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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

Could someone describe what a contraction/tightening feels like?

143 replies

victoriascrumptious · 23/10/2009 21:19

I've never had one. Had an c-sec with no labour last time.

Can you describe them to me so I can live vicariously?
I'm sad that I may never know what they feel like-expecting another cs due to bp this time round.

OP posts:
jollyjoanne · 28/10/2009 19:39

My contractions were like period pains and putting a hot water bottle on my back pretty much got rid of them. They lasted at most 30secs and were completely irregular even when i was pushing. I think the midwives were surprised how little pain I was in. Especially as I was a 1st time mum who arrived at the hospital fully dilated and ready to push. However, I discovered that has a huge downside to weak contractions - my daughter was stuck and in distress but even after trying for 2 hours I couldn't push her out and ended with an enormous cut and a forcep birth!

CantThinkofFunnyName · 28/10/2009 19:45

So glad am having an elective c/s for my 3rd!

fizzpops · 28/10/2009 19:47

Back pain like period pain to begin with. Then building up to crushing cramp-like sensations (not immensely painful) in my stomach and top of my legs. Got harder and harder to breathe (and talk) through them. Like a cramp in that you know the best thing to do is to breathe but it is the hardest thing to do because you just want to curl up around it.

Although mine were unpleasant I think it would be inaccurate to describe them as painful. Certainly not comfortable and a little bit frightening in that they were so overwhelming, but not what I would call pain.

I think it is different for everyone.

Gumps · 28/10/2009 19:48

For ds1 it was all in my thighs (he was back to back but no one realised this until he was coming out). The only way to describe it was you know that exercise you do to strengthen your legs for skiing when you squat against a wall and then your muscles start to burn? Well it was like that. For ds2 it was period pains that just got stronger and stronger.
I am one of the lucky ones as I found it relatively easy to deal with both times but then my labours were very short. Also in my head it was all positive pain to result in a baby.
Only shocker for me second time was crowning as I didn't feel it first time (heafty episioty and anasthetic due to shoulder dystocia). WTF?! God that hurt. Think my exact words to dh were I am being torn in two!! Only lasted seconds though followed by intense relief as baby popped outed!

Gumps · 28/10/2009 19:49

Oh and OP sad for you but remember birth is a means to an end no matter how its done. Good luck with everything.

Restrainedrabbit · 28/10/2009 20:07

Mine were intense rather than painful and focussed throughout my bump, I didn't feel any sort of tightening sensation just a feeling of intense pressure I guess. In the latter stages of labour I also felt an intense pressure in my rectum akin to feeling you need to poo a melon

cheeseycharlie · 28/10/2009 20:10

It feels just like doing a great big pooh. The contractions are involuntary muscle movements, and in that way they remind you of when your bowels urgently open (nice) or when you retch (double nice). Then once the contraction is underway it just feels like all your insides are cramping. This will probably hurt but not always, and will definitely overwhelm you and render you unable to do anything other than wait for it to pass. Keep breathing. Very important that one.

Second stage feels quite different. They hurt more, but only if you don't push. The last thing you feel like doing is pushing, but actually the harder you push the less it hurts. Make this your mantra. Teach it to your birth partner and get them to remind you over and over: the harder you push the less it hurts; the harder you push the less it hurts...

Good luck!

Original poster
victoriascrumptious · 28/10/2009 20:12

Thanks Gumps.

This thread has made me giggle-particularly:

DwayneDibbley: "It mainly feels like the whole world is trying to force itself out of your arse."

and

GhoulsAreLoud:
"I can only describe the sensation as like being tortured for information that you don't even have."

Classic!

