Anybody both given birth without medication and dislocated a kneecap?

[WholeHeart]

This sounds like a weird question, but some of the worst pain I've ever had was the time I popped my kneecap out of joint (a lot of other people say that causes awful pain that gets pretty high on the scale of 1-10). I'm wondering just how much worse it gets when having a baby.... If it's not too many notches higher, I think I might possibly be able to handle it without medicine, and all the medicine options scare me quite a bit for one reason or another (mostly possible side effects that I really don't want to deal with if I don't have to). Is there anybody who's had both and can give an opinion? It seems like everybody says gallbladder and kidney stones are worse, but I've never had either of those.... This is my first baby, too, or I'd have my own opinion by now as to the "how much worse than a dislocated patella" question.

 

[Dawnlouise30]

sorry i have never dislocated a knee cap so have no idea of the pain involved. Until i was in labour i could honestly say i had never felt pain in my life.
Labour is painful, but it is manageable.....admitidly i did use drugs (gas and air) and then later epidural as he was stuck. I do think though if you can get in the zone and stay calm it is probably do-able without pain relief. Although it was painful it was an amazing pain (i almost enjoyed it to a point) as i knew LO would arrive soon.


Dawn

 

[solitaire89]

*snip* all the medicine options scare me quite a bit for one reason or another (mostly possible side effects that I really don't want to deal with if I don't have to).

I haven't got experience with a dislocated knee cap, but I just wanted to say that it is certainly worth looking at drug free forms of pain relief if you are worried about side effects. I used Natal Hypnotherapy and had a completely pain free and drug free experience. I was really worried about the pain, and like you, worried about the side effects of drugs. There are lots of other things though, like a water birth, acupressure/acupuncture, aromatherapy etc, so you may find some more agreeable pain relief options there for if you decide you do want something. HTH

 

[aliss]

True contractions hurt more.

But that doesn't mean you can't cope without - I did my second labour without any medication, just some hot water shower for relief.

It's not the same pain. Labour hurts much more, far more intense- but it's not fight or flight pain. You work with it, you expect it, and you get a break in between contractions (the pain literally disappears in that time before you sense it coming back).

You'll be fine! I had a home birth with my unmedicated labour though, it made it much easier to cope with. Mind over matter is part of it. Being in the hospital with #1, I was screaming for an epidural.

 

[tristansmum]

Pain is so individual and so subjective. No one can really say how another person feels pain. I found the length of time I was in labour hard to cope with. Hours and hours ( about 12) was the reason I needed pain relief and the exhaustion. But plenty of women do go unmedicated. I would say the best thing is to go into labour with an open mind. I was very anti pethadine but in the end I had it and it allowed me to sleep between contractions. I ended up with a emergency section and so a spinal block which was not planned but I had to just go with it.

 

[WholeHeart]

True contractions hurt more.

But that doesn't mean you can't cope without - I did my second labour without any medication, just some hot water shower for relief.

It's not the same pain. Labour hurts much more, far more intense- but it's not fight or flight pain. You work with it, you expect it, and you get a break in between contractions (the pain literally disappears in that time before you sense it coming back).

You'll be fine! I had a home birth with my unmedicated labour though, it made it much easier to cope with. Mind over matter is part of it. Being in the hospital with #1, I was screaming for an epidural.

How much more? Because if it's, say, twice as much, I don't even want to think about it and I'm going to go and sign up for the drugs now. I mean that first time when the kneecap goes out and it's *still* out; when that happened to me I literally couldn't move, breathe, or think. I knew there were people gathered around me, but I had no idea how many or who and was totally incapable of responding to them. All I could do was grab my leg and whimper "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts," over and over again.... And then I saw that my leg looked crooked and instinctively shoved the kneecap back into place, and it still hurt but I was myself again and able to tell people what happened and be helped up, though of course I couldn't walk, (I even watched the rest of the basketball game before heading to the emergency room, because it still hurt an awful lot but it was so much less than the time when the patella was still out that I almost felt like it didn't hurt at all), and the emergency room doctors said they didn't believe that I'd had it pop out in the first place because I was able to talk to them instead of screaming my head off (though the MRI they gave me later when it didn't heal proved my story). If it's much more intense than that, hot water isn't going to touch it. If it's say, 130% as intense, tough choice.... I don't think the question is that far out there; there are actually people on knee injury forums saying that a dislocated patella hurts *more* than giving birth.

Edit: This is really just an intensity question; I know there's a difference in length of time and all that. Although I suppose it might be useful to know at what point it might hit that level of intensity..... There is no way I'm going to believe it's that bad right from the beginning.

