Pregnacy/Labor pain!!!

[luna99]

I know it is different for different people and there is not a definitive answer for this.... but I'd love to hear different opinions on it.

Just how bad is the pain of childbirth? What would you compare it to in terms of pain? Can you get through the pain with breathing/mental techniques? Is it true that after you have your baby you forget the pain? and if you are answering this please tell us if you had drugs or a natural birth please... also any other information you'd like to give on the actual pain of child birth would be very appreciated.

My husband and I are planning on starting a family next spring, but honestly, over the last week or so I am just wanting to get pregnant and have a baby so bad! I don't have any kids yet so I can't even imagine what the pain of labor must be like. I'm lucky in that I never really have had bad cramps with my periods or anything like that...

anyway.. thanks in advance! I hope this ends up being a very interesting thread!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I know it is different for different people and there is not a definitive answer for this.... but I'd love to hear different opinions on it.

Just how bad is the pain of childbirth? What would you compare it to in terms of pain? Can you get through the pain with breathing/mental techniques? Is it true that after you have your baby you forget the pain? and if you are answering this please tell us if you had drugs or a natural birth please... also any other information you'd like to give on the actual pain of child birth would be very appreciated.

My husband and I are planning on starting a family next spring, but honestly, over the last week or so I am just wanting to get pregnant and have a baby so bad! I don't have any kids yet so I can't even imagine what the pain of labor must be like. I'm lucky in that I never really have had bad cramps with my periods or anything like that...

anyway.. thanks in advance! I hope this ends up being a very interesting thread!

How bad is it? The worst pain you will ever experience. Is it worth it? Yes. Do you forget it? No.

I chose to have epidurals with all four of my births, but during my second labor and delivery, the anesthesiologist put the cath in my back, but "forgot" to hook up the epidural fluid into my back, so all of the medicine went under the bed into the floor. Needless to say, I went from 3 to 10 centimeters in about 30 minutes and there was "nothing" they could do for the pain. So, I had one "natural" child birth and three epidural births. Epidural is THE way to go!!!! Either way, I'd do it all over again to have my four precious angels.

 

[J3nn78]

It was definitely the worst pain I ever experienced. However, I did go naturally with no pain relief drugs. I actually had pitocin both times. I used hypnobirthing (which is self-meditating/relaxing)

I think that although the actual pushing part is painful, it was not as bad because it was productive.

I did not forget the pain, but the end result is so worth it that I did not think twice about going drug free again with my 2nd.

I am a weirdo, and actually loved labor and delivery, despite the pain.

 

[mjkacmom]

I've always been induced, so the pain was worse than if I went into labor on my own. For the first, I did go out of my mind, screaming, but I think I panicked because the anestisiologist (sp) was in the middle of a c/s, so I couldn't get my epidural.

Had an epidural right away with #2, so childbirth was 100% pain free. Had a long induction (31 hours) with #3, same pain, but I didn't panic, and was able to breath through the contractions (which hurt like the dickens - I can't actually remember what they felt like, but made a mental note that I had never experienced pain like that). The hardest part was knowing that when it ended, another one was on it's way.

Epidurals are great, IMHO. After most of my babies were born, I wasn't tired (except for #3, born at 3 am, but I was sleeping right before I had her).

I think that it's funny how women spend the 9 months of pregnancy gearing up towards the birth - birth is nothing compared to raising them!

 

[gillenkl]

Worst pain of my life - I had a friend who once told me "you're going to feel like you're about to die , but just know that you won't, and it will all be worth it". Her words rang true - I felt like I wanted to die, I didn't, and it was worth it. I also had twins so I had to push two babies out, no c-section. To this day I have never forgotten the pain though.

 

[ms_missy66]

Labor pain is kind of undescribable. I always felt like it was similar to having someone punch you in the gut repeatedly, but others describe it quite differently. The very positive part of it is that you know it's productive pain. Once baby is out, it's over. I mean there is residual pain from birth, but that fades a bit every day. The intense stuff is done just as soon as your baby is born.

I had one daughter with no pain relief because my epidural failed. I had my the other one with no attempts at pain relief at all. It hurt. I remember it hurting. But that's not at all what enters my mind when contemplating having another child.

Seriously don't let the physical part of it stop you from going forward with it. Pregnancy and childbirth are wonderful, magical experiences! The good far outweighs the bad!

Good luck!

 

[ERMama]

I recently had shoulder pain that was the worst pain of my life, honestly.

