Sever period cramps vs labour

[eternalflame2020]

I'm interested to hear if there's any link between your pain during af and how easy or difficult labour was!

I have had severe cramps for years with af to the point where I am doubled over cramping constantly for hours without let up and I often faint and am sick on the first day or two.

Now in the 2nd trimester with first baby and wondering what this means for my labour!

Although I would have liked to sever the period pains, I actually meant severe in the post title!

Early labour feels like cramps so would be interested to know too!

I have light period pain and easy labours. Not sure if there is a link!

I have PCOS so sometimes my period can be really horrible and painful.

To me labour felt different to period cramps. Maybe a tiny bit similar at the beginning...but active labour is totally different in terms of intensity and feeling.

*and not sure whether I had an easy or difficult labour - it was easy as in there were no complications, but painful! (I was on gas and air and morphine)

@scarydinosaurs that's interesting to know yours were light cramps and an easier labour. I can't work out whether my painful cramps will mean I'm well prepared or that it's going to be horrific!

@shelbyrae I'm hoping to get through mine on just gas and air too but not ruling anything out!

I had horrific period pain pre-baby (he seems to have cured it!). I'd be rolling around in agony, I'd feel dizzy and sick and would routinely massively overdose on painkillers just to get any kind of relief but labour was still much worse for me, I'm sorry to say

That being said, I did have a drip induced labour with a back to back baby so I may not be the best example

I had agonizing period pains, bedridden, fainting, vomiting etc and was worried about the same thing.

I had DS1 with no pain relief, it was far less painful than my period cramps, and far more manageable for me.

Before regulating my periods with the pill, I had severe period pains which used to cause me to vomit at times. I found the cramping feeling somewhat similar to the pains of labour and I do think it played a part in me being able to give birth without pain relief as the sensation wasn't completely unfamiliar. That said, the fact that my labour was fast and without complications played a bigger role.

I think I have endometriosis and my periods have been utter agony on occasions with being doubled up in pain. It's been a bit better since I had my daughter six years ago. When I had her I found the contractions up till about 8cm to be a bit less painful and less constant (as the pain goes between contractions) than my worst period pains. But then things got extremely painful in my lower back - the midwife said the baby had moved to face the wrong way - I tried gas and air which was effective but then they wanted me to go on a syntocin drip to speed things up do I decided to have an epidural.

Light painless periods
Short, fast and very painful “natural” birth

But my mother also had light painless periods and had 2 crash EMCS and almost died so....

I doubt there’s any link. You’ll be fine however it happens @eternalflame2020. I was terrified of birth but it was good overall. I’d do it again if we were younger.

Ooh a very mixed response so far. I like @strokethefurrywall experience the best and will probably just tell myself that's what will happen to me until it's happening.

I found that the start of my labour were like period cramps. Then they progressed onto the severe type of cramps i get when i have diarrhea. Then after that there was no comparing them to anything!

I've always had very strong period cramps on day 1, before having kids they were "roll around on the floor crying in agony begging the universe for relief" cramps, but after giving birth they calmed down enough to just be called strong cramps. During labour, I contract fast and hard, it feels soooo physicially productive, 2 of my labours were a few hours ( first and third baby, 10 hours and 6 ish) and one was well....I'm not sure...time between waking up and baby literally shooting out was about an hour, maybe an hour and a half- I think the majority of the cervix dilating contractions must have occurred while I slept. It was pretty funny yelling "Catch!" at a midwife while hanging on to a chest high bed!

Pregnant with my 4th, and perhaps a little too confident about labour, I hope I get lucky again!

So for me, strong period cramps and strong contractions are a thing. Minimal pain relief with the first 2, none with the third (hated pethidine, and gas and air made me feel drunk- not a fun feeling for me while trying to focus on labour lol).

I must add, with my first, I went in as soon as my waters broke, which was right when labour began, and they looked, saw I was 2 cm dilated, and asked if I wanted to go home. I said nope! Drank some raspberry leaf tea and about 3 hours later was up to 8 cm- the hard part was letting myself push when the time came, because I was scared of the unknown, that kinda dragged things out a bit and they almost had to "get the doctor in" which I knew meant possible episiotomy, which scared the heck out of me so suddenly the unknown sensation of crowning was a lot less scary and he was out in the following push! The crowning bit just stung in the end, nothing too scary. Fear of the unknown is a bugger!

Learn some birth breathing. Absolutely fucking amazing.
Severe cramps forever. Birth, all three with no pain relief apart from gas and air and a tens and the amazing breathing.
You know it will end so it is bearabke

Don’t really have period pains, I was screaming for an epidural due to back to back labour 🤷‍♀️

Terrible period pains pre my DC but labour was some other hell entirely!
Period pains for me are very localised whereas I found that the sheer force and power of labour pain just completely consumed me

That said, my labours were both very quick and managed them on gas and air-really rate gas and air but I know some people don't get on with it

Interestingly, although my periods are now much heavier I don't get any period pain at all anymore 🤷🏻‍♀️

I used to get cramping and bad period pains and was similarly very worried about giving birth.
But I practised yoga breathing every time I had a contraction (found them manageable even when they intensified). The crowning pain at the end was the worst and was almost unbearable but fortunately this didn’t last very long. But the moment I held each of my babies for the first time the pain is forgotten and I wanted another one. Try not to worry and see each contraction as a step closer to having your baby.

For me, contractions were a simultaneous combination of severe period cramps and javelin arse.

Oh, I forgot to mention my period cramps were always really bad but I think my labour pains were not especially worse or better than anyone else's!
A nice side effect of having a baby is that since giving birth nearly 18 months ago my period pain has been mild to non-existent

I have always had horrible period pain. Not as bad as some here have said but enough that I just want to crawl under a duvet and hide for a few days. I found labour nowhere as bad. First time I didn’t even notice I was in labour until my waters went - got to the hospital and they asked if I was having contractions, I said no just a kind of general period aching, they hooked me up to a monitor, said I was having contractions, then checked me and I was 4cm dilated! Second time I had contractions for 24hrs before things ramped up but they were just muscle movements rather than any pain. Both times I got through the whole of labour with just gas and air. I definitely think my painful periods helped give me a higher tolerance, plus labour pain felt more like a “good” pain in that it was doing something productive rather than to let me know something was wrong. Best advice is to breathe and try and be in tune with what your body is doing!

I had terrible cramps (endometriosis) but a silent labour.

Well i wouldn,t say cramps are severe as such, but yes more painful then either labour. But both labours very short, easy and early so not the norm.

Endometriosis here, so god awful pains, for years, I then had what they call silent labours, I didn't register them at all until pushing stages, almost didn't make the hospital and was already 10cm dilated, both just pushing stage by the time I said "ouch"

The days prior I was dilating and had what I just called mild cramps, allowing eating, keeping busy cramps.

The actual pushing part of labour was painful but I managed on some gas and air.

But to be honest I'd prefer god awful labours over monthly and constant endo pain any day..

I had really horrible period cramps, from my hips down to my ankles ughh the thought! I used to get into a bit of a trace to get through them and would have to rock from heal to ball of my food and breathe through them.

Labour, although worse pain, was so much quicker (the pushing part) and also there's was a job to do so I was more focussed.

Not what u asked but in my own experience, toothache, (I needed a route canal), was more unpleasant than labour!

I suffered with painful period cramps for the first two days from the deepest pits of my stomach down to my knees. Labour was like light cramps until my waters broke then I had to go for the epidural. I wasn't dilating very well so was put on a drip to help it along and gas and air kept making me vomit.

Best experience of my life. Good luck!