 

[fides]

i have done both. personally, early labor was easier than the dislocated knee cap - we're talking 45 seconds of tightening and pain that went away - when i've dislocated the knee, even after it pops back in it's still quite painful. i couldn't think about anything during the knee but could with early labor.... later on, though, the labor and delivery personally hurt worse than the knee - worse because it is your whole midsection hurting, not just one area. the knee pain was probably more acute, though. however, i would say that the knee cap was a lot of panic - it wasn't natural, and it's not supposed to happen. with labor/delivery, you know it is coming, and you know there are breaks, and you know it won't last forever, and you know you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, if that makes sense, so it's not as terrifying. so, yes, it is a bit more painful, but it's a different experience b/c it is a pain that is working toward an end and it is something your body is working with as it is supposed to.

that's how the two compare for me, at least.

 

[skc22]

I fully dislocated my hip as a teenager (after walking around with a partial dislocation for 6 weeks because the Dr didn't believe I was in pain because I was't whinging and have an extremely high pain threshold - he finally did an xray to see it was partially dislocated, then I tripped over and it fully dislocated). I only had paracetamol for until I went under anesthetic for a surgical repair. Excruciating yes, but I dealt with it.
I was induced, in labour for 5 days with back to back labour. I ended up getting an epi at 8cm because I was exhausted. I had a low dose though so I could still feel the contractions but the edge of the pain was taken off. I am glad I got it in the end because I pushed for 6 hours, failed forceps then EMCS.
The pain between the two was completely different so I can't really compare the two. With labour you do get some respite between contractions, you don't with a dislocation. Your labour isn't something you can predict, and it is impossible to tell how you will handle it until it happens.
Goodluck, I hope it goes smoothly for you

 

[SarahBear]

I haven't dislocated a knee cap, sorry...

As for labor, I think how much pain you experience depends on a couple factors. The first is how intense your labor actually is. The second is your attitude. My labor, for example, was very manageable. The whole thing was only 3 hours and while it took some concentration to manage the discomfort/pain, I certainly was prepared for a much more intense experience. I didn't exactly have to dig deep within myself to find the strength to cope. Additionally, I had a very positive and open attitude toward labor. It made a huge difference when I reminded myself to be positive and to relax. That being said, I only had to cope for 3 hours and most of that time I wasn't at the height of labor. A person who experiences a 40 hour labor is going to have to dig deeper and have more endurance. So how you experience labor is going to depend on the intensity of your particular labor, the duration of your particular labor, and your attitude and coping skills. I found the strategies in the Bradley method to be helpful although I didn't do the whole "coach" thing. Just followed their advice for visualization and relaxation positions and strategies.

 

[Eleanor ace]

Hiya, I have a joint condition and I've dislocated my knees a few times, I would put it on a par with how my contractions were at about 8cm? When I was about 6cm with DS I dislocated my hip trying to get onto a bed, the pain from that was worse than my contractions at the time. Different pain but contractions come and go, you normally have at least a minute between them so you can catch your breath and its useful pain, you know that each contraction is taking you closer to a brilliant outcome so its much easier to handle.

 

[WholeHeart]

Thanks, ladies, that actually helps a lot.

 

[Kage76]

I have not dislocated a knee cap but the thing is with labour is that you just have to keep reminding yourself that its temporary. And once you have given birth the pain is gone. The contractions also have a beginning a peak and an end, and as you are going through a contraction you know this you work through it. Its not a walk in the park but its doable. The best advice i would give is go in with an open mind and try not to panic, If you need drugs take them. If you can manage without well done,

 

[Imamomma]

I always said my knee was excrutiating. If you relax when it happens and don't move a muscle putting it back is the part that's awful but its quick. When pregnant it progresses giving your body time to adjust. Relaxing is important there too. Don't tense your muscles let them move and adjust. I had an IUD and that was painful.My body went into shock cause they dilate you so fast and of course never explained it to me. It was fast but painful and unexpected. I didn't get any pain relief with two kids and have had dislocations w/o meds jus different pain

 

[cac80]

Hello all,

Just curious as to the mamas who have dislocated their knee caps before....were you nervous if it would happen again? I recently dislocated my knee cap for the first time and I have a one year old. I was home alone with her and it happened with me just turning my body slightly...the paramedics had to come and pop it back into place for me. My biggest fear is that this will happen again when I am alone with my daughter and or if we were to get pregnant again....what if it happens when I'm pregnant or while holding a newborn? My number one concern is my child and I'm worried about her safety. Any thoughts? Please I need to get rid of this fear.

Thanks,
Worried Mama

 

[MindUtopia]

Yep, I've done both. Honestly, I don't really remember the pain of the dislocation as it popped back in right away and it was 20 years ago. But I can tell you that giving birth naturally was nowhere near as painful as my 2 knee surgeries (after the dislocation and other injuries). Contractions don't last long (mine were like 50 sec in active labour) and you get to rest in between (no pain or discomfort at all). So really the painful part is very short-lived. You know it is temporary and that labour will be over soon. For me, knee pain was constant and lasted for more than a month and it was too painful to move around and do anything. With labour, it's just brief moments of discomfort and then you feel fine again, you know it's only going to last a few hours, and you can still move around. I was walking around my house in between pushing. Labour is totally doable. Knee pain sucks though.