Baby#1. I was preeclamptic and had him at 34 weeks. I had been up for 48 hrs and was on a med that made me feel like I was drunk. I was totally fine until I hit 8cm or so then I lost it a bit because I just wanted to push and do something with the pain. I did get one dose of IV pain med at that time.
2-3 pushes and he was out. Yes it burned like hell but I knew it was almost over and I was happy to be able to do something about the pressure.
I tore up to my urethra (I didnt listen to the doc and pushed too hard/too fast). I was a little sore but honestly, ice helped me just fine.

Baby#2. I knew I would be a planned c section at 36 weeks due to complete placenta previa. The spinal needle itself didnt really hurt much but I did not like someone poking around near my spine. It just felt gross to me. I HATED not being able to feel my legs. Its like I felt half dead yet I was still alive.
I was so nauseous and itchy from the pain/numbing meds they gave me.
After I left recovery room I took only aleve for my pain. Never any narcotics. My carpal tunnel pain was way worse than my section pain.

Baby#3, well we were told she was a c section and I dont know how her birthmom felt about her pain.

You dont die from the pain of childbirth. If it was that horrid the earth wouldnt be overpopulated like it is now.
If you are that freaked about it talk to your doctor before hand. Go to classes. Read books. Learn about all the things you can do. Women have alot more control over their minds than they think they do.

 

[Ariel'07]

Definitely the worst pain I have ever experienced! But I would do it again in a heartbeat to have my 3 kids

I think epidural is the way to go! Seriously, once that was in, the pain was a distant memory. I didn't feel anything else. With my first, they wouldn't give me the epidural until I was 6 cm as they were afraid I wouldn't progress. Well, the doc forgot about me and I didn't get it until 8 cm this was by far my most painful labor. I screamed at my DH lots of profanities and told him that we wouldn't be having anymore children and he wasn't allowed to touch me ever again

I obviously forgot about it enough to have DS 18mths later. That was a breeze! Epidural in at 3 cms, 6 hrs total labor and two pushes and he flew out. What a great labor and delivery.

Then there was my last DD. NIGHTMARE. Went in at 3cms dilated, had an epidural...all was well, no pain. Then DD decided to turn sideways I never progressed passed 5cms after 12 hrs. So in the end I ended up with a C-section. No pain during really, just alot of pushing and pulling feeling. But afterwards, OMG, the pain was terrible Percosets helped tons, but it was a much different feeling not being able to pick up my baby unless a nurse handed her to me. Nursing was more difficult as well. Then DD had to be rushed to Children's Hospital and have surgery. I was running around 4-days after birth with staples in my stomach. I will never ever forget the pain!! But again, to have my DD, I would do it over one million times.

So in the end, I think every woman is different and every pregnancy, labor and delivery is different...but SO worth the wonderful outcome!!!

 

[Minniemouse07]

I've had two chldren, both w/o an epidural.

When I was doing my reading and getting ready for our first ... I have to be honest, I was way more afraid of the epidural needle than any possible pain during childbirth. AND dh will tell you, I'm the biggest baby when it comes to pain.

That said, I did a lot of homework and knew that I didn't want a section if I could avoid it and everything I read showed that labors where the mom lay on their back in a hospital bed w/ an epidural were more likely to lead to section than moms that weren't laying down and didn't have an epidural.

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT saying that ALL moms that have epidurals have sections...what I'm saying is (based on my research) that a higher percentage of moms (w/o complications) that have epidurals have sections than the equivalent number of moms (again w/o complications) that do not have one.

Again, I'm a big baby so big needle and higher chance of a section made my mind up for no epidural. SO.. I surrounded myself w/ people that would help me w/ that goal. Instead of a hospital and an OB/GYN, we went to a freestanding birth center (across the street from the hospital) and a group of midwives (CPMs that have full OB backups and hospital privledges). This helped a ton and we were THRILLED w/ our care there with both of our pregnancies.

Our first was an "eventful" birth and we ended up being transferred to the hospital. Everything went the way it should and dd was born perfectly fine about 15min after I arrived there.

Our second was our calm peaceful birth...although the trip to the birth center was in the middle of the night during a snowstorm!

W/ both births my labor started as feeling like I was extremely constipated and a lot of pressure. Dd (#1) was back labor (ie she was facing the opposite way that is the "easiest" to come out) which, they tell me, is more painful. Again...I would explain it as a lot of pressure that leads to pain...but not an ongoing pain.

