Contractions & giving birth??

Question

i was wondering if anybody could tell me exactly what contractions are like and the actual giving birth when the baby is coming out is like ??

i have just had a miscarriage and this is my 1st period after and its sooo painful as it is and i can just about cope.

i really want a baby but i am now worried about the pain when having it.

Answer 1

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. I used to have extremely bad period pains, I could hardly get out of bed, couldn't eat because they made me feel sick, and I started panicking about how I'd cope during labour and birth but you know what, I gave birth naturally to a 9lb 6oz baby with absolutely no pain relief, not even gas and air. I'm sure you'll cope fine. And after having a baby people say that you don't suffer from painful period pains again, well I don't anyway. hope this reassures you, and good luck Xx

Answer 2

Sorry to hear about your loss, i suffered a mc a few years ago and know how awful they are. Fortunately most women who suffer them go on to have healthy pregnancies, i should know i have since had 2!

I always found the contractions feel like gentle waves of tightening to begin with, these tightenings increase in their intensity and length over time as labour progresses. The pain of a contraction starts off gradually, often starts at the base of the bump and spreads across the whole bump becoming stronger until it reaches it's peak, this can take your breath away but it's important to take deep breaths during them, the pain will then fade off until it is completely gone and you'll be able to function as normal until the next one comes along.  

The urge to push is a strange thing, one moment you'll be having regular contractions and then you'll just know, a pressure will appear down below, almost like needing to do a p**p, the midwife should guide you through this stage. I found then when the head was crowning and baby was coming out that it felt more like a burning and stinging sensation until finally with a big push baby is born and the pains just fade away. Baby actually being born can feel quite odd, slippery and slimy but it's a relief when he's out as all the pain just goes.

Good luck with any future pregnancies!x

Answer 3

you can't properly explain what the pain is like-and everyone is different. for me my first daughter was 22 hours of labour on just gas and air and hard work

my second daughter was 4 hours of labour with just gas and air and so much easier.

Answer 4

My labour was a proper horror story: the pain was unbearable even with ALL the different pain meds (apart form eipdural - a lifesaver); and my delivery was very poorly managed meaning that it lasted 44 hours and was topped off with a very traumatic assisted birth for my son. I should have been given a Caesarean, but I don't think they had the staff on duty.

The good news is that I was the first of a group of 4 of us to give birth, and after I'd told them my story, they were extremely nervous! Tankfully all of them had trouble free, short labours with only gas & air.