On a scale of 1-10, how painful is giving birth?

[rogantano]

I want to give birth to a baby naturally but my pain threshold is non-existent… my mum is worried about the day I give birth because she said all I’ll be doing is screaming

Well that’s not helpful of your mum. Contractions were 50/10 for me, never experienced anything like it but at the same time, it’s not like bones breaking, more like the most painful and intense cramps ever but for a reason if that makes sense. In my experience they were also the most painful part, the actual birth was a breeze in comparison.

Take pain relief if you can, gas and air was wonderful.

Yes it was a 10 for me.
I'd put my period pains at a 2, toothache at a 4, kidney stones at an 8 and childbirth at 10.

58

Oh and I didn't even register any pain when I tore as it was completely insignificant compared to the pain of contractions to me. Whereas some people find contractions not too bad and the tearing bad.

My first was 9lb9 (4.1kg) and I didn't feel my contractions at all - no pain relief, a home birth - so 5/10.
Second was different, despite having a smaller baby, I would say 10/10.
Your mother is nuts - every woman is different, but telling your daughters that giving birth is going to have them screaming non stop is really unhelpful.

Im sorry, it's not 100% true. I hypnobirthed and did antenatal yoga the whole way through my first pregnancy and still had to be induced and my body just didn't respond to the drip. After an eternity experiencing excruciating contractions, they gave me an EMCS. My next child's birth was almost identical except forceps instead of a c section. On both occasions my body did not know what to do. I had an elective section with my third to avoid taking any chances on my body not knowing what to do a third time!

Had two births unmediated , as I did ok. Was fine :) no stitches, no intervention. Both quick births but just do what's best for you and baby it can go either way x

I agree with earlier posters. I wouldn’t describe it as painful at all- not like the pain of a toothache or a broken bone. For me it was just an “intense” feeling, like lifting really heavy weights or pushing yourself on a long run.

Managed without any drugs etc. - except the two paracetamol that was forced on me by a midwife and I took just to shut her up.

Definitely recommend Hypnobirthing, keeping moving in labour, and vocalizing to help through contractions. If you need the drugs, just take them- they work!

I couldn’t feel contractions as any kind of tightness or cramps. Definitely nothing in or around my stomach. All I felt was a really severe pain up my bum, and I was convinced it was separate to the contractions and I must just really need a poo or have wind but it hurt so much I could barely breathe.

They said I was having contractions but I couldn’t feel them come and go. The pain was just constant and unbearable. It was a lot more frightening than I’d imagined it would be. There was no in-between contractions where I could chat away as normal and from very early on I thought I was dying.

I was really disappointed in myself with how badly I coped with it. People joked I had a low pain threshold and I’d been convinced I’d prove them wrong but I felt like I was psychologically breaking into pieces so had an epidural.

However I had a failed induction and was on the drip which I know isn’t the same as if I had gone into labour naturally. Looking back I wonder if DC was back to back. Or whether the different kind of pain than others experienced was somehow related to everything that went wrong. DC wasn’t doing well in there and I ended up having an emergency c section.

I would have an elective c section if I did it again but I do believe every birth is different and I could easily have a totally different experience next time.

You can have an epidural. My pain threshold is very low, I get an epidural every time. My first one was bad because the labour was long and unrelenting. 2nd was fine, about 4 hours of labour at home then I had an epidural.

Its understandable to worry about the pain but labour is an intense experience and the time passes quicker than you can imagine. There are drugs available to help with the pain. Pregnancy is worse than labour in my opinion.

I did hypnobirthing and it really helped. 2 mins after giving birth I turned to my husband and said 'that wasn't as bad as I though it would be'. Don't get me wrong, it was painful, but its a different pain. You know why you are in pain, you know it will end and you know you will have your wonderful baby at the end of it.

You can’t always. I couldn’t get an epidural as progressed too fast. I was banking on it and it was horrendous.

It’s awful, sorry but it is. I’ve never known anyone to give birth and not seem to be in absolute agony. Mine was a 10/10, it was so bad I was in and out of consciousness and vomiting. The pain of contractions is a deep crushing sensation like somebody has squeezed all your organs and pelvis into a huge garlic crusher. Fucking hideous.

What seems to affect whether people remember it being hideous is how long it took. Women can be in labour for days, for others it’ll be 2 hours so no compounded exhaustion. The latter will probably say it was ‘painful but manageable’ because it didn’t drag on and on.

The worst pain I've ever experienced. Horrific.

Ask for an epidural if you're worried.

Intense and uncomfortable at times, but never painful. That was both births

I also agree that contraction pattern is a big thing. 20 seconds of hideous pain followed by a few minutes of nothing is fine. I remember counting my contractions, for hours it was a 30 second contraction followed by less than 10 seconds of no pain, then another. It was incessant, like being knocked over by a wave and then another bigger one as you get to your feet.

Sounds like mine. I reacted badly to the pessary so they had to remove it. I then went in to spontaneous labour a few hours later whilst waiting for the consultant. They went from nothing to continuous at full whack and it was all in my back and bum, felt like my spine was being twisted out. Vile. Absolutely nothing like period pain.

DD was back to back though and there was one bit of cervix that got stuck and a registrar had to move it out the way. I nearly kicked her in the head, it was awful.

I didn’t mind the pushing, that felt ok.

But the contraction pain was mad as it was constant, none of those pauses people usually get. That’s what threw me as I couldn’t breathe or think.

Nothing wrong with screaming during childbirth. It’s a pain reliever.

I found it painful but worth it. 10 / 10 pain. BUT it is only for a few hours and it reduces the likelihood of long term complications.

Oh god same. I don’t even remember crowning, my 2nd degree tear or any of that - it’s not that it ‘didn’t hurt as much’, I just didn’t even register it at all as the contractions were just so indescribably awful. I remember being very surprised when DH told me the head was out as I had felt no sensation of pushing anything out at all, just sicking pain like my entire pelvis was trapped under a skyscraper.

I’ve definitely had worse pain, but it does hurt. And I’ve been told by consultants that I’m very stoic.

If you want an epidural ask for it sooner rather than later. By the time I asked for it they said I was too far into labour to be given it.

There’s no medal for suffering, it doesn’t make you a better or worse mother. Just do what feels best for you.

It’s the worst pain in the world. Ever. Take the drugs and take some extra. Really.

The unimaginable pain comes at the point where there’s no turning back or option to request pain control… just as the head is forcing it’s way out of your vagina.
its a ripping burning sensation that lasts a few seconds. By the time you want to say stop, it’s all over.

contractions are painful but manageable if you stay fit and healthy and learn to breathe properly.

My dd had a 98th percentile head circumference, it really hurt, but it is a known pain which is very different to the fear that comes with a pain of unknown origin, traumatic pain or pain associated with a likely negative outcome (heart attack).

Most women go on to do it all over again.

In most cases where women have psychological trauma associated with childbirth it is not about the pain, it is about lack of control, loss of dignity, fear for themselves or their baby, this is a separate issue, but it's not the same as the physical pain of childbirth.

My DM was the opposite, she only had me, and I was 5lb. She said it was easy and you sleep in-between contractions..in the 1970s/80s when you attended childbirth classes,we were told the same. We lay on the floor, doing deep breathing excercises and thought it was a piece of cake. First was emergency cs ,left lateral breech. I cursed my late DM. Everyone is different, I have a tiny size 4 DD,had her last baby a few weeks ago,8lb no sutures,tears, very short labours, bit of gas and air at the end.