Did anyone 'enjoy' labour?

[Ghost88]

I have heard so many horror stories about labour. I just wondered if anyone had any positives experiences?

I am 12 weeks today with 1st baby and must admit it feels me with dread and anxiety.

Is the pain as unbearable as they say????

I've got the positive birthing pack after having it recommended on here and it's really put my mind at ease. It has a private Facebook group where people share their stories so worth looking into

I loved labour until the last bit of actually getting the baby out but by then all you want is to just get the baby in your arms !

Recommend the positive birth company videos on YouTube , they really got me in the right mind frame .

My actual labour experience I loved though - I was sat in the birthing suite with a cup of tea and my midwife watching this morning when I was 7/8 cm dilated!
Just remember that everyone's labours are different

I can't say I enjoyed it in the moment but looking back I was very lucky and had no complications and I actually found it quite empowering

I had two straightforward births and enjoyed labour. The pushing stage is like nothing on earth. It's the most powerful, weirdest thing to happen to my body and it was doing it largely all by itself. I still can't quite get my head around it!

Of 3 fairly straightforward births, I only enjoyed one. DD was ironically the most dangerous (undiagnosed footling breech) but was the easiest by far and I didn't have any beyond 3 massive contractions. MW did say that she thought my adrenaline took over once I realised her feet were out and that could be why.

DS1 and DS2s births weren't awful or anything, but I didn't have the same adrenaline high after either of them.

Yes!! Loved it! Was the best moment of my life! No drugs, in the birthing pool. I felt like a warrior, it was so empowering. Very intense, but only had about 1 hour of what I would describe as real pain. I would do it again and again. Ooo I feel all emotional as I think about it. I did hypnobirthing and had a doula.

I had my fourth four months ago and am still agog at just how lovely the both was. I’d had two that I consider good births, my first was badly mismanaged. But this time the contractions just never got unbearable, I was calm to the point of being totally silent and had a lovely pool birth. And she was my biggest baby by over a pound! I think trying to overcome any fear of birth is a really important thing to try and do. I read Ina May Gaskins two books in my second and subsequent pregnancies. They’re not for everyone, very hippy dippy language, but at the heart of them is the lovely idea that birth is nothing to be afraid of. And in my cases, it worked. In my first birth, I was out of control and I panicked.

I did. Each of the three times I gave birth I came out of it saying what an amazing experience it is. Don't get me wrong, the pain is mind bending but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Wow quite a few who actually found it quite empowering then that is so reassuring. I have looked into hypno-birthing a bit and it does say if you fear the contractions it can be more painful.

Everybody is different I know, but I had terrible diarrhea pains once, and they came and went similar to how I would imagine contractions to feel, and all I kept thinking is my word... if labour is worse than this than I am truly screwed!!!!

I think I need to change my frame of mind totally!!

I did for about 10 - 12 hours then I was just exhausted. I’m looking forward to it a second time though.

Dont fight it, fear causes adrenaline which stops oxytocin (the birth hormone). Please buy The Positive Birth Book, it explains it all so well.

Dont fight it, fear causes adrenaline which stops oxytocin

I didn't know that. I should say DDs birth (where I talked about adrenaline) was about 6 minutes from feet appearing to her being fully born!

OP, if your main fear is the pain, just book an epidural. There are no medals for unnecessary suffering!
I’m a retired anaesthetist, and put hundreds of them into exhausted mothers who inevitably said they wished they’d had it sooner.
All labours are different. A lot depends on the baby’s position- if it’s lying occipito posterior (with its back to your back), then labour can take longer and be more painful.
Read up on the various options for pain relief, which cover a spectrum from hypnosis and chanting, through tens machines, entonox , (nitrous oxide in oxygen) and opiates, to epidurals. Something for everyone!
You can’t really tell until you’re there, what your own pain level will be like and how much of it you wish to tolerate. Some women are lucky and have an OA (occipito anterior) baby, very little pain and a short labour.
Don’t let such women make you feel a failure or a wimp if yours isn’t like that and you need more help.
Good luck, and best wishes for a safe delivery.

Oh, I'm not ashamed to say it either. I did a poo, DP was gagging in the corner of the room, I was laughing whilst in agony and apologising to the midwife, I honestly didn't give 2 hoots!!

