree tear and an episotomy (which I felt everything of!) but my second labour was a water birth, back to back and ended up with a third degree tear. I did a lot of damage with the second labour and was still having treatment almost a year after my baby was born... but despite the pain was more intense, this was my 'better birthing experience'. Odd, but being in the water meant I could meditate more and distance myself mentally from the pain, which made it a lot more manageable. The pain was worse, but it didn't seem so bad because I was more experienced, able to cope better, knew that I could do it and all I had to do was to get my head down and get through it. Sheer determination and meditation got me there. Yet, still this birth seems the nicer one of the two. I don't it is just down to the pain felt - its everything else too - your mental state of mind, levels of determination, how relaxed or stressed you are and so on. because there are so many different factors that all play a role, I don't think you can classify it. At least, I don't think you could for me!

Excellent post Elkat. I agree that your state of mind has a huge amount to do with it. I think in terms of level of pain, my first birth was worst, but because I was in a midwife-led unit with a wonderful midwife who made me feel confident, it was a better birth experience than my third one (VBAC). The third one was a huge hospital, lots of different changes of staff who I didnt know, and I was being closely monitored due to previous CS. Overall I felt really unhappy about the birth

Different levels of pain defo....my dd was back to back and I couldn't move during contractions was fine in between but was crying during contractions I was only 1cm dialated when I got to the hospital but without pain relief I don't know what i would do...

Really interesting to hear diff points of view. Thanks

Agree with keeping your head in the sand as long as poss!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure mental attitude has a lot to do with it, as does the attitude of staff around you. But that can't be all. With second labour especially, I was keeping mobile, breathing using birthing ball, as I say, doing OK, and then suddenly Wham! something(s) physical kicked in, I'm sure. Which I hope never happens again. But I am worried....

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