I should add that w/ both I was able to walk around and get into any position that I felt the most comfortable in (interestingly it was sitting on the toilet?? go figure?) which I think helped a lot in dealing w/ the pressure and eventually the pain.

To be honest, I think any kind of dental pain is WAAAAAY worse than labor. I would take labor over root canal any day!

W/ dental pain it is ongoing and THROBBING. W/ labor it comes in waves and then you get a rest in between.

For me, labor was totally manageable and if we had a third I wouldn't even consider an epidural. BUT...YMMV

 

[ERMama]

Just how bad is the pain of childbirth?

If you are lucky enough to experience it.
Just how magical is pregnancy and childbirth should be the real question.

 

[brockash]

I know it is different for different people and there is not a definitive answer for this.... but I'd love to hear different opinions on it.

Just how bad is the pain of childbirth? What would you compare it to in terms of pain? Can you get through the pain with breathing/mental techniques? Is it true that after you have your baby you forget the pain? and if you are answering this please tell us if you had drugs or a natural birth please... also any other information you'd like to give on the actual pain of child birth would be very appreciated.

My husband and I are planning on starting a family next spring, but honestly, over the last week or so I am just wanting to get pregnant and have a baby so bad! I don't have any kids yet so I can't even imagine what the pain of labor must be like. I'm lucky in that I never really have had bad cramps with my periods or anything like that...

anyway.. thanks in advance! I hope this ends up being a very interesting thread!

I have 2 kiddos, both natural. The closest thing I can compare it to is the pain I felt from my gulbladder before I was supposed to get it taken out. For me, it was A LOT of pressure. As far as delivery, both times, I was completely fine with that and when I actually got to push- it relieves the pressure, and it's almost over The Labor part of it is definetly the worst -by far. The closer it is to delivery the worse it is. And yes, for me both times I've forgotten the pain.- Not sure how long it took to forget, but it's forgotten. I mean I obviously know it hurt and wasn't fun, but I can't comprehend what it was really like. Good luck, it's worth it- although boy do I wish my husband could be pregnant

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I had back labor with my first and did only pain meds through an IV... labor was like quick pains and a LOT of pressure (pressure is not pain, but is very annoying)

2nd. birth I had normal labor pains... Yep pain, went away, came back. Not constant and definetely not the worse pain ever. The Drs. claimed it would be a long labor so I let them do the epidural. 5 minutes later my son was born. I was VERY, VERY ill from the epidural...

I don't really remember the pain that much!!

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

I was convinced I was going to have an elective section with my eldest however in England you can only have a section with medical reasoning so it wasn't an option, I was then convinced I would have every drug under the sun they could offer me but then when I went into labour with her I kept convincing myself of how I needed to hold off on the drugs until it got really, really bad and by the time I finally asked them for pain relief I was told "Baby has lots of dark hair.." and was holding her very soon after.

I've now had 3 more drug free labour & deliveries too where I've been very fortunate in that I've been able to be up and active in all my labours. My babies have ranged from 7lb 3oz to 8lb 10oz and my labours from 2.5 hours at the hospital to 23 hours. Never had to have stitches, been up and about immediately after births to shower etc and have been able to go home within 24 hours with all of them too.

Is it painful? Ohhh yes but it's the only pain I've ever endured that was actually worth while and it's the only pain I'd willingly put myself through knowing what follows.

If we have a 5th I'd still opt for active drug free birth. I loved being pregnant and the overwhelming feeling of "I made this" when you hold your little person makes everything worth it.

My mother told me how you forget the pain afterwards but in all honesty I don't think you do forget it- you just learn that it was worth it.

 

[santa's surpriz]

There is a great book, "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy." It will tell you extactly what to expect without the sugar coating. It will make you laugh and cry!

When the pain really set in, I freaked with the anticipation that it was only going to get worse. I cried and I have to admit I tried to cry harder just to get my epidural faster. Unfortunately, my doctor ordered it to be shut off because it was interferring with delivery process. There is a point that you reach a threshold and cannot feel anymore pain. Only a mother can explain the wierd, magical sensation that comes over you at the moment that your child comes to life.

I have a good friend that used hypnosis to get thru 4 births and it really worked for her.

 

[jeepgirl30]

I had the epidural both times. Worth it? oh heck yea!

First, I was pretty sure I didn't want kids. If we had a child one was it. With DD the epidural wore off but they could not find the guy because he was having dinner with my doctor! He walked in with the doc and doc said sorry too late. So I did the actual delivery without. Pretty painful but the moment she was out it was instant relief and holding her was the most amazing feeling. And I immediately said "you know next time I won't wait for the epi". DH just looked at me and asked if I realized I said "next time"!

