Seriously what does labor feel like?

[mrscompgeek]

Ok, I've read in books, took bradley classes, heard labor stories. But I wanna know the down dirty truth. What does labor feel like? I mean does contractions feel any worse than menstrual cramps? I used to get HORRIBLE menstrual cramps every period that would literally send me to bed.They were so bad I would get diarrhea and feel nauseated. Please tell me thats now how labor is. Does how your period cramps were have anything to do with how your labor pains will feel? My Bradley birth instructor said that the contractions never get any worse/stronger than they are at the beginning, they stay the same all the way through. They just get closer together and last longer. Is that true?

[Youngfrankenstein]

Mine ctx were like hideous menstrual cramps, but different!

The pain was way low, down into my legs and back as opposed to being above my navel at all.

While the pain gets intense, it's a dull ache-type pain vs. sharp, stabbing, sudden.

I can say that after giving birth, my menstrual cramps are like mini-labor pains but I couldn't have described it before I'd been through labor.

I don't know if that helps.

[Therese's Mommy]

My period cramps felt nothing like my labor pains. In labor all my pain is in my hips, nowhere else. I wouldn't worry about how they are going to feel. They will be what they are and you will be able to deal with them. Your body was made to do this.

[firewoman]

Mrscompgeek-Please don't worry! You just sound a little frightened and being frightened is the worst jumping off point for labor.

For me, labor didn't feel like menstrual cramps. Maybe the prelabor stuff does, but contractions for me were mostly an intense tightening of the upper 2/3 of my uterus. The discomfort I felt was down low (my cervix) and in my lower back (from the pressure of the baby being pushed downward and onto my tailbone during a contraction). I never had a posterior baby so I wasn't having back labor (which isn't as effective at opening the cervix), but just having my uterus press the baby's face downward onto my tailbone and the head applied onto my cervix. I agree with the previous poster that there were some shooting sensations that went down the tops of my thighs, but that was early on. They weren't pains, just feelings letting me know something was starting.

Contractions do start off lighter and get stronger as the labor goes on so I'd have to say what you feel at first is nothing like what you will feel by transition, *BUT* by the time you reach transition you should have some lovely endorphins helping you. Those endorphins are awesome and they last for some time after the birth. I can't ever sleep after I give birth and just stay up staring at my beautiful sleeping newborn.

You're going to do great! Get at least four heat packs/rice socks to place down in front and down low in the back for added comfort (you only need two at a time but four allows for you to never have to be without a warm one). For my clients I use a rebozo to keep both packs in place then I have my hands free to do other comfort measures. Warm water is incredible, too.

[Nature]

The cramps I get with my period are pretty much the same as labor, except they are felt differently for me. Labor pains are usually in my very low back and inside, instead of in my tummy area. They are of course much more intense than period cramps.

But don't let labor be a scary thing. For some of us its not really that painful at all. I usually sleep through everything but when the baby actually crowns! And womens experiences are so different, and our pain thresholds and perceptions are different too!

Its probably one of the most individual experiences in this world.

[Pandme]

Oh, mine felt like menstrual cramps, but they did not stay the same all the way through. They got really intense. AFter my water broke they were a whole new level of intense. Yes, I would say painful. I ended up opting for an epidural.

BUT. THe biggest issue was NOT the pain. It was exhaustion. My labor lasted 35 hours, a double all-nighter and it was all my fault for not trying to rest when the contractions were manageable and 20 minutes apart.

Once you're doing it, believe me, you won't fear it. Just take it one at a time. And rest when you can!

[RMM1117]

For me, contractions went around from my back to the front and pain then escalated through my hips and thighs. It was very painful to me. I got very hot and sweaty even tho. it was cold outside (November) when DH and I were trying to walk around the neighborhood to progress things along.

As a doula I have come to realize it seems to be so diff. for every woman! It amazes me!

*And ditto to the exhaustian from it all! My labor with DS was so long and by the 17th hour of real active labor I could barely muster the strength.

[jeliphish]

DDC crashing..... hmmmm. It felt like nothing I have ever felt before and quite frankly scared me. It hurts...a lot but seriously after it's over you feel high...like an adrinalin rush but much better and calmer. I seriously could have gotten up and run a marathon...that's how wonderful it was after.
Just remember, especially with the first- once the contractions get so bad that you think you can't handle it, it doesn't get any worse. The hard part for me with the first was not knowing what my body was going to do next.

