How painful is childbirth on a scale of 1-10?

[Blackitty]

1 being a breeze
and ...
10 being the absolute worst pain imaginable?

I am due in March. First baby and would like to know what I’m in for...

1st was an induction then ventouse delivery. No pain due to epidural
2nd was natural delivery gas and air, maybe 8 or 9
3rd was natural then pethidine. 10

I had stitches with all of them I think but the stitches weren't uncomfortable.

Hmmm. For first DC not so bad. Maybe a 6-7. I was boiling hot tho and I think that was more uncomfortable! I was ok, just super super thirsty. Again, maybe the need for water took away the pain element in some respect. The manual removal of placenta after the birth (injection didn't work for me) was horrific and was defo a 9. No pain relief for Labour but gas and air for placenta. I'd have had an epidural if I knew what was coming for that.

Second DC- maybe an 8? Tbh the births for me were pretty great. ESP second time round as I knew what to expect. Just gas and air for second birth. Off to theatre with a spinal for placenta removal. Didn't feel a thing that time 😂. Much better!

My first Labour was a slow and steady situation. About a 6-7 and right at the end a solid 8.

Second was quite different, swift and very painful. I would say that was over a 10. A solid 20 quite frankly! Only had gas and air for both though, may have different things to say if I’d been in time for epidurals or had the pethodine.

10 but my labours were v quick so no chance of endorphins

I actually found early labour the most painful (was about 7cm when I got to hospital and got on the gas and air). Once I was on the gas and air, I was high as a kite and found it so much easier. The head coming out was definitely a 10 on the scale but it only lasted 30 seconds or so it didn't last long. Definitely felt like I was being ripped in half for that 30 seconds though, sorry 😂

@3rdtimelucky2019

7. I wasn't offered anything more than gas and air. Stitching without anesthetic was worse.

Wut?!

I would say 10, I had an induction without pain relief as there wasn't time so maybe that's why it's was so bad? Went from having zero contractions to one every 30 seconds, The contractions for me were worse than the pushing for sure.
I'm pregnant again and will ask for an epidural this time in advance!

10/10 induction is very painful very strong contractions.

But it is doable. You won't die of the pain. And it's not like comparing it to other pain because it's very unlike any other pain.

I'd put dental pain high up too.

Baby 1 a 10
Baby 2 a 5
Baby 3 and 4 about 3
Baby 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 a 2
Babies 10 to 21 all slipped out at speed with zero pain, flaps shattered by this stage

@iamusuallybeingunreasonable

Baby 1 a 10 Baby 2 a 5 Baby 3 and 4 about 3 Baby 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 a 2 Babies 10 to 21 all slipped out at speed with zero pain, flaps shattered by this stage

Are you Sue radford

It depends on the labour! My first was about an 8 but I was so scared and young and ended up with an epidural.

My second was about a 5 and it was very short.

My 3rd was definitely a 10 and not anything I wish to repeat!

@Orichette

Looking through this thread something I notice is how subjective pain is - and how dependent on a range of factors (position of baby, induced labour or not etc).

It isn’t a question of how painful childbirth is - but how painful it is for you - so I think it’s best to be open minded, both about your own labour and other people's.

Something I can’t stand is people criticising or looking down on those who need pain relief - for whatever reason. Not commenting on anything on this thread, just a general sense I’ve encountered that unmedicated births/women are somehow superior, which doesn’t make a lot of sense when you think about it. Would you think that about an unmedicated tooth extraction?

The NCT pushes this message and it’s just not helpful IMO, particularly for 1st time mothers who have never laboured before. Initially I felt like a failure for getting an epidural but then I realised that was bullshit

I disagree with your first statement. I don't think it is about perception of pain I think some births are just more painful.

I do definitely agree that there is unuseful shaming of people who use pain meds, and it's only ever done by people who didn't use them, but frankly these people were lucky, not magically more capable. For my dc2 I spent months practicing hypnobirthing techniques, knew all the theory about an active birth etc but after 20 hours of high level contractions I couldnt do it anymore. I had 20 seconds between each contraction and I could barely catch my breath after a while.

10 for me
I have a medical condition which meant I was only allowed gas and air for all 3 births
If you can have pain relief, take it!

Well I would say actual about a 2-3. But I had quick labour and easy birth. The labour pains not that painful but worse then the birth nd peeriod pain waorse then any of it.

The worst pain I've ever experienced was a toothache. So if that's a 10, labor was about a 6, 7 when the baby is crowning. My second probably hit an 8 when crowning because he came out arm first, so there was more stretching than with a normal delivery.

Obviously it depends on how easy it is! I've heard other women say it was very painful, so I think I was lucky. Birth was nowhere nearly as bad as I imagined beforehand.

The worst pain I've ever experienced was a toothache. So if that's a 10, labor was about a 6, 7 when the baby is crowning

Exactly this!!

Worst pain I ever had was definitely haemorrhoids. (and I’ve had 2 slipped discs at once and fallen through a window pane).

Obviously a ten !

Worse than anything I've ever experienced. Had contractions for days but slow dilation. I remember thinking just kill me now towards the end. Was induced and given an epidural but they turned it off so I could feel the contractions. I wanted to jump out of the hospital window. 10000/10.

I’d not heard of people being shamed for using pain medication. Why ?
I have a high pain threshold (according to surgeon from orthopaedic surgery) but didn’t see any benefits of being in pain during delivery. I enjoyed the labour and delivery thanks to an epidural which was topped up at the right times and would score it as a 1-2 for some discomfort.

Probably a 7 or 8 for me. Honestly gallbladder pain is a lot worse

5 for me. Only needed gas and air with both. I think if you fight what your body is trying to do and tense up, it makes it worse at the crowning stage. Once you give up on control, it’s easier!

@Parker231

I’d not heard of people being shamed for using pain medication. Why ? I have a high pain threshold (according to surgeon from orthopaedic surgery) but didn’t see any benefits of being in pain during delivery. I enjoyed the labour and delivery thanks to an epidural which was topped up at the right times and would score it as a 1-2 for some discomfort.

Well it’s often not explicit @Parker231 - more of an implicit sense that unmedicated births are better - the NCT, for example, constantly warning of the ‘cascade of interventions’ that could follow an epidural or pethidine.

I did my course a good 10+ years ago though - perhaps things have changed overall since then - I hope so, although I fear not - was only recently reading about the horrendous culture at Shropshire hospital

8-9. 11 when the baby crowns.

I had an epidural as well but it stopped working at the end😞