How bad is labor and delivery?

Btdt moms be honest, how bad was the pain? The worst pain you've ever experienced like everyone says? Was it what you expected? Was it worse? Or was it better than you expected? I really have no idea what to expect or how I will handle the pain. As the day grows nearer I'm becoming more and more terrified. I'm freaked out by this whole thing. How did you overcome this fear? I'm sure so many of you have felt this way.

Those who had the epidural? Did you feel any pain? Was it dull pain or none at all?

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

I had an epi and 24hrs later started getting muscle spasms and charlie horses in my shoulders. The next day a HORRIBLE headache. I waited 3 days and then I went to the ER and they sent me to out pt surgery for a blood patch and I felt relief INSTANTLY.

I say this because I would have given birth 10 times then go through this. The labor was good. It hurt, but not as bad as I had prepared myself for, and the pushing.....O M G it is HEAVEN. It sounds so weird but it feels sooooooooooo good. The epi took away the contractions, but I had back labor and it does NOTHING for this. It is very uncomfortable, but you can get through it. Again pushing is sooooo amazing. IMHO you KNOW when it's time. You get this uncontrolable urge to poop. I can't explain it. It's not like you think maybe...you KNOW.

I had a GREAT recovery! Besides the epi thing I was walking, moving, sitting with my legs crossed in my lap 2 days later, eating great, in prepreg pants 2wks later, made muffins and cookies 2 days after she came home. I'm not super women and I was sore, but not AT ALL like what I thought. I think you have to prepare for anything and in doing that I was pleasently suprised with how good I felt.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

It doesnt matter how bad the pain is - you WILL get through it, bc you HAVE to. And in the end, it won't matter, because you will have the greatest gift of all - and she will be worth every second. And, you will go through labor every single day again if you have to - if it means you get to experience this little tiny perfect being that you are blessed with.




but all cheese aside

its like. . . . you know when you stub your toe and you are sure its broken and you cant talk or think straight and all you do is hop around making noises - its that KIND of pain (I wont say if its more or less pain, just that KIND of pain!)

once you get the epidural in, it feels like you are in a warm bath - the most amazing warm bath in teh world!

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

Honestly, the PRESSURE in my vag was the worst. The contractions not so bad. I got my EPI an hour before I was ready to push and it wore off. The whole pushing i felt EVERYTHING and honestly it wasn't that bad and I am NOT just saying that. I was totally shocked I really thought I wasnt going to be able to handle it. I think it was more tiring than anything. I did feel the stitches getting put in but DS had me so distracted it didnt really bother me. I don't know if I have a high pain tolerance but it was THAT bad.

Did it hurt yes, was it unbearable, NOT AT ALL.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

Honestly looking back I really thought it was going to be a lot worse than I expected! I am only hoping my twin birth is just as good as my DD's birth, but we all know it's different for everyone. When I first started getting contractions I just knew it wasn't a false alarm...these were contractions buttt it wasn't extremely painful it was like that bad gas pain that you have to breath through for a bit (at least for me). When they started coming closer it got a little more painful, I got the epi, which again I was horrified for and actually couldn't stop shaking. Again, wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. From that point on (10 hours) i felt nothing! My legs were like Weekend at Bernies and when I started pushing I had no clue what I was pushing because I couldn't feel anything. They stopped the drip and I could finally feel a little bit of what I was doing but not bad at all. I had always heard of that "pressure" feeling like you have to go #2, but that never happened for me. I actually held out on pushing to wait for my dr. that couldn't be there till 11:00 a.m. and they kept asking if I had the pressue and I didn't.

It's funny cause when I do remember back I remember the most pain as being in my head from pushing hard and that is where I felt all my pressure to the point I threw up but that was the worst of it I feel.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

I have to say I expected worse. At first the contractions were mild, but when they got closer & stronger yes they hurt like HELL!!! But the EPI was heavenly!!!! I still felt the pressure and was able to push.
honestly the worst of it all was when they tried to stitch me up a bit on the inside (i only tore a bit on the inside) the epi had wore off so when the needle went in I SAW STARS!!!
All in all it was not a horrible experience, I mean heck...I am doing it again!!

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

It was not nearly as bad as I had anticpated it being. I was 7cm before I got an epidural and I only got it because I was scared to death to not have any pain med's for the delivery part. Well my epi didn't work and I survived. About 5 minutes after my ds was born and I was being stiched up (episiotomy and a bad tear) I was telling the nurses that it wasn't that bad at all.

