What do you think of the pain of labour after giving birth?

[WhatIsPink]

Ive just had my third child, labour was wild and as anyone who’s been through it knows the pain. I was lucky to be fast and furious with very short active labour but quite a few stitches.

Every time I was surprised that I was doing it again, especially when I am in active labour , as it was not traumatised enough enough, however I seem to forget what happened last time and only see that beautiful child.

Just an after delivery though and what’s on your mind after all that painful delivery?

It was awful. Baby was back to back, I thought I might actually die and I never got over it so only have one child.

Totally. I found them excruciating with DC2. I was almost crying in pain from the cramps everytime I had to breastfeed.

I had to have actual counselling when pregnant with number 2, because the first labour had been horrendously painful with a 3rd degree tear, I was too far along for an epidural so did it all on gas and air but then needed an epidural for 2 lots of surgery because the first time they stitched me up it was too tight so had the palava of no legs for a while without taking any labour pain away. Luckily baby 2 was easy breezy and not even any stitches, still missed out on pain relief though, I wasn't pushing my luck with a 3rd. It's horrendous, well done for 3!

Yes because what good can it do to keep them scared or scare them further - once theyre in, they need to come out. Your body does know what to do, it just really bloody hurts whilst it does it. I waited till all my friends had actually had their babies before i shared my real birth story.

I’d forgotten about those too! I had no pain relief giving birth but begged for oramorph from the pains afterwards.

I hate the “your body knows what to do” responses. Like, yes, of course my body knows what to do — it’s preparing my cervix and getting ready to push a baby out. That doesn’t mean it won’t still be one of the most terrifying and painful experiences imaginable.

And don’t even get me started on the “just imagine your vagina is a flower opening up” nonsense. Seriously, who came up with that? Who can even think like that when they’re about to push a human being out of their body? It’s bizarre.

To me it feels like being violently sick out the wrong end, with some intense lower back pain.

Thankfully I have quick labours and a hot water bottle, birth pool, and some gas&air did me well every time.