[Raene]

DDC bouncing...

My labor felt exactly like menstrual cramps. I've always had horrible ones, so this was nothing new. But I was shocked b/c no one *EVER* said to me that this is what it would feel like.

And then someone I work with had the same thing happen, but she had no idea either, so she just worked through her shift thinking she'd eaten something bad. She worked 7 hours while in labor, lol, standing on her feet in a deli.

So yeah...be aware it may feel like that.

[star*mora]

try not to worry. it's different for every woman.

i went from 0-10cm in about 4hrs with callum, and he was my first baby!
honestly, it didn't hurt at all - when the contractions were about 45s apart i just felt a breathless surge. so contractions were basically just a feeling of breathlessness for me. i laughed and joked and chatted and meditated the whole time (trying to make the most of a tough situation). that's without being able to move around.

i've had paper cuts that hurt more, and i've certainly had menstrual cramps that hurt a LOT more.

i never knew labour could be pain free, if only he could have been in a deliver-able position instead of being cut out of me...but no time and too risky for a preemie. but i feel great about the prospects of another pain-free labour.

you never know, you may have a pain free labour too!

[ZoraP]

Every woman and every labor is different, so it's kind of hard to generalize. Mine weren't much like menstrual cramps, they were just . . . labor! It felt like my uterus was clamping down to push the baby out, and I could also feel my cervix opening (not exactly painful, but noticeable). With my second baby transition came on really suddenly and it basically felt like I had to have a really big bowel movement -- not painful exactly, just really insistent.

Anyway, something that surprised me that you should prepare for is that you will lose your "civilized self." I was surprised that I really became my "animal self," not in a bad way, but I had to be less cerebral than usual and let my body do its thing naturally without trying to be in control. This was more of a surprise than the pain (which wasn't very bad for me) -- that you don't really "manage" the pain so much as go through the experience because your body is doing it. You will really admire your body for what it knows how to do.

[mrscompgeek]

Thanks ladies!
Im trying not to worry. I wouldnt say that I am worried persay, its more of a fear of the unknown, ya know. I have taken Bradley classes and read tons of books and our bradley instructor was VERY informative so I know what my body has to do and when it will do it so I know whats going on. I do have a birth pool I plan to use so that makes me feel much better. And my bradley instructor is also a Doula and she is coming to my birth too so that helps.
ZoraP- I had to laugh when I read yours about losing yourself and the "animal" coming out of you..lol. Our bradley instructor made sure we all knew that even if we are very modest normally to be prepared to lose it all in labor. And one of the other students when we were leaving the last class called out to the instructor (also her doula) "next time you see me Ill be naked". .

[firewoman]

Originally Posted by ZoraP

Anyway, something that surprised me that you should prepare for is that you will lose your "civilized self." I was surprised that I really became my "animal self," not in a bad way, but I had to be less cerebral than usual and let my body do its thing naturally without trying to be in control. This was more of a surprise than the pain (which wasn't very bad for me) -- that you don't really "manage" the pain so much as go through the experience because your body is doing it. You will really admire your body for what it knows how to do.

This is right on. If you try to stay cerebral and try to control your body, you will be working against it. Allow your body to take over and just surrender to it. Let the contractions flow through you or wash over you and don't fight them.

I'm excited to hear your birth story in a couple of months!

[Norasmomma]

Mine felt like menstrual cramps that got worse, little did I realize that I had been having contractions for weeks, I guess I thought they'd be worse or something.

I've said it before and I am saying it again, mine weren't bad until I started throwing up, puking and contracting just flippin hurts worse than anything I have ever experienced, but many women don't get sick. I just was pretty pukey that last few weeks of pregnancy(I'm really sensitive to hormonal fluctuations). OMG my hormones were SURGING, my DD had a baby period and had milk coming out of her breasts at birth, I mean there were some serious female hormones going on.

YK many people do lose much of their modest-I'm not the most modest person, but I'm not into being naked in front of everyone, and I can say for sure that any modest went out the window(except I didn't want people to see me puking in early labor). By the end and ultimately when it was decided that a c/s was imminent I just could care less about my whole bits and pieces hanging out. I remember that my mom covered me up because my whole family and my ILs all saw pretty much everything. I still don't care, that's just part of it.

