Giving Birth, real answers appreciated :)?

Question

I no this is a common question, and I no it does hurt. But when do you no exactly when your in labour what does it feel like? at any point is the pain completely unbearable? What part hurts the most?? Im really scared and just dont no what to expect. thank you.

Answer 1

Trust me, you will know when you are in labor! Have you had an Braxton-Hicks contractions yet? If so then that will give you some clue as to roughly what it might feel like - like that only a lot more so. Everyone's experience of labor is different and everyone's perception of pain is different, so nobody can really tell you what its going to be like for you, but the best way it was described to me before I had my son was that its like the worst period pain you can ever imagine, plus a fair bit more than that!

Most people don't find it completely unbearable, and there are lots of pain relief options available. Remember, there is no badge of honour for mum's who use less pain relief, so take whatever is on offer.

Answer 2

I have had 3 children and working on baby #4 right now.  My first one I started bleeding at 37 weeks, went to the hospital and was 4 centimeters.  I had an epidural with that one. The head is the most painful part coming out, but it only last for a moment, then really you don't remember how bad it hurt.  My 2nd child, I had 7 weeks early.....  I was washing dishes and started cramping...and it got worse but I didn't think it was labor pains since I was so far away. I kept on cleaning house and then took a shower.  The longer I went, the worse it got.  When I sit to rest, it didn't stop. I decided to go to the hospital to see, and I was 7 centimeters... no way of stopping it, and it was to late and to much risk for me to have any pain meds.  I had that one naturally... I think the contractions hurt worse than the baby coming out.  So.. Contractions are the worst pain, and its a pain you will know is true labor because it will cause you cramps and pain like you have never felt.  It will double you over in pain, and you cant help but cry.  Good luck, once its all over, you wont even hardly remember how bad the pain was. It is all worth it.  

Answer 3

Its an extremely amazing experience. i have had 3 labours and they have each been very different, all natural, well except I did have a pessary for my second, but it felt natural. The pain is very intense, but somehow mother nature takes over and you cope, I also find that when it gets to the stage where the contractions are so bad that I feel I havent got enough breath, thats when the gas and air comes into play. I always leave it until I cant bear it so that it doesnt lose effect before its all over. Some people say when the head crowns its the most painful, but personally I have not felt this, just the contractions towards the end, but like I siad its amazing how you instincts kick in. I am currently 11 weeks with number four and am feeling positive about the birth already. Just think when it hurts most, 'Baby nearly here'. Good luck.

Answer 4

i gave birth 6 months ago and honestly it wasn't as bad as i imagined.  I had got myself in such a state believing it was going to be horrendous that when i actually went in to labour it wasn't as bad as i thought.  I got to 10cm with out drugs and only had gas and air when i was pushing.  I do think it depends on the person how much it hurts but for me it really did hurt but was bearable.  The best way i can describe it is it starts like bad period pains that gradually get worse and worse. The contractions felt like spasms in my stomach muscles. It was my first baby and she was quite big and felt like she was pressing down hard all the way through.  Its only natural to be scared, everyone woman i know has been scared, but dont worry, you'll cope a lot better then you think you will.  Good luck

Answer 5

1st contractions to me still felt a bit like braxton hicks however they felt a little more tight.they then started coming regularly and at that point i was fairly sure it was the real thing.luckily i went into labour at night so i got myself comftable and slept a litttle until a contraction woke me that was quite painful.i also needed the loo which is your bodys way of clearing itself out.i had a show and called the hospital,they asked how far apart my contractions were and how long.they were 5 min apart and lasting 40 sec so they told me to make my way in.had to drop my daughter of at nans 1st(she were c section)and then whent in.at this point contractions were uncomfatable and i had to use breathing to get through them but they were still bearable.midwife examined me and told me i were 5 cm dialated.i were overjoyed i were hlfway there!i admit though from this point the contractions started increasing in pain and althoough id planned natural and no painkillers i decided to try gas and air.it was great!it doesnt stop you feeling the pain so you can still work with your contractions but you feel detached from it.soon i despratly needed to push and two pushes  and my son was out.did hurt and worst part was head popping out1couldnt push and suck gas at same time so didnt work for that!the relief when he popped out was imence and thought it could get no better till i delivered the placenta!to me it were the best feeling in the world as you just feel so empty and elated that its over and youve got your baby.!im pregnant again now and really looking forward to birth! the only thinhg im terrified of is tearing again.for me that was the worst thing about it,the pain of my sttches healing was awful.tho i were lucky although it was quite a bad tear after two weks was pretty much comfortable.good luck with your birth hope ive helped some.every birth diffrent and altough i dont belive you 4get about it after like some say you dont quite remember the exct feeling :)

Answer 6

Early labor pains are a crampy feeling. Kind of like period pains, but your whole stomach. You can feel your stomach when you have a contraction, it gets hard. Early labor is bareable.

Labor pains are indescribable... when hard labor hit, my whole stomach hurt to the point it made my whole body hurt. At the second in time, I couldnt have told you where exactly the pain was coming from (if I didnt know I was in labor) because everything just hurt. I was induced and on pitosin and that makes the contractions more intense, so natural labor may not be as bad, but it was definetly unbearable. Every contraction I had after they broke my water, was very hard. I couldnt move, I didnt want to move, I couldn't catch my breath and was hyperventilating because the pain was so intense.

BUT the epidural is a life saver. Once I had the epidural, I didnt feel contractions at all. It was great!!! Only until I was almost fully dilated, I slept, then I felt pressure. Everyone says its like you have to p**p, but I didnt feel like that. My body was making my stomach start pushing, but not like I need to go to the bathroom.

