Labour! is it really THAT bad or bareable?

[SIEGAL]

I am going to be honest. I was drug free till like 9 or 10 cm (not by choice! labor too fast) and it was terrible. They gave me a narcotic to take the edge off so I could sit still for the epidural. Once I got the epidural (And believe me - when ur in that much pain - a needle stick in the back is not a concern) I did not feel a thing. The baby came out two hours later with a bit of tearing but with the epidural you don't feel it (but it healed fine). I didnt feel her come out (just pressure). As far as the interventions go, yea I needed an IV, blood pressure, pitocin to expel the baby b/c I couldn't feel the contractions, but that was it - so not bad I guess. I mean, I don't know why you should suffer. There really is no reason. Get the narcotics, get the epidural, have a pain-free birth if possible. I did and I am not traumatized like a few friends of mine are from the pushing.

 

[Sooz]

Was it the worst pain I personally have ever felt? Yes.
Did I at any point feel I was going to cry or want to curl up and die? No.

There is no denying it hurts but I am positive there are more painful things in the world, for instance I have never broken a bone and yet see people sobbing their eyes out when that happens....so I assume it hurts more than labour.

Labour is intense, it's tiring, it's all consuming but you become so focused on your body that everything else pales into insignificance...you even lose track of time.

For the record, I had G&A and paracetamol for pain relief from 5cm's and used the pool as well. I also suffered a 3rd degree tear which had to be repaired in theatre after birth, I had a spinal block for that!

 

[Clareabell]

I ended up having an emergency c section after 17 odd hours of labour as she was stuck. Although my birth would be classed by professional as traumatic when I think back on it I only have positive thoughts.

I had an epidural as I had pre-eclampsia and had to be monitored on the bed for the entire labour but the little madam went babk to back that morning which made it impossible with out an epi for me to lie or sit down.

The epi did not hurt me at all but I was 6cm dilated when I had it and was having to sit on the bed through contractions when it was put in so all I was thinking about was sitting still for the anethatist and breathing through the contractions they probably could of amputated my arm and I would not of noticed at that time.

Nothing went to plan with me, so my advice would be dont have too many expectations. Although her birth was not what I wanted I was really well looked after and well informed so felt really calm and comfortable throughout.

The c section was fine and nothing to be worried about but i would of much prefered to birth her naturally, The epi had taken away all the pain. Literally it is amazing!!

The recovery of a c section is long so natural birth everytime!

Dont be worried about giving birth. I was pooing my pants about it but now look back on it as the most amazing day of my life, I would do it all over again tomorrow!

 

[sequeena]

It's bad, but bearable. Sorry it's confusing but even though it hurts somuch your body copes. You'll think you won't be able to do it (I begged them to pull him out of me) but you can and will assuming you progress naturally and there are no complications x

 

[Nickij]

Well I definitely have not got a high pain threshold - in general I am a whimp. but I made it through Labour on just Gas and Air.

It was painful, but just about bearable - I think its because you know you are in pain for a good reason, and there is an end in sight.

What I wasn't prepared for is quite how S**T I would feel after the birth. The recovery was just awful. I was in so much pain, and couldn't sit or walk properly for weeks, or have sex for about 4/5 months. I was so pissed off that no one told me that apart from coping with the lack of sleep, the painful breasts and the emotional roller-coaster of having a new baby, that I would feel like I had done several rounds with Mike tyson for several weeks after the birth. I am just hoping my recovery from baby number 2 is better.

Honestly it wasn't the pain of labour that almost put me off having another, it was the pain of healing afterwards.

 

[BabySmiler10]

Ellective C Section or Normal Birth?
I would always opt for a natural birth, its the most amazing experience of your life. One of my friends has had 2 C sections due to medical reasons and feels she has missed out on the natural birth.

If I have a epidural , do I have a bigger risk of tearing?
Maybe, I dont know much about it so cant comment too much.

Does the epidural hurt????
Never had one so dont know myself but my friend had one 4 weeks ago and said she didnt feel a thing.

Does first time births ever go well without any intervention?
My labour was 10hours long, I woke just after 4am with slight cramps, thought it was BH again so didnt wake my OH for an hour. Contractions came thick and fast so went to hosp at 9.30am and by 2.48pm my LO was here. My labour and birth went perfectly and this was my first baby. Everyone is different just try to stay relaxed.

Also I dont want to tear or be cut??
I was petrified of tearing or being cut when I was in early pregnancy but when you are at the end you are so desperate to get baby out you dont care how. I tore giving birth but didnt even notice until they told me, there so much else going on plus i was out of it with the G&A..lol.