So with DS I knew to keep that epi fresh! I didn't feel a thing.

I recently had a hydrothermal ablation. Wow. now that was pain. Honestly it was worse than childbirth.

There is no better feeling in the world than holding your brand new miracle.

 

[blessedby3]

Ive had 4- 1st one with only IV meds (wouldnt do that again, it just made me groggy and all the pain was still there), and the other 3 with epidurals. 2 of the 3 epidurals worked. The last one didnt
I dont have any tolerance for pain. It was the worst pain I have felt. I do have 4 kids though, so its not so bad that I wouldnt ever do it again. I just would want the eipdural to WORK!! My last birth was the worst. The epi didnt work AND the placenta tore and the Dr. had to retrieve it
I didnt even know that was possible and talk about PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are done now. Im 41 and getting too old for this childbirth stuff!!

 

[tazgirl1981]

Ok call me psycho or whatever...But I would like to be the one person to say that to me...When I gave birth to my son, it wasnt as bad as I had thought it would be, considering what people would tell me about their birth and such...

I did a WATER BIRTH with my son, along with Midwives at a Birthing Center, no drugs, no epidural, no nothing...just breathing techniques. It hurt YES, Mine was like a paralizing effect. I couldnt move, just breathe. But It would go away and you would have a few minutes before having to deal again. The water did help tremendously!! Not sure if I could have pushed so well without the water helping. To me the worst part of the whole process is the pushing...yes it feels better when you push, but after hearing "ONLY ONE MORE PUSH" about five or ten pushes ago, it really gets tiring. And to be honest with you, I enjoyed my labor more than I did the pregnancy!! I know thats weird but I loved the whole labor process, I felt so invigorating!! I could not believe that I could birth this tiny little being all by myself. Now do I say that everyone should have this same birth process...NO, Everyone is different and I believe that everyone does their best no matter the birth process you choose. Drugs or no Drugs...its your choice. Some people have a harder birth, some dont deal with pain very well, some do...its up to each person as an individual...birth is amazing and you will walk away from it with such an amazing feeling of self awareness and realizing that you can do more than you ever thought you could!

Its been 3 years since I had my son, Did i forget the pain...NOPE, would I do it again...YES, in a heartbeat!! I keep teasing my hubby and telling him that I would be happy if i could skip the 9 months of pregnancy (have someone else carry the baby..) and then I give birth to him/her Would I do a natural birth again..YES. But I do handle pain VERY well. So Thats just my opinion of how I did it.

My birth was aired on the Discovery health Channel on the show "House of Babies" So yes I had a whole camera crew all up in my grill while giving birth...although I couldnt tell you one second of them being there...dont remember who was in the room, what anyone said, what I said...because I was so deep into my own thought process and relaxation techniques.

Enjoy and i hope that my words can comfort you in some way

 

[luna99]

btw, for the record.. I'm not really nervous or scared about the pain right now.. (obviously, because I'm not pregnant!)... and I have done some reading and am finding myself leaning more towards wanting to have a natural child birth... I was just curious about the pain aspect of it all....

and I know that it's worth it!

 

[luna99]

Enjoy and i hope that my words can comfort you in some way

they do actually! I am thinking about a natural water birth and have been reading some books on the subject. I guess I feel like I think I could handle it.. I feel like if I were in the right atmosphere (birthing center, quiet calm room, etc) that I might be able to do a natural birth.. or at least that's how I want to do it... I guess you could say I am a bit of a hippie lol ...

but I do sometimes think... what if the pain is way more than I could take? how can I assume that I could birth a child naturally when I have no experience of what it takes to do so? I guess that's why I posted this thread.

anyway.. awesome story.. wow! people filming your birth for a tv show and everything! thanks for sharing!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

The physical pain is impossible to decribe unless you have given birth. It hurts. A lot. Epidurals also don't always work and there isn't always enough time for them. I speak from experience. However, once that child is out and you are looking at that beautiful miracle the pain memory starts to fade. It is then that realize that you will never love anyone like you love your child and you would do anything on earth for this little being. Your heart truly does walk around outside your body then. Good luck and try to enjoy every minute of it all. Some days you may feel ill with morning sickness but remember that at the end you will have the most wonderful gift. It is indescribable.

Oh- and tune out all the "well wishers" who want to share their horror stories with you when you are pregnant. Gotta love those people.