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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Did you go through transition without pain relief?....

63 replies

eggontoast · 15/02/2010 13:05

Tell me if you begged for an epidural/lost it/screamed/became panic stricken having been perfectly in control seconds before!

By transmission, I mean the transition period just before your body begins to 'push'. For me, the contractions are supremely strong and feel unbearable....

I went from breathing through the pain to screaming and wailing, head back in anguish, just 'going with it' rather than controlling it. It only lasted about 30 mins for me, and pushing was such a relief and not painful by comparison.

What happened to you in transition, how did you 'change' and what did you end up doing?

I said to the midwife, 'I bet this is when lots beg for an epidural but it's too late?' she replied with a knowing smile!

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StealthPolarBear · 15/02/2010 13:10

Not so much in transition, I don't think...with DS I begged for a CS while pushing but they pointed out they'd have to push him back up first

With DD I was at home and we'd just got back from the hospital where I'd been 2cm dilated. DH had just gone to sleep when I woke him and said we had to get back to the hospital. He said there's no point, I wouldn't be much further along. I said if I have to deal with this pain I need an epidural. When we got there I was 10cm dilated. So possibly I was in transition then.

heth1980 · 15/02/2010 13:37

supremely strong and unbearable is exactly how i would describe it. I dealt with it by screaming at the top of my lungs......mw kept telling me off and saying I'd get a sore throat (think that was the least of my worries at that point!). Pushing came as a massive relief after transition.

thisisyesterday · 15/02/2010 13:42

first time i had pain relief straight away

second and third i had no pain relief at all

Mrsshuvel · 15/02/2010 13:46

I waws stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the hospital. I think the cab driver thought I would rip the front seat out. Got a few strange looks from the surrounding cars!

sarah293 · 15/02/2010 13:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

tassisssss · 15/02/2010 13:49

I relied heavily on gas and air each time. And said "I can't, I can't, I can't..." a lot.

DrSkidaddle · 15/02/2010 13:52

yes I did go through it without pain relief (with DC2) and found it the only time when I felt I really couldn't cope - it was horrible. Luckily for me it was very short and DS was born about 10 mins later. This time round (39+2) I hope I will recognise it is transition and that will help me get through it

castille · 15/02/2010 13:54

No pain relief (nothing on offer in France apart from epidurals).

I remember feeling nauseous each time at transition, and with DD2 I felt a bit panicky as it was all going a bit fast, but the feeling didn't last long each time so I managed to deal with it by concentrating hard on the breathing exercises I had learnt in ante-natal classes.

OmniDroid · 15/02/2010 13:57

I was kind of looking forward to experiencing transition (had an epidural the first time, so kind of missed any changes in the labour). DDs birth was the full on hippy home water-birth without drugs, so I got the full whack the second time.

But I didn't really experience anything different at transition - I couldn't even tell it was happening. The contractions got stronger just before she was born, but they had been getting stronger as my labour went on anyway. I didn't scream or beg for pain relief or panic at all, I didn't even know DD was almost here.

I just thought I needed a big poo, but DD's head must have been descending by then.

violethill · 15/02/2010 14:06

Yes - especially first time around, I totally identify with what you say about not breathing through contractions any more, just wailing. In fact, DH said afterwards I bellowed like a distressed cow! He said it was quite unearthly! Apparently not an uncommon sound in women at that stage who aren't drugged up.

I have to say, I didn't find pushing a relief though. Maybe marginally better in that I was doing something rather than trying to ignore the pain, but I found crowning terrible, like being ripped asunder!

Sonilaa · 15/02/2010 15:51

no painrelief with first, g+a with second.

"enjoyed" pushing stage both times, because I could DO something...

sallyjaygorce · 15/02/2010 16:00

Wasn't aware of being in transition with the first one. Maybe because had had an epidural. No pain relief at all for second and third - both home births. Not that aware of transition with those two either though. Felt a bit sick and shivery with no. 2 so got into a warm bath until ready to deliver (standing up) and on all fours for no.3 - had half and hour of contractions and then straight into transition (I realised afterwards) - very similar to OmniDroid. Though I needed a poo, went to the loo, waters broke on the loo and I felt the baby's head. Dropped to all fours, waited for the midwives whilst issuing calm instructions to DH who was more nauseous and panicky than I was by then.

