How painful is labour?

[MayimBialik]

I'm sure the answer will be very/extremely/agonisingly! But what is the most painful part? Is it the contractions? What do they feel like? Bad period pains but they go on for so long it gets exhausting? Or worse? Or is the most painful part the pushing? How long does that last for?

Just starting to wonder more and more about the whole thing. I'm hopefully having a waterbirth and am really looking forward to it. Im being a bit naive at the moment thinking I have a high pain threshold and always suffered from horrendous period pains so it can't be that bad....feel free to bring me back to reality!

I had a home birth, 6 hours pushing....I was told they usually send you in to hospital after 2 but both I and baby were fine. I had no gas or anything.

It hurts, be under no illusion of that, period pain does not come anywhere close....but saying that, you just get on with it. I could give you my big birth story but if you want to know what hurt most...its the contractions, they are shattering...I suppose pain wise it reminded me of having had the worst bout of food poisoning I've ever had where you are still heaving 12 hours later, nothing coming up and all your muscles are sore, I had that feeling as soon as my waters broke....pushing....bloody loved the pushing, time flew and I felt like I was at last in control of the pain.

You'll be fine, just be prepared for it to hurt when your waters break....but you'll do it. :)

I'm expecting number 2 now so in December will be experiencing it all over again as well.

Yes my first was agony as it was all in my back ? Kinda felt like my back was snapping in half I didn't really notice pain on my stomach ? But she still shot out don't remember pushing at all? Even tho I tore pretty bad :( 2nd time was more contractions across the front and I do remember them peaking and disappearing I coped really well jus with gas and air and DP called for help when he could see the head! No tearing at all! Both births 2nd stage was 2mins !

Just after DS2's head was born I remember feeling his legs kicking inside me and yelling "get it out!!" . . . followed by a "what is it (i.e. boy/girl)??"

For me, it hurt like hell. I was only on gas & air as too late for the drugs. Felt like I was going to split in half.

You kind of drop into your own zone and I now know that you actually have to push a baby out!

OP, the contraction pains I had through the night and up to about 7 or 8 cm dilated were just like period pain and ranged from the slightly annoying (14 hours before birth) to the type you describe which leave you a shivering wreck on the floor (yup, I have those sort of periods too) the closer I got to having the baby.

After that, It got a bit tougher, but the gas and air really helped. Proper agony having CXs on the loo when I couldn't take the G&A with me. But IMO the bit that really hurts - from transition to birth, only lasts a couple of hours. yes, it's evil, but then it's gone and you have a baby, job done. If it gets really bad for you, you can ask for an epidural and melt into blissful ignorance (I expect, mine never reached me).

My contractions never became regular and I really believe that having a better idea of when they would hit would have helped in the later stages. Instead, I had three or four running into each other, then nothing for 10 minutes, then some other random non-pattern. But that was a 36-week preterm labour brought on by a UTI rather than a normal spontaneous delivery.

I reckon you'll be just fine. Good luck!

Bluesky - did you have SPD? Because I had that split-in-half sensation, but believe it was because of the pelvis fail. It took my mind off any ring of fire though!

Felt exactly like period pains to me, only less bad - not saying much, as they used to make me pass out, but seriously the labour pains were manageable with breathing. The hours in the pool were downright enjoyable!

It was only when labour made my SPD get even worse that I needed an epidural for that pain instead, but most people's SPD never gets that bad.

I was induced on the drip so it might have felt different to normal contractions. From 7-10cm I couldn't feel a break between contractions at all. It was just the most excruciatingly painful feeling, that was non stop and lasted for hours and hours. I think it took me about 10 hours to get from 7-10cm I think. I was in too much pain to talk or scream or ask for an epidural, all I could do was make strange animal noises.

I remember thinking that even though I knew labour would be painful at least it would only hurt in the middle of my body. How wrong I was.

It hurt from my feet to my head and was like my stomach being crushed by a horse for a few hours. I couldn't speak or yell, I just mooed to conserve energy, I refused G&A as I hate hospitals and wanted to get the baby out and get home. My blood pressure dropped too so I couldn't lift my head up without blacking out. It went really well .

The emergency section was a blessed relief .

I forgot to say, once I could finally push the contractions were much less painful. I think crowning stung a bit and I did get a 2nd degree tear but it was all a relief from the contractions before really.