I agree with the pp about the pressure being the worst part. It's just more uncomfortable than anything else.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

It wasn't as bad as I thought. I really was expecting the worst. I felt nothing after I got the epidural....when it was time to push I felt the contractions but honestly, and I am being honest, it's not OMG I am going to die pain..it was pain..but it was bearable.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

The pain of the contractions before the epidural were painful. I felt like someone was taking the flesh of the inside of my stomach and twisting it really hard. I lasted until 4 cm with each kid.

The epidural is not terribly painful. They do numb the area before the epi. More like, takes your breath away for about 2 seconds.

After the epi, all I ever felt was intense pressure down below and also in my chest during contractions-no pain. I did however feel getting stitched up, but that was only slight pulling.

The anesthesiologist pulling the tape off my back hurt more than pushing a child through my hoo ha.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

Read my birth story for all the gory details (you can click the link in my profile).

I had a very quick labor & delivery -- apparently rare for a first child. The first 4 hours were not bad at all. Around 9 cm it got bad, but I was already at the hospital for an hour by then. Getting to 10 was uncomfortable, but manageable. Pushing her out was bad. Very painful. I didn't think I could do it, it hurt so much. But I knew once she was out, the pain would become a memory. It was exactly 8 weeks ago today, and it really is just a memory. I'm so proud of myself, too!! I had trouble pushing her out (took 1 h 40 m) because her head was too big... as soon as my doc cut me, she popped right out. The cut didn't hurt. Stitching me up did. Pushing on my belly to deliver the placenta hurt a LOT.

But it is what it is, and I'm feeding my baby as I type this with one hand. You will get through it, and if you want to go meds free, you can. It's doable, survivable, and life goes on after.

The only person I've encouraged to get the epidural since DD was born is my friend who lost her baby a week after, at 32 weeks. They made her deliver her son's body. It took 5 days of an induction. I told her she MUST get the epidural. The pain she was going through emotionally was not worth adding the physical pain. The reward of holding your child is really the only thing that makes the pain of an unmedicated labor and delivery worthwhile.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

The pain wasn't as bad as I had prepared myself for. And as a cluster migraine suffer, no, I didn't think it was the worst pain I've ever felt. Though that's not to say it tickled ;)

I had a fast labor - it was 8.5hrs from first contraction (which was just some weird pressure while I was getting a pedicure) to delivery. I labeled my pain at 5cm at a 3...by 7th I was throwing up and the pressure was intense. I was still up and moving around at that point (I made it to the hospital at 5cm). By 10cm I was ready to push and the relief from pushing was immense...however I was pushing for over 2 hrs - I couldn't get her past my pelvic bone. I had a (2 stitch) episitomy and she came out 6 pushes later.

I delivered naturally - no epi, etc. - by choice. I hope to do it again for my next. As for recovery, I wasn't even aware I had an episiotomy - the recovery from that was easy. The massive hemmies I had left me unable to sit comfortably for weeks

Have faith in yourself - you will be great!

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

The pain was abd, but not as bad as I was expecting from hearing some stories.

I got the epi at 4cm (to me, getting it didn't hurt AT ALL....it was a pinch)

They turned it off a few times b/c I wasn't progressing. It was off for an hour around 7cm and then the contractions were intense. I just zoned out with each one and it was manageable.

Pushing was intense. Again, epi was off but it is a strange feeling. Because you are in pain, yet you have such an intense urge to push that it is almost a relief to push. The last 2 pushes before DS was born were the hardest/most painful part of my labor luckily it was only about a minute long.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

I was in your shoes 5 months ago and was terrified myself, its all about the "unknown".

I had to be induced after being 5 days late and having low fluid.

After I was induced my water broke and contractions started and got more intense, I breathed it out and tried not to think about it, to be honest it was painful but I got drugged up so it helped the pain. I HIGHLY Recommend the epidural, it was God send...the actual pushing for me was the hard part, you need sooooo much energy to push, It felt like I was working out I was sooo exhausted, I pushed for an hour and couldn't believe it was all over...I would do all over again.

Best of luck to you...your instincts will kick in trust me!!

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

I went natural until hour 30 something when they decided DS was sunnyside up and I needed a section.

I also had pitocin which definitely made my contractions stronger.

But, overall, I'd do it again naturally in a heartbeat. I had a doula who was AMAZING and really helped me through EVERY contraction. The pain is intense. But it comes and goes in intervals which is probably why its tolerable.