Cyb · 15/02/2010 16:01

Yes, three times

mummyof2byapril · 15/02/2010 16:16

"Tell me if you begged for an epidural/lost it/screamed/became panic stricken having been perfectly in control seconds before!"

Erm I did all that and more at 5cm dilated, I felt like black out in pain by 6cm dilated when they finally gave me an epidural.

My mind cannot comprehend what being 10cm dilated at transition would be like while actually having feeling in my lower body.
How do you survive THAT?

Fibilou · 15/02/2010 16:27

SPB, I had exactly the same scenario as you. Did not realise I was in transition (had been sent home 3 hours earlier with "at least 24 hours to go")

I went through the whole labour with no pain relief - apart from a tens machine which I kept taking off as it was annoying me. Didn't realise I was in established labour until we went into hospital and the midwife said she could see the head. We assume my waters went in the bath as I never experienced them going.

Horton · 15/02/2010 17:09

I reckon I was in transition in reception. I cried and threw up quite a bit, while wondering why they expected me to be rational about any of it. DD born a couple of hours later. I didn't beg for an epidural but then I was shit-scared of having someone stick a needle in my spine...

diddl · 15/02/2010 17:13

I also don´t remember transition more than any other part of labour/birth.

For first & had no pain relief & for second gas & air.

I also never begged for an epidural-tbh,the pain didn´t get that bad.

But I was also more scared of the thought of an epidural than the thought of giving birth.

Fibilou · 15/02/2010 17:23

"But I was also more scared of the thought of an epidural than the thought of giving birth."

likewise

RollBaubleUnderTree · 15/02/2010 17:30

I have never experienced transition and never felt the urge to push either. With number one I had an epidural early on, second it was all very calm and had no pain relief except one puff on gas and air and TENS and when told 10 cms I pushed and she came out. Third was very quick and went from ok to hideously painful in a few mins. The only screaming was with the third during second stage and because it was so painful and felt out of control as the baby was in distress so I was told to push asap.

JustAnotherManicMummy · 15/02/2010 17:36

Yes. And I mooed/moaned through the pain. I kept the volume down - gave birth in the middle of the night at home. There were neighbours to think of

BlameItOnTheBogey · 16/02/2010 08:01

I remember screaming a lot in transition' mostly 'get me an epidural now' and 'don't touch me' even though until that point I had had no pain relief at all. About 5 mins later DD was born. But the feeling of being out of control was really bad. Am glad it only lasted a few minutes.

Horton · 16/02/2010 09:36

"But I was also more scared of the thought of an epidural than the thought of giving birth."

Me too!

Original poster

eggontoast · 16/02/2010 09:37

Retrospectively, I just remember being in control for hours whilst the pains got progressively worse and bordered on unbearable. Then, at some point, my demeanour totally changed in response to the pain, and I lost the ability to be able to 'cope' in my mind.

Luckily, this happened for me, right at the end during transition, so it was too late for the pain relief I didn't want before transition started, but begged for once it began!

I also went from quiet as a mouse, to very loud, then very quiet again for pushing. I just decided, to cope with the panic, instead of thinking 'I cant cope, it's too bad' etc. I just decided to let go and go with it. From that point on, I felt much better and coped much more, even though to an outsider, I probably seemed out of control!ifswim!

OP posts:

violethill · 16/02/2010 09:52

Sounds very like my first labour eggotoast. I felt quietly quite proud of having got to almost 10 cm dilated naturally, I think because the pain built up gradually, I was still coping even when it bordered on agonising. The transition kicked in and it was like WOW, totally different, like my body was taken over by some alien force, totally out of my control. Very scary.

mspotatochip · 16/02/2010 10:10

Does anyone wish someone a midwife someone had said to you "its ok you are in transition this is normal". I really feel if someone had reminded me that this was the bit I'd read about I would have panicked less and coped better. I was absolutely determined not to have an epidural with ds as I had a dural tap from epidural with dd and that's real agony. I did however ask for one in transition and was told "is too late". A more helpful comment would have been to say "Don't worry you are in transition the job is nearly done".

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