Was childbirth as painful as you imagined it to be throughout pregnancy?

Question

I'm due tomorrow!!! : ) YAY- Although I'm also scared out of my pants lol, I'm trying to calm myself down and accept the fact It Is going to be painful, but wont last forever.

Though, I hate not knowing what to expect- Pain wise.

So I was just looking for some insight about the pain-scale.

Thanks

Answer 1

I had a 9+ pound baby with no epidural and it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.  You'll do fine if you have a positive outlook.  There is a prize!!

It's intermittent - you'll have a short break before the next contraction begins - stay focused and it'll be over before you know it!

Answer 2

Im just going to start out with that I am the biggest baby on earth (which my GYN decided to tell me during hour 42 of labor, he said pregnancy wasnt a party and i should hae thought about pain before i had s*x). It all depends on the person. I handle pain terribly and actually put my legs down, crossed my arms and said i wouldnt do it- this was mid push! However, my baby was 2 weeks overdue and I had already been in labor for over 24 hours. I would suggest an epidural if you have a real hard time with contractions, although do what my nurse did and time it out so that you get it early enough for the pain and early enough so it WILL wear off by when you have to push. Although pushing the baby out is most painful, if you are numb down there during that it takes 2x as long (mine wore off by then and it STILL took 2 hours of pushing!!) Either way it was the WORST pain of my life but i CANNOT WAIT to do it again! It is semi-true what they say about the pain and forgetting it. Yes ill never forget the amount of pain but ill never forget the feeling i felt when i saw him for the first time, its pure joy. Good luck with your little one!!

Answer 3

It hurts -- no way around it.  Get an epidural.  You will enjoy the birthing process so much more.

Answer 4

i just ha my first child about a month ago, i was scared out of my mind, so i understand where you are coming from...it was painful..but not as bad as i thought, i tried not to think about it and it did help...i stayed without drugs for as  long as i could but then i got drugs....it didnt hurt as much because i just thought about the end result...good luck!

Answer 5

It's worse, and better, it's really nothing you can expect or plan for. All labours are totally different. Mine started at about 3:30 pm and by 12 noon the next day it just stopped! For the time that I was in labour I was actually very comfortable and progressing nicely. After my labour stopped suddenly I was put on the pit drip, from that point on my comfort level dropped drastically. My contractions went every minute for roughly 8 hours! I ended up having an epidural to help get some sleep for the main event!

I found pushing to be the very least painful part, (my epidural had worn off an hour before pushing) My body was just very exhausted by then and therefore I was not comfortable!!!

But the minute they put my son on my chest I forgot it all, none of the pain mattered at all, and your body is just so relieved!

Pain, it will be an 11 out of 10, but its SO worth it all, I will do it again many times!

Plus don't forget, the nurses and doctors are ready to give you any comfort measures you will need....pillows, drugs, ginger ale!!

You will have a spectacular experience and the pain will be so far off your mind in the end!  

Answer 6

I personally knew that it was going to be really hard and really really hurt, but I didn't expect it to be that bad!  It was!!!!!  But honestly, I totally didn't even remember as soon as they put him in my arms.  The pain for me at least was a 100 on a scale of 1-10!  And I have always thought I have a high tolerence for pain, I have my ribs tatted and a sleeve and a half sleeve, I thought it would just be a little bit more intense.  It was really intense and it hurt like h**l, and I personally don't think that anyone will ever be able to explain to you how much until you go through it yourself.  

My sister on the other hand said that it was a breeze and that it really didn't hurt that much, lucky her, right?

Answer 7

Yes it was definitely painful, but I like to think of it as being nothing a woman can't handle.  I have 3 already and I'm due next month so it cant be that bad.  Try not to stress on it and hopefully you will have a quick easy labor.  Good luck.

Answer 8

i had an epidural and the pushing was much more painful than i expected; they cut out the med i guess to make me push harder, but it hurt like ****...not trying to scare you or anything , just truthful....gl

Answer 9

I just want to say how disappointed I am with everyone saying to just go for the epi. If you need it then you need it but I dont understand rushing right in and wanting it. Our bodies are made to give birth and it is an amazing and painful thing. Dont let them tie you to the bed, walk through the contractions and give in to them. If you breathe through them and daydream of something else they wont be so bad. It is a painful thing but it is also AMAZING and by the end you forget of every little pain you had. I actually would go through labor 20 more times over pregnancy. I am a big baby. But I hate needles even more so I didnt get anything, and it was the most empowering thing EVER.

Answer 10

I have had three and it is not that bad. I had an epidural with two and one all natural. As soon as you see your baby you will forget how it felt when you were having him or her.

Answer 11

Mine was horrible but it was all in my back. The epidural was wonderful. I thought it was slowing my labor so I just let it wear off BIG MISTAKE. Get it and enjoy it. I dont handle pain well anyway. I ended up in a C-Section and that was the wierdest feeling ever. LOL! Just let it come and be open to medicaiton. If you can do it without pain meds you are the WOMEN! LOL Just then what the outcome is and it is so worth it no matter what the pain is like!

Answer 12

not going to lie to you...it was worse.  It also ended in an emergency section (which of course was also NOT the plan).  dont stress...whatever is going to happen will happen.  Do the best to keep yourself calm!!

Good luck and congrats!

Answer 13

I think that it really just depends on the person and their pain tolerance.  I have a super high pain tolerance. I was able to stay home till I was 5cm dilated and having contractions like crazy.  By the time I got to the hosp my doctor was there to break my water to speed up my contractions.  Then my labor REALLY picked up..I went from 5 to 7cm in like half and hour, then from 7-9 in an hour and a half then I got the epi bc I started to feel my sons big ol head coming down and thought to myself "ain't no way I'm about to push him out like this..lol" I got the epi but it was too late bc I seriously remember feeling EVERYTHING I pushed for an hour but it really wasn't as bad as I had anticipated.  Not too bad for my first and only hours hours of labor :)

Answer 14

it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be

they tell me i didnt even swear through the whole thing...

Answer 15

It was very painful, but not to the degree where I lost control of myself.

Pain usually means something is wrong, but in this case, it means something is right. And you get a prize at the end.  

Answer 16

its not as bad as i thought lol but as soon as the contractions started to make me cry i git an epadur lol im a wimp

Answer 17

Mine was no where near what I thought it would be.  I was in labor for only a couple hours.  I had a epi for medical reasons and for the pain, and a few pushes my daughter was born.  Pain wise on a scale 1-10 with 10 being horrid, I would say a 3 towards the end.  I think I just had a freak childbirth experience.

Answer 18

WIth my daughter I was only having minor contractions (2 on a scale of 1-10) when I got my epidural (due to the availability of the anesthesiologist) After that I felt nothing! I enjoyed it a lot better than I think I would have if I would've been in pain though.  

With my son, I waited as long as I could.  My water broke at 8 am and I immediately felt my contractions...STRONG! I waited till around 930 to get the epidural cause I couldnt handle it anymore.  BUT...it only numbed one side of me and I could feel everything full force on the other side.  I waited it out for about a half hour to see if it would eventually numb both sides.  It never did.  Finally around 1030 I called the nurse back because I was literally ripping the sheet off the bed cause it hurt so bad.  They gave me another dose of meds into my IV and finally i was comfortable.  I was so much happier and was able to actually relax after I was all drugged up lol.  I fell right to sleep and woke up at exactly noon with extreme pressure.  Called the doctor in and my son was born 17 minutes later.

On a scale of 1-10 though it was a 9 by the time I got my second dose of meds.  It hurt like h*ll  but I forgot all about it when I saw him for the first time!