Even if the queen was in the the room I wouldn't have batted an eye lid because of the contractions. DP was and still is in total admiration about labour and said women are tougher than men haha I said obviouslyyyy

Yes, me. First birth was terrible for my midwife. I didn't find it that horrible, but pleasant it was not.
Second birth was a breeze. Apart from shoulder dystocia at the end.
However, I have to agree with the PP who said that the end is amazing. It's literally your body doing it. It's the weirdest thing.

I wouldn't have called the process painful as such. The only thing that was painful was the contractions between 10cm and the pushing.

But OMG the relief and high afterwards! I'd do it again and again.

I enjoyed most of both mine, but had an epidural both times. I had a fabulous experience with it and can’t fathom giving birth without it! Tucked up in bed chatting with the midwife while I dilated painlessly, then when it was time to push I could feel the babies come out so was really connected, but no pain. I understand that isn’t everyone’s experience of an epidural but I rave about mine and it made labour, particularly the second time, absolutely fine!

Asking OP there is still so much stigma attached to using pain relief and having a c-section.

I laugh to myself when I hear people having a birth plan because you never ever can plan it.

Personally I I didn't have one, I was open to anything if it meant my baby arriving safely. Just because one woman had a beautiful water, hypno, crystal and Gem birth and the baby flew out in 4 hours doesn't mean that she won't go in next time and simply not dilate and be rushed to theatre 🤷🏻‍♀️ our bodies are so complex and everyone is different. Women's pelvis shape can even determine if you can give birth naturally at all, there's loads of little things we don't think about. All I can advise is just to with it, get to know your body during your pregnancy, practice breathing and relaxing and focus on you.

If you are in agony and want pain relief go for it. You're just as powerful as the next Mamma.

I can't say I enjoyed it, but I wasn't scared at any point. I'll be honest with you and say that I found the contractions really painful (like a leg cramp only more intense) and pushing for the last stage was absolutely exhausting but I got through it. I'd happily have had an epidural, but when the pain of contractions got too much and I asked for one, they advised me it might prolong the labour. By that point I'd been in labour almost 18 hours and preferred to take the pain rather than be in labour any longer than necessary. That doesn't make me a hero - I genuinely couldn't take being in labour anymore, I was so fed up, so traded being pain free for speed. It is painful, but you can get through it and there are lots of options for pain relief if you want or need it. Make sure you have someone supportive with you to cheer you on, hold your hand and cuddle you when / if you feel you can't go on.

**I wouldn't have called the process painful as such.

Eh?! I want your experience of labour please

@Babdoc spot on

@clarissa469 omg, I think I actually fear pooping in front of my husband more than the actual labour itself 😂

Yes I did with my second ds. I got a epidural really early so wasn't in pain was just excited to meet my baby. I actually stopped midway through pushing to say what a lovely day I was having

@Babdoc completely right , although I enjoyed my labour as I said above , it did end up in a forceps delivery and he was back to back so the relief I got when I had a spinal block ( just in case I had to have a c-section rather than forceps ) was amazing !

If I'm lucky enough to have another baby I would probably go straight for the pain relief rather than being determined to have an all natural birth

Get a tens machine and isotonic sports drinks for labour. It's like the worst period pain you've had. If your baby isn't back to back you will feel normal in between contractions. No pain. Then it will start like a period pain and increase intensity and peak then decrease. The pushing part is sort of like a poo, but in a different place. I wasn't expecting it to hurt more pushing on a contraction, but it does. The head is difficult and hard work to get out and the shoulders are surprisingly wide. You will get to a point where you are so exhausted that you will think you can't do it anymore. But somehow you do. Your body completely takes over and knows what to do. It is really painful, but when the baby is born you will feel amazing. A real natural high. I had gas and air and a tens machine. I also found meditation really helpful. I did the whole first part of labour at home, I was ten cm when I arrived at hospital with ds2. I'm not brave with pain. I even had numbing cream for my tattoo. It's like a good pain. Although I did moo during pushing!!

Had DS 6 months ago and labour was only 3 hours but it was unbelievably intense because it was so short. I basically roared and mooed for about 2 hours😂