Mine started off as a slight uncomfortable feeling in my lower back which grew in intensity quite rapidly, and as they got stronger they moved around to the front as well and continued to get stronger until I pushed. This wasn't optional, my body pushed and I had zero say in it. The pushing itself didn't actually hurt but I screamed loud at this point because it was so forceful. My mother, unhelpfully told me not to scream, to focus on pushing. I very nearly told my own mother to fuck off! I screamed my bloody head off but my body did it's thing and DS came in 2 pushes.

I was very glad my mum had told me honestly that it really really hurts! I felt that what I was experiencing was normal and didn't panic. A friend of mine had her baby a few months after me and had been told very little, and it had been sugar coated. She had a panic attack when the pain got bad because she thought something was wrong. So if anyone asks me, I'll be honest, IT HURTS! That said my cousin had kidney stones 2 days before she gave birth to her DD and says that's 100 times more painful and birth isn't that bad at all, so I suppose it's all about perspective.

I quite liked labour both times, contractions like an upset tummy in waves, little gap between. Waves got longer, gaps got shorter, after about 24 hours the urge to push which was like throwing up in terms of the impulse being uncontrollable but out your fanjo - nothing on this planet is quite like pushing, sometimes I try to recall the sensation as I won't have it again. I also mooed like a cow - it's guttural, really odd but uncontrollable.

I had stitches, yes it did hurt and I did have pethatine the first time and gas and air both times so it's not like it was "a laugh". But honestly I'd do labour again, before I'd do pregnancy again.

Often we are guilty of saying the outcome for me was X and I did Y so try Y (logical) but there are so many variables I am a firm believer that it is largely down to luck and genetics what happens - - (this is the REALLY bastard annoying part).

Inform yourself, stay chilled for as long as you can because stress does impede labour, it's one of the weirdest experiences on earth, that's for certain. And good luck x

I loved it. Home waterbirth, 6 hours from start to finish and minimal pain. Very intense as waters went then strong contractions every few mins so no build-up (although in hindsight I might have been in v early labour while swimming that afternoon).
Remember standing over bannister on landing thinking I didn't like it and couldn't do it for 24 hours... Was anticipating the typical long first labour so assumed it was really early and I was just being a wimp!

Jumped in shower, hot water was fab, midwives arrived probably an hour after waters so maybe 40 mins into contractions -6cm, into pool. From then on in it was just bliss! Very intense but I didn't experience it as pain when in water, just like my body was doing what it was supposed to, felt powerful more than anything else. No drugs, but only because it wasn't painful - had it been I would have had something!
Pushed for not far off 3 hours but the lovely MWs fiddled the timings a bit, was spontaneous pushing for a good while so we got away with it, we were both fine, I was holding back as didn't want to tear. Watched/felt him emerge under water & caught him myself. I wanted to do it all over again!

I was definitely lucky, but I think it was so good because there was no fear involved. I'm convinced if I was in hospital I would have felt out of control (esp since so quick) hence I don't think I would have coped as well - feel certain that I would have felt pain then.

No idea what'll happen this time, hoping for normal delivery of twins in next few weeks... Not keen on being tied to bed for monitoring so if anyone has tips/experience on what helped with that I'd be grateful! Perhaps I'll see what I've been missing with all the drugs...

For me it was DS1 crowning and then having to recover from the stiches.

starts like period pains but once you get a fair few cms dilated it turns more horrible and bone crunching. your pelvic bones feel like they,re moving apart - which they are...
Also it is like trapped wind, tummy bug/need the loo pain too.
Remember you can always ask for an epidural if it gets too much. In France and the US they think we're mad doing it naturally!
Good luck, you might be one of the lucky ones who doesn't feel the pain :)

No, not the worst pain I've ever had (eg shin splints and toothache both worse). Two paracetamol took care of it. At the point where I wanted pain relief (because I thought I couldn't keep going like this for another 12 hours) I was ready to deliver. And at that point I felt completely in control and felt nothing beyond some stinging at the crowning point.

Everyone's pain threshold and experience is so different so it's difficult to say really.

For me, the contractions were extremely painful right from the start, but this was because both of mine were back-to-back, and I have a weak lower back anyway and get backache frequently. It was excruciating, and I'm not a wimp. I was just relieved by the time it was all over, but I don't know anyone else in real life who had bad contractions straightaway.

The second time, as soon as the contractions started and I knew he was back to back as well, I insisted on an epidural straightaway, which they gave me as I was on a drip and monitor to be induced and couldn't even move to relieve the pressure on my back.

Oh and I had SPD too which probably didn't help. Only mild, but still...

And my waters had broken already, apparently that makes contractions more intense.