 

[Kess]

It's bad, but bearable. Sorry it's confusing but even though it hurts somuch your body copes. You'll think you won't be able to do it (I begged them to pull him out of me) but you can and will assuming you progress naturally and there are no complications x

LOL, that's more sensible than me, I insisted they should push him back in! I was having a weird pain during pushing his head out that I'm still trying to figure out, not the "ring of fire" round the opening, but forwards up by my clitoris, and it was worse than any other pain in the whole birth by a long way (it also seems to be rare, so don't worry OP!). I've found one other person who had a similar pain on one of her four births but not the other three, and still can't find out what caused it. Anyway, we'd got to crowning, and that pain towards the front I'd been having with each contraction had been easing off again in between contractions as his head slipped back slightly. Then it got to the point when his head didn't slip back, and the pain continued in between the contractions, and I told them to push him back in!

 

[Quackquack99]

I honestly wish I got to have a natural birth, but my baby was an undiagnosed footling breech so technically from when my waters went to the section was only over 2 hours. I will admit that those contractions I had were absolutely painful but honestly, breathing helps so much. Just concentrating on the contractions can make all the difference. But I will say what was more painful was the fact that I was so much pain after the section, that I struggled to hold my baby. That killed me physically and emotionally. I really wish I had a natural birth as the woman opposite me in the maternity ward wasn't in any pain x

 

[FeistyMom]

With my first I reached the 'I don't think I can take this' point much too late to have an epidural, which is what I had planned on, and hadn't really taken time to prepare for a possible unmedicated birth. I typically have a high threshold for muscle-related pain though, and am a huge baby when it comes to cutting pain. I was totally freaked out while pushing by the thought of tearing, and during both deliveries I believe I begged the doctor to 'make it stop' and either push her back in, or pull her out already (both are girls).

With the 2nd since I knew I could in fact survive labor & deliver unmedicated, I wasn't as afraid and planned on natural, but still wasn't fully prepared, and the labor lasted longer so DH says I was much crankier towards the end. Similar issue though - it was much more the fear of tearing during pushing than the contractions that bothered me.

Sadly I did tear a bit with both deliveries, but it wasn't really as bad as I thought it would be. Healing after my first was harder than I expected, but the 2nd went really quickly. I plan on doing unmedicated with this baby too, but am nervous because I will most likely be induced due to GD. Having an epidural can be great & pain free, but the ability to pee by myself within an hour of delivering seemed like a good trade off. Just depends on what kind of pain/discomfort you tolerate better!

 

[newmommy23]

Ellective C Section or Normal Birth?
Normal birth, the healing is MUCH easier. In my opinion, from what I have heard, that is. I haven't had a c-section.
If I have a epidural , do I have a bigger risk of tearing?
I think it does vary from person to person hun
Does the epidural hurt????
Well, yes. The shot they give you before the epidural catheder goes in, for me, was horrible.
Does first time births ever go well without any intervention?
what do you mean by intervention? I didn't have an intervention in my birth, I don't think...lol
Also I dont want to tear or be cut?? Any advice?? Im such a wimp!
I would advise against episiotemies. I think, in general, that a small tear is better than a scalpel cut. But again, that's only my personal opinion. I had a small tear and it was painful in the week after birth but at the time it was the least of my worries.

labor and birth hurt yes, but they are worth it, you get a baby at the end!

 

[LuvMyBoys]

It hurt like a b*tch, but it was bearable for me. I did it without any drugs (I didn't have time) and had some tearing. I actually liked being able to feel when my contractions were coming and being able to control my pushing. As for tearing, there isn't much you can do about it. And, I didn't feel it until afterwards...

... this being said, I had a crazy, fast, and intense labour (5.5 hours from start to finish). I'm not sure if things would have been the same had my labour been longer.

Best advice I can give is not to worry too much about labour or make too many plans! In my experience, you don't know how it's going to go and you can't really control how it goes once it starts. Just do your best and roll with it!

 

[sequeena]

Something to encourage you... Don't be afraid of the epidural if you need it. My son had a lumbar puncture in his spine last night. He's only 16 days old and is fine so if he can have it so can you

I hope he gets better soon

 

[SazzleR]

Honestly, labour is fine! It was my first and it was nowhere near as bad as I feared! Yes, contractions do hurt but breathing through them & keeping moving help loads. By the time I came to push, I could hardly feel the contractions anymore as I was concentrating so much on getting him out! I managed on G&A between 8 & 10 cm then they took it off me for pushing. You can do it!

 

[mich22]

I am also already concerned about labour. I have had two really long difficult labours, both natural, no pain relief. I am planning to do it naturally again so although it was a very difficult labour I know I can do it again, it is a natural thing and you just need to remember what the outcome is.

I am hoping for a shorter labour this time as going more than 20 hours is exhausting and that makes labour more difficult but it must be bearable because i'm doing it again.