Then, while I was pushing, something no one told me about, was the pain of the actual delivery. The epidural did not numb that pain. When she came down through my pelvic bone, it was bad. And this is going to scare you, so I want you to know that I had a HUGE baby (14 inch head 9lbs 3oz...), but the only way I can describe that pain as, is imagine 2 people having their hands inside of you, pulling in opposite directions. The doctor told me to stop pushing at one point because he had to cut me, and it was a horrible feeling, I wanted to push because it hurt with her sitting right between my bones. But it was short lived, and once she was out, the pain immediately stopped. It's bad, but its the easiest pain to forget ;)

Answer 7

right hun im going to be completely honest with you.,

my son was 17 weeks premature and i no my answer will follow withs loads of others saying well that was an easy birth etc. it wasnt, my body wasnt ready so it was alot harder!!!

turns out i was in labour for a few days and i didnt even know.... it feels like period pains hun. it hurts i admit BUT his foot was stuck so i was in constent labour- it doesnt hurt half as much as u expect it to.

hope this helps hun and good luck xxxx

Answer 8

For me, I went into labor at midnight and just thought I had gas and needed to go to the bathroom.  It felt like stomach cramps like when you have diarrhea (gross, I'm sorry).  The feeling just wouldn't go away and I couldn't use the restroom either.  After a little while having this crampy feeling, it started to come and go.  When it would hit, the pain was getting worse and I noticed that my stomach was getting very hard.  I realized these were real contractions about 3am.  When I was having a contraction, it was hard to talk and I couldn't' walk.   By 6am the pain was so unbearable I dragged my husband out of bed to take me to the hospital.  I was 8 cm dilated when we got there and in tears.  The part that hurts the most is the horrible cramp in your stomach during a hard contraction.  Make sure you are timing your contractions and when they are about 4-5 min apart, you should go to the hospital and get checked.  When you get there, they can give you pain medication to relax you and things won't hurt so bad.  I waited too long and went without pain meds up until I was 8cm.  I had the epidural and had my son 30 min later.  

With my 1st son, I felt everything during the actual birth because the epidural wore off.  They hadn't inserted it properly (very rare).  When the baby is crowning and actuall coming out , it burns like h**l.  The good thing is that the burning doesn't last long because once the baby is crowning, it's only a minute or two before he's out.  

Best of luck!

Answer 9

This article might help http://www.babiesnappies.co.uk/the-labou... :)

Answer 10

contractions are like period pains but  1000 times worse, but pain relief should make it easier if you want to use it. the feeling that you want to push feels like you really need to p**p ( nobody warned me and I actually didnt relize I was pushing, I was just trying to p**p). I found that if you dont have pain relief it really does hurt especially if you tear, but give it a week afterwards you honestly will forget how much it hurts.

Answer 11

With my first child, the thing that hurt the most was when her head would crown, then go back. After the head, it all happens so fast you can't really concentrate, and you don't really feel the shoulders.

With this child, I am getting an epidural!

Answer 12

It hurts like h**l but it's a pain you quickly forget. I didn't think my contractions were totally unbearable but I was very uncomfortable! I used gas and air as my daughter was literally hanging out when I got to the hospital, I personally think the stitches I had after was the most painful thing I have ever experienced.

But truthfully it will hurt and it'll be the hardest work you'll ever do giving birth x

Answer 13

It's hard to say what it will feel like. Every labor is different so I really can't say what you should expect. I can, however, tell you about my own personal experience.

I was in labor for about 2 days with my son and I had no clue. I had back labor (I only felt the contractions in my back, not my stomach) so I mistook the contractions for normal back pain. Then I began to leak amniotic fluid (my water never actually "broke", it just sort of leaked out) and decided it was time to go to the hospital. I was not in a great deal of pain when I got there but because I had been leaking fluid for a few days, they gave me Pitocin (the drug they use to induce) to speed up the process.

I was 3 cm when I got to the hospital. By the time I reached 4 cm the pain was getting pretty bad. I tried changing positions and whatnot but nothing helped. At that point I got my epidural and everything was fine from there. When I got to 10 cm, I pushed for maybe 15 minutes and then there he was!

Anyway, like I said, each experience is different. I hope sharing mine was helpful to you. Best of luck.

Answer 14

This varies enormously.  In some women the pain is never 'unbearable'. In others it's 'unbearable' (for them) as soon as they are dilated enough that they CAN get an epidural...

Contractions are strong cramps. Very strong cramps.  You will know you are in labor when you are having strong contractions that get gradually stronger and closer together.  

I would strongly encourage you to take a good childbirth class. You will learn what to expect in labor, and how to cope with the contractions.  Even if you are sure you want an epidural, there will be several hours of contractions before you can have one, so you need tools to learn to deal with them.  

Answer 15

I'll always remember when my first son was coming out i had this really weird feeling that i needed a poo, the midwife told me that that was the point to push. When i had the same feeling with my second son, i knew there an then that he was well on his way!!

Answer 16

I personally haven't given birth (yet)...but I'll never forget my mate telling me how it felt for her - "like giving a big sh*t"!!  Not the most delicate way of putting it, but it kind of gave me a good impression.

Answer 17

It depends where your labour pain is. The most common is in your abdomen where you feel crampy period like pains which gradually get more intense & last longer. Some people also experience pains in their back, some have pains in their bottom - feeling like needing a big poo.

The pain is worst during the later part of the second stage.

Personally for me, the most painful part was when the baby's heading was 'crowning' or coming out - that was a bad stinging feeling.

Just take it as it comes and go with the flow - everyones experience is different so ignore any horrible stories people tell you 'cause it really isn't that bad.