OP posts:
reban · 28/10/2009 20:34

i would agree with Gumps birth is a means to an end .. i know a whole range of women who have had elective c-sections, emergency c-sections, fully drugged vaginal delivery, disasterous (sp?) home births and completely natural births. Not one of those women has any regret or anguish as it really was made worthwhile by the fact they had their child at the end of it.
Also all make great stories and my favourite one i tell has nothing to do with pain or contractions. It is when i arrived at my local hospital maternity unit on xmas eve last year to find them evacuating the ground floor because of a minor fire. We found a midwife (who incidently didnt even work there but had been dropping papers off) who helped my dp to drag me up the stairs to the delivery suite (no electric due to fire alarm). She then stayed with me while i gave birth and made sure i was discharged as soon as possible so we could get home to our other three children and celebrate xmas together!

star6 · 28/10/2009 20:37

Horrible. Not "like" period or diarrhea cramps. like 100X worse than that and takes over your whole body. I remember that pain very well. Everything stopped when they came and I cared about absolutely nothing other than getting rid of that pain! It was like the whole world stopped. I was in the hospital cafe during some of them and I remember screaming and squeezing DH and a pg mum (pg with number 1) looking at me in horror - I noticed her when it was over. I was also very frightened at the time, which made it worse. I think if you're more calm or have a small clue of what to expect and no one sugar coated it for you saying "ohhh, it's just like bad period cramps, and as soon as you see the baby, you forget".... it will be better without this.

I wish someone had said to me during pregnancy, "It f* ing hurts and seems scary , but it's not scary, it's normal and youw ill be ok and it will still hurt even when you see your baby and realize that you would go to the ends of the earth for this beautiful little person. But you can get through it. and don't be afraid to ask for drugs" (I wasn't at ALL but did feel guilt about doing so.... but you shouldn't!)

stainesmassif · 28/10/2009 20:43

big pooh pains here. and i forgot that they were contractions and became convinced that they were actually pooh pains, and if i could just do a pooh i could get on with the business in hand of getting this baby out. then i had an epidural. the relief!

DwayneDibbley · 28/10/2009 20:55

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Wigeon · 28/10/2009 20:58

Agree with posters who say it wasn't like any other pain you've felt before. It was horrible. It was definitely the worst pain of my life. I remember thinking in between contractions "maybe we could adopt next time...".

It was also true for me that in between contractions you aren't in any pain at all (apart from at the very very end when the head was coming out).

But....I got through it, the TENS was wonderful, I was really focussed, I did lots of controlled shouting (not screaming, more going "aaaaaaarrrr" or something) through the contractions and it all stopped completely when DD came out!

Mamamoppel · 28/10/2009 21:00

Less painful than the Braxton Hicks I had beforehand! Is that just my experience? Really didn't think the actual contractions were so bad and even the midwife thought I was a bit mad.

daffodilli · 28/10/2009 21:04

Cx for me were waves in the bump, literally just pressure up, pressure down and no pain anywhere else. Sort of bad period type pain, but fine if breathed through and relaxed into. Did a hypnobirth course and with the lessons learnt from that I was never scared at any point and can honestly say I enjoyed it!

star6 · 28/10/2009 21:04

DwayneDibbley - I felt the same... like, wtf??? What's wrong with me? That was horrific! so much pain that I shouted "I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE AND I WON'T IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME PAIN RELIEF" several times . I actually refused to push at one point during the pushing part. And no, my body didn't "do it on it's own"... it needed my help (another total myth). And they handed me this gorgeous boy, floods of happy loving emotion, but still in pain and wondering about all of those stitches!

You're right that it's worth it, though. I am in love with my DS (13 months). I have never ever loved anything in the world like I love him. I can't even put it into words.

