it's such a hard question to answer. i tried face to face with a mate on here and failed, went away thought about it and came up with this for her....some editing has been done...
'was thinking how useless my reply about what they were like was, espeically as i've just had another bout of gut cramps today. problem is they aren't like anything really!
it's a huge muscle, and it moves in labours in ways it never does any other time. huge, massive, long clenchings that reach a crescendo you can't somehow believe and take their time to quiet down again. it's really all encompassing ...
i never really felt it as 'pain' though cos the [hypnobirthing]cd had me positive about them, and i was just so interested. I did find them really difficult to deal with when monitored with [ds1] and if anyone tried to have me do anything or pay attention to outside stuff during them. i really needed to just feel them happening in order to accept it all and to ride each one out, and not clench other muscles in sympathy. i think that was the hardest part, this one huge muscle is doing its thing, and it was a real challenge to try and relax other relevant bits, thighs, fanjo, lower back to allow the uterus to do its job. the biggest help with that beside fearsome levels of concentration was pulling back on something else, so the rigid pool side with [ds2], or beds/doorframes with [ds1]. i never ever let myself think during one - oh god, there's another one coming after this or make it stop - as i just wanted each one to do it's job and get birth over and done with. i think it would have been fine if i had thought/said that though, as someone with me would have been encouragin. [DH] was encouraging anyway, saying well done after each and and helping steady me/get me what i needed for the next. i did talk a fair bit between them. i used gas and air both times, but found with [ds1] that it made me suprisingly stoned, and i had to be very sparing with it or i'd get so buzzed i lost the focus that was stopping me panic. i got expert very quickly at taking the suck or two just before the sustained peak of each contraction. (oh and when i was stitched up with [ds2] i actually said to [dh], sod it, i'm going to get rinsed on this stuff now, looovely ).
after transition, which i really didn't like as any patterns i was used to changed [things were easier]. i think the uterus muscle works differently during transition and 2nd stage. so i panicked [during transition] both times, and needed people to help me focus and encourage ++, up to then i just wanted people to butt out and let me deal with it and generally be my body slaves
during the second stage, especially with [ds2], the contractions got less frequent and as i said, felt different - real pushing from the top, exhilarating tbh. I would will them along to get the job done and the baby out, when you can feel them shifting the baby down and out it's pure magic.'