How much pain were you in at 1cm dilated?

[whatsthetimemrwolf]

I am currently pregnant with DC3 and am trying to decide whether to go for a VBAC or ELCS.

DC1 was delivered by EMCS as undiagnosed breach. I only ever reached 1cm dilated before they got me in for a EMCS but was in tears with the pain. I always believed that I wasn't dilating properly as DC1 was breach, hence my pain. However, I have had a consultation with an expert VBAC midwife this week who told me that I was in no extra pain because DD was breach, I was just being a first time mother. I would love to go for a VBAC but am scared about the pain and wonder if I just have a really low pain threshold! I would be very interested to hear how ther people felt at 1cm dilated. Thanks.

gosh, not a lot I think. But my labour was very fast and the first time they checked me (About half an hour after first contraction) I was already 6-7cm and my contractions were painful but not terrible.

Those of you who were in pain at 1-2 cm could you walk, talk, read etc in between contractions?

Not really nappyaddict. I could walk - I got in and out of the car - but I was in a bit of a pain induced trance to be honest! Obviously it was very different to the pain when I was further on, when the contractions were far stronger and I was pushing etc, but I just remember the early contractions as being really painful and quite relentless!

I could talk - I called the hospital to tell them I thought I should come in, I told my mum I was going in, I woke DH and told him we were going in, I couldn't time the contractions though, I walked from the carpark to the ward but once I was there I didn't want to walk anywhere. I thought I wanted an active birth but all I wanted to do was lie down, my head wanted to explode. I couldn't read.

I was in a lot of pain getting to 3cm with ds1. He was back-to-back. I think the position the baby is in can have a lot to do with how 'easily' you dilate

thing is how do you know you are 1cm if you unless you are being examined before labour and every hour or less thereafter! so the question is impossible to answer. I know I was having contracttions from 11pm (qgradually got more and more painful and closer together, but knew was best to stay at home as long as possible) decided to head to hospital at 6am and was 7cm dilated on admission VE.

My midwife told me to ring the hospital when my contractions were 1-2 minutes apart and when I couldn't talk in between contractions, that's why I asked. Luckily our hospital don't send you home if that's the case and your not in "established" labour but I know some do which seems a bit dark ages to me.

also just because first labour was very painful at 1cm doesn't mean this labour will be. Different baby. different labour.

nappy it isn't dark ages it is to prevent unwarranted interventions, going to hospital in latent/early labour is known to increase medicalised intervention of a low risk labour that doesn't need to messed with. I always encourage people to stay at home as long as they can.

woith my first two; like very bad period cramps, painful but not breathtakingly so... could still stand upright during them and talk at all but the peak.

with both dd and ds1 i took A Very Long Time to get beyond 3 cm though, in fact with both my waters were broken after 15-18 hours as i wasn't progressing and although the pain got no worse i did find it affected me more as i got more and more exhausted.

still very managable though, if you found it agonising i'd suggest either the MW is wrong and something was causing excess pain (how could she know for sure fgs, all sorts of things could have complicated matters) or else your pain threshold is ridiculously low... but surely you know your own everyday pain tolerances?

i have to say i found ds2 very painful from first contraction to last and i think it's because he came very quickly (for me, 6 hours with me actively trying to slow labour due to being an hour from hospital with no babysitter having turned up)

I actually think that's an appaulling thing for a midwife to say, she cannot possibly know how much pain you were feeling.

With dd1 I have no idea how I was at 1cm because I laboured so quickly (entire labour was 2hours 20mins)

With dd2 however, I had a back-to-back labour and 6 hours into it, mw did a VE (on my request) and I was 1-2cm and it was agony. It was just as painful as being fully dilated in my first labour, except that it wasn't constant. I'd get a couple of HUGE contractions then a tiny one kinda thing.

With dd1 i was in a lot of pain from start to finish.

With dd2 i was in no pain until fully dilated.

I agree with you Starlight MacKenzie. Nothing worse and more demoralising than being told to take some paracetamol and go home when you're in agony.

To answer nappyaddict's earlier question. I could do most things but sitting down was extremely uncomfortable.

With DS2 I went in to see consultant 3 days past my due date for a sweep as they thought he was very big and he was giving me a lot of pain each time he moved etc.

When she did the sweep I was already 3 cms dilated - unbeknown to me. 'Great' I said 'Only 7cms of agony left then!'

None.

I was like others in agony my husband called the hospital they told me to continue to stay at home (i was in agony all in my back she was back to back although I didn't know this at the time!)

I'd already tried bouncing on ball, rocking on the ball, bath, shower, paracetamol and nothing touched it, I was crying in pain I called the hospital and they agreed for me to come in! this was just after midnight on the Friday, my waters had broken 5am the Wednesday.

I got to the hospital and was begging for some pain relief thank god for g&a! but that only worked till about 3am and I was still only 2cm dialated! I was gutted! I couldn't do anything and the g&a was only just taking the edge of the pain, it was suggested to me that my husband go home and that I have pethadine or an epidural so I could get some rest....

So I had a shot of pethadine which mean't i could doze during contractions I still needed the g&a for the contractions....

At various times they stopped and started sometimes they were 5mins apart then they would drop to 10mins apart! I think it was due to being scared of giving birth!

I had a 2nd shot of pethadine 4hrs after the first, once that was warying of I opted for a epidural it was that or nothing!

As I was still only 2cm dialated I was put on Hormone drip but that put baby into destress so I was off and on that...

My Epidural only half worked so I was still on g&a!!! about 10pm on the Friday I was 6cm dialated, I had been on and off the drip all day each time she got distressed I came off!

I was being prepared for a c-section signed forms etc... this was about 11pm they checked again and I was 10cm's dialated i think now that when they told me they were preparing me for a section I relaxed and thought its going to be over soon....

They tried ventouse first as she was stuck and was getting distressed, that failed twice then tried forceps, which worked (poor baby was bruised on face!) I had stitches as well (so dignified not!)

I'm sure my pure fear of giving birth made the whole thing worse, so this time (currently 17 weeks) I'm planning to try Hypno birth this time!

I was offered a c-section (planned) by consultant today because of complications in last pregnancy and my last birth!

Nappy I could walk and talk between contractions but I was unable to do anything during them and the fear of the next contraction probably made them worse! I'm hoping better prep helps this time!

I ahve to see consultant again at 36 weeks and I can decide to have the section if I want, the consultant didn't try to convince me to go VB and had never heard of Hypno birth

nappyaddict, I couldn't walk. I was mostly lying on the bed in the semi-foetal position, bump allowing, or being wheel-chaired to the loo. I could barely talk - I was semi-comatose between contractions, although the pethidine might have had something to do with that - plus I had had vomiting episodes as well, so was feeling pretty tired and washed out.

When stage 2 kicked in, I think (as no one was timing it) that I was still having contractions about 3 mins apart - 1 min of air-raid siren type wailing "shoot me now, make it stop, make it go away, kill me please" - then 2 mins of semi-comatose recovery before the next one started.

When I felt DS crowning (I didn't realise that was what happened, I just felt him move down inside) it was as much as I could do to summon the energy to tell DH to fetch a MW.

thumbwitch we must stop meeting like this could you talk in between them or not at 1-2 cm?

nope. not have a conversation, I could manage a few words if I had to.