DwayneDibbley · 28/10/2009 21:10

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star6 · 28/10/2009 21:19

I have not and will not have anymore
Sounds like a good plan for this time around DwayneDibbley.
lol about mooing! I was also told to stop making so much noise and push instead.
Re "that's it, I want a CS!" I said that when I first entered hospital at 2cm dialated!
When we were finally allowed to stay after returning several times, a dr saw us in the corridor and said "are you here for hte elective CS?" to which I swiftly replied "yes! yes that's me!" Unfortunately, DH told the truth . I asked for a CS probably more than 100 times during the 36 hours.

pranma · 28/10/2009 21:32

Mine didn't hurt that much-like a cross between constipation and period pains.Honestly I have had worse period pains.With ds I had one shot of pethidine about 10 hours befor birth and for dd I had nothing.With ds I asked doc how much longer and he said,'Stop talking and push-your baby's here.'First labour was from 6pm one day to 1pm the next.Second was from 4pm one day to 3am the next.Interestingly dd also had two easy labours one from 6am to 4pm and one from 8pm to midnight.

poshsinglemum · 28/10/2009 21:44

For me it felt like the surges were an electric current passing through my body like a power surge and that the best way to deal with the intensity was to ''earth'' myself by hanging off doors etc. I felt like a lightening conductor. It wasn't agony for me but very intense and I had trouble surrenduring my control over my body.

choosyfloosy · 28/10/2009 21:44

Like period pain for some time - the only problem was that I had to go to the loo after EVERY contraction (was still at home thank God), which meant no break at all. Having said that, that bit was only a couple of hours for me. Then like a very clearly delineated heave of pain (could almost visualise a triangle shoving up inside me) which got harder and harder till it actually shoved me off the bed (was kneeling up). Then in the water it felt like i'd got control back - the pain was muffled, twas great. But then the pain grew again and got out of control. I was convinced that I had a 20-hour labour ahead of me and believed I had no chance of surviving it - luckily at that point I was about 10 mins away from the birth - no ring of fire (ds was only about 7lb).

I'm always mystified when people talk about making decisions, talking to the midwife, having conversations during labour. Once labour was under way for me, all I could manage was 'I'm frightened' at various volumes. Couldn't process any information at all, not that the mw gave me any.

KnackeredOldHag · 28/10/2009 21:51

Victoria, I can't give any info on what contractions are like, but I just wanted to express my understanding of not knowing. I have two dc's and have never been in labour as I had a c-section the first time (transverse baby) and repeat section the second time. I don't feel though that I missed anything as I got my two beautiful, healthy dc's delivered safely and that's the main thing. Both births were no less special or emotional for having been c-sections so although it may seem a bit sad and strange to not experience labour, treasure the births for the still beautiful experiences that they are.

Oh with dc1 I never even had a Braxton-Hicks contraction.

blueshoes · 28/10/2009 22:12

Had 2 cs. I never went into labour naturally or dilated beyond 5cm. Was induced for dd - syntocinon that was cranked up and up because I was not dilating fast enough . No pain relief.

Artificially induced contractions felt like 10000 volt electric shocks that kept coming and coming with very little let up. It would build up and then suddenly wham, like being kicked clear off the bed by a horse and continue for an agonising 45 secs. One minute rest, then again.

I was only 5 cm dilated. Dd went into distress shortly after. I don't blame her .

pinkism · 28/10/2009 22:43

Oh this has made me laugh so much, OH can't understand why I would find it so funny at 36wks and keeps saying 'but you have to do that soon!

Beveridge · 28/10/2009 22:45

My contractions started rather rudely with really, really intense lower back pain that lasted a few minutes. then came back 40 minutes later (at which point it started to dawn on me that maybe this was labour!). I had no pain around my bump, it was all in my lower back, as if in a v shape towards my tailbone.The pain was incredible but I remember thinking it wasn't the worst it could be. But I didn't expect labour to be such a pain in the @rse - literally!

I also remember a shuddering, shaking feeling at the base of my skull with each contraction and I was reluctant to try to go to sleep on the postnatal ward in case I had flashbacks of the whole thing when DH wasn't there. Ended up with a spinal block as I got forceps and even as that as wearing off, I could feel what i can only describe as 'ghost' contractions, a kind of rhythmic burning around my tailbone.weird.