Although, I have been told by many I have a high threshold for pain.

In fact, DH was yelling at me in L&D because when I was around 7cm my nurse asked me my pain 1-10 (10 being intolerable) and I said "i don't know, 3?" and DH told me I was being ridiculous. But I also am stubborn and never feel comfortable admitting when I can't handle something.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

i had a leaky bile duct 3mos PP (similar to a gallbladder attack) - the pain from that was worse than childbirth.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

Honestly yes it was bad. I got an epi when I was 4 cm and it only lasted for 45 min. It then wore off (except my right thigh). It was a pretty rough 8 hours after that but I got through it. I had really bad back labor because ds was facing the wrong way (head up). My poc was able to turn him when I was just about fully dilated but at that point it didn't matter. I pushed for about 80-90 min and that was actually the least painful part for me. It felt good to push through the contractions.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

i have to say, im kinda that i will never know what labor and delivery is like

i mean, the important thing is a healthy baby but ... not having the options to deliver vaginally kinda makes me

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

Ok having this fresh in my mind from 2 days ago....it SUCKS ...the contractions are the most painful thing I've ever experienced in my life (especially when they are lasting 1 minute and coming 2 minutes apart and there is no time for recovery)! Think the worst period cramps you've ever felt and times that by 100. I had considered going drug free, but never got to lamaze classes due to my unexpected circumstances....even with breathing exercises I can't see myself having not had an epidural....the epidural was the most amazing thing ever...my contractions were so horrible that i didn't even feel the needle go in...the relief was amazing....the actual pushing part and delivery was a piece of cake...the pressure is a bit uncomfortable once the baby crowns but it's only a couple more pushes after that and then the pain and discomfort is all gone! It truly is amazing that none of it matters once you hear your lo cry.....it makes it all worth it instantaneously! You will be fine and you will get through it and it will be soooo worth it in the end because you will have your beautiful little girl! hth

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

As good or bad as it could be, its the best most intense unreal experience ever!
And for me, it wasn't as painful as I thought.. yes its painful but its good pain if that makes any sense.

You will do great!

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

I had IV drugs to ease the pain. P.S. I will never do that again. I hated the way it made me feel. It made me fall asleep but I would wake up for every contraction. I got the EPI at around 5cm and then I was finally able to sleep. The EPI was a miracle. Totally worth it!

Labor was intense but not horrible. When DD was coming out it felt like the hoo ha was on fire. It burned so bad. But as soon as she was out everything was over and I felt 100%. I could have gone home 3 hours after she was born. I was walking around and organizing my recovery room.

The one thing I wish everyone would have told me was the pain to go #1. OH MY GOODNESS!!! IT was like a UTI on steroids. But everytime I went got a bit easier.

You will do fine and you will forget most of the pain. GL!!

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

The epi was a blessing. I had all back labor. It was horrible. I felt the contractions when I had the epi but no pain at all. The only pain I felt was when I felt like I had to poop and that brought me to tears. Pushed for 9 minutes and dd came out.

(TMI) I tore so that was uncomfortable-nobody warned me about that pain.

BUt overall-my experience wasn't bad at all.

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

Everyone has a different experience, but for me contractions were the WORST things in the world, especially as they started to come like ever 1.5-2 minutes and lasted forreevveer! I was in labor for 34 1/2 hours, so that was not a good time! The epidural helped at first with the contractions, but the pressure pain which was far worse NEVER went away The epi wore off and they topped me off about 5 times over the almost 2 days and I felt SO much of everything until I was brought for a section b/c she just wasn't coming...the spinal block they give you numbs you completely! It was SO nice NOT to feel a contraction or pressure after 34.5 hours! lol

Re: How bad is labor and delivery?

I have to be honest - my labor and delivery experience was really not that bad. My contractions started around midnight and my water broked at about 1:45 AM. I was told to go to the hospital around 5:00 AM. The contractions hurt but I managed without any pain medications for about 9 hours. I got an epidural at around 9:00 AM when they also started me on pitocin because I was having regular contractions close together but I wasn't dilating that much.

From 9:00 AM until about 3:00 PM, I basically just hung out! I was ready to push around 3:00 and DS was born at 3:28 PM. The pushing really wasn't too bad because he was out pretty quickly. I didn't have any complications from the pitocin or the epi.

For me, the worst part about it was that I had developed preeclampsia and had to be in bed and medicated for 24 hours after birth. All I wanted to do was shower!