So if you're one of those people who can honestly say "labour didn't hurt that badly"...

[Jacksmama]

... REALLY???

Honest?

How is that possible?

I am not taking the piss, I really honestly want to know. I've heard from one RL friend that it felt like "strong period pains" all the way through but that was as bad as it got. And I've read a few more posters on here who say the same thing.

I am utterly jealous gobsmacked. Granted, Jackbaby was stuck crookedly between my pelvic bones, and I had back labour, but nothing, nothing, could have prepared me for how agonizingly, horribly, unbearably painful labour was.

So if you're one of those people, come talk to me because I'm really curious.

first one was v painful (also back to back) (and the midwives didn't break my waters and once they did that, out she came v quickly)

second one, I was so much better prepared and it was mercifully quick, really quick. But with that came the shock afterwards! I feel much like maidamess about the second one. He was around 2-3 weeks early, 7lbs 1oz and quite literally shot out! Hardly had a labour really but was in shock afterwards. Looking back on it, was a lovely experience.

My first was not as bad as bad period pains!It lasted 19 hours and I slept through 8 of them.At the end I asked how I was doing and the doc said,'Stop talking and push-your baby's here!'and he was.The second was quicker and only a little more painful.My daughter[dc2]has had 2 herself with very little pain.In 1970 I used the breathing techniques from a book called,'The New Childbirth' by Erna Wright.The tone was a bit patronising but my gosh it worked.

Mine lasted 12 hours from start to end, the contractions hurt but I was walking around the house a lot and able to stop, bend over the sofa/table/whatever and grunt through them. By the time it got to pushing I was in a pool and so supported a lot by the water, it never felt unbearable. Lots of groaning noises and blowing raspberries (breathing techniques from Ina May!) None of the back pain a lot of people often mention. Crowning was weird, but like qally said, just like a really big poo that you had to ease out slowly Getting the placenta out hurt more, that took a lot of moving around at a time I just wanted to lie there in the pool with my baby. No tears so no stitches, thank goodness.

Honestly, truly, my first did not hurt at all, no pain during contractions whatsoever.

However second time round, I would have cut off a leg with a blunt knife to distract me from the labour pains.

I have no idea why that is.

I was some one who after a really painfull 'going to rip of your head if you move or look at me' first births had what they call silent labour with the second.I was hooked up to a monitor and sat with the midwife watching the contractions on the roll of paper talking to her throughout them.Silent labour is what it says on the tin - no pain or discomfort at all.But then it ended in a crash section which hurt whan I had a spinal.

I think part of the experience of pain is psychological. By far the worst part of my labour was lying on a bed in the ante natal ward, alone, hooked up to a monitor, had to keep ringing the midwives to get a doctor to assess me before they would let me go down to labour ward & get some G&A. The doctor said I was having 'mild contractions' which completely made me panic as I couldn't imagine how horrendous the pain could get if these were mild. Turns out I was 8cm dilated and about half an hour from pushing. The rest was painful, yes, but I felt 100% more able to deal with it once they started taking me seriously - oh and the G&A helped a bit too