Other than the crowning I had a pretty easy labour 7 1/2 hours in total. My labour started with my waters breaking at 21:00 hours on Saturday April 28th 2012 and then the dramatic dash to the hospital after the hamsters had been put back in their cage.

We were monitored from the moment we got to the hospital until being sent home at 00:00 being only 1cm dilated. We got home and me being the optomist decided that 2 paracetamol would guarentee a good nights sleep at about 01:00 I went for the first of three long hot baths to ease the pain in addition to leaning against the sofa and cuddling up in bed. At 03:00 we called delivery again as I was howling like a warewolf at the moon and they advised us to go in.

I vagulay remember the journey to the hospital and then very little from the car to delivery. My DP went ahead as you had to buzz to get into the hospital at night and buy the time warewoman had made it to delivery there were three midwives at the door. I remember asking for an epidural PLeeeeeaaassseee but being told I was 8cm and it was too late. Needles to say within minutes I wanted to push.

An hour an half later a t 04:26our beautiful son was born weighing 8lbs 3oz on his due date of April 29th

I remember the contractions and having to push being exhausting and the burning sensation when DS crowned. It was amazing being able to feel DS head and DP was braver than he thought he would be and sneaked a peak.

Then there were those precious cuddles with mummy and daddy whilst I had stiches. I have been warned that if we have another baby then I need to go as soon as I get twinges as the next baby will be quicker and MW thought I could have done it at home this time (no I needed the gas and air)

I would do it all again as the brief pain is worth it to hold baby for the first time and knowing that he was safe.

I thought the contractions were ok pain wise (it was the puking and pooing that got me but I don't think most people get that)

I don't about the rest as I had an epidural and forceps so it was pain free after that

The comparison with period pains isn't that useful since different people have different period pains. My period pains before children were really bad, I would vomit with the pain and could hardly walk because of the shooting pain down my legs. Painkillers dulled the pain a bit for about an hour and I couldn't eat for the first day of my period because I felt so terrible.

I was induced with DD1 and the worst part was having a pessary in overnight to soften my cervix. IMO that stage was very like period pain, there was a constant pain that made me vomit three times over-night and despite this the midwife in the antenatal ward didn't offer me any pain relief, cow. The TENS machine didn't help with this pain.

Once I was induced properly, and when I had DD2 (a straightforward birth) the pain was completely different from period pain, it was more clearly a physical pain rather than a sickness pain and therefore easier to cope with. In my experience labour is less bad than period pain. The even better news is that I have less bad period pains post children as well, it's a win-win situation.

There is no point worrying about labour at this stage, it has got to happen now. The risk of serious complications are very low in modern obstetrics. There are lots of pain relief options (breathing, back massage, aromatherapy, TENS machine, water birth, gas and air, pethidine, epidural) so as long as you don't go into it thinking if you have to use any pain relief you've failed then you'll be fine. And when it's all over there is a massive sense of achievement that you've got through it all.

Hurts like a motherfucker but once the baby is out you feel like you are the KING OF THE WORLD!!!

Nothing a bit of gas 'n'air can't solve.

Crowning was a twat though.

I had two stitches with ds, no anaesthetic. That hurt, but I was so busy arguing with the midwife over whether I should have anaesthetic, it was over quickly.

Stitches didn't hurt with dd - I used gas'n'air.

I had PFB last year and used Hypnobirthing and wanted a home water birth. We ended up going to hospital because I had got so relaxed everything had stopped at 9cm and even though I was pounding up and down the stairs it wouldn't re-start.

MW didn't turn up at home until I was 6cm, just used breathing techniques all the way through and low lighting etc.

If you are relaxed, rather than tense your fango can open up easier (imo) and therefore baby will be out easier.

No drugs and just said "ouch" once when head crowed, it was totally fine but you do have to relax :)

For me personally the contractions were the most painful as adrenalin kicked in to ease the rest (i had no pain relief with both births). I don't see the comparison to period pain although i have been in tears with period pain, i called them 'pains from hell' as the intensity was like nothing i was prepared for, once in hospital though i didn't feel scared as the look on the midwives faces told me it was all hum-drum and standard. Pushing was actually nice in a way as you can feel your body forcing baby out, crowning was pretty horrific as i knew i was tearing but at the same time my overwhelming emotion was that baby was finally here so it didn't matter and i knew they'd sew me back together after :) Actually the sewing back together was more painful than the birth as i was only given gas and air to relieve this but again my overwhelming emotion was 'wow that is my baby over there with my OH', pain didn't matter and i did it again two years later and am ttc now for the third time and weirdly looking forward to all of the above, defo nothing to fear, just be in awe of your wonderful body.