[MerelyGod]

I haven't gotten menstrual cramps in ages, so I don't even remember what those felt like. I would say that my contractions definitely got worse throughout labor though (not just longer/closer together). My early contractions (which lasted over 24 hours) were very much like BH contractions. So much so, that I didn't think I was in labor. They were 15 minutes apart all night the night before DD was born, and were painful enough that each one woke me up. I found they were not too bad if I was up and moving around, but once I sat or laid down, they felt more intense.

I think I was in transition by the time we left for the hospital, and the car ride in was pretty painful, mostly because she had dropped and each bump put pressure on my pelvis (and then I had to have DH stop the car so I could vomit). Even once we got to the hospital, my contractions were not bad if I was up and moving. I had been in labor so long, the midwife thought it might help to break my water and once she did that the contractions started coming closer together and were much more intense. I am sensitive to dairy, and those contractions reminded me of the really bad diarrhea cramps I sometimes get after eating it, only worse. That part only lasted about an hour for me, maybe less, and while it was going on I laid on my side in the hospital bed and ignored everyone else. I don't know about the "pushing" contractions though. I always hear about people pushing and resting, but with both of my labors I had a "the baby is coming feeling" and pushed for about 6 minutes and they were out. I guess it was like one long contraction?

[Carlito's_wife]

Girl, lol, it is about 7-8 months too late to be worrying about what labor pains feel like.

Let me just tell you this, labor pains are different with everyone. But I think we would all agree, it is the worst pain we have ever felt in our lives. But just so you know, I really don't know anyone who wishes they never felt that pain. For most women it is beautiful and liberating. Do not not not take this as me saying it will be managable, but you know you will get through it and never have a fonder memory in your life. Until of course you get pregnant again. Just like there is no pain like the pain you will feel, there is no joy like the joy you will feel. And when I look back at all my labors the first thing I say to people about it is not "OMG that hurt so bad." it is more like "I will never forget the way my little angel looked the first time I layed eyes on him/her."

And let me tell you, both of my DS's I was induced, and the contractions had no break or let up in between. So I have felt pain. But I keep on doing it again any chance I get.

I am sure you will love your labor experience.

[kjs]

I asked the same question before my baby #1 was born, and noeone told me the truth. They did not want to "scare" me. All I heard were stories about how blissful labor was, about how it did not really hurt at all...
After 36 hours of back labor- absolutely no bliss at all, only lots of crying and fear and asking for drugs- I felt like maybe there was something wrong with me, that I had "failed" somehow. So while I would never want to scare a first time mother, I will say this: There may be times where you feel like you cannot bear another second: THAT IS NORMAL, AND USUALLY MEANS THAT IT IS ALMOST OVER! The amazing thing is that we DO make it through. For me it was like crawling through a long tunnel. I couldn't turn around, so I had to go forward. One contraction at a time, one breath at a time, one second at a time. At the end of the experience was the most blissful reward I could ever have imagined. My beautiful baby girl.
So we all have the strength to take whatever journey we need to go on to get to that final result. We are all amazing birthing goddesses!!!!
With amazing babies that we will finally get to meet!!!

[ldybg610]

I have to say that planning on going natural scares me. Everytime I tell someone that they just kinda laugh and say "oh ok". But seriously I'm more scared of having the needle put in my spine for an epi than for the ctxs. I've always had really bad cramps so if my ctx are anything like those I should be able to handle them. Plus I'm too stubborn to "fail" and get the epi. Really the only thing I'm worried about hurting is the episiodomy or possibly ripping. That to me seems like it would be painful, but I guess at that time the baby's already coming out so you can't really tell what pain is what.

[tayndrewsmama]

I have to say that for me, labor is not the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. Kidney stones and problems are much, much worse IMO. If you've ever had that you'll be fine. With my last pregnancy I didn't even realize I was in labor until it was too late to stop it and had ds 5 weeks early. Transition was really the only time that I freaked a little, but then he was out soon after anyway.

[mrscompgeek]

Originally Posted by Norasmomma

I've said it before and I am saying it again, mine weren't bad until I started throwing up, puking and contracting just flippin hurts worse than anything I have ever experienced, but many women don't get sick. I just was pretty pukey that last few weeks of pregnancy(I'm really sensitive to hormonal fluctuations). OMG my hormones were SURGING, my DD had a baby period and had milk coming out of her breasts at birth, I mean there were some serious female hormones going on.

Originally Posted by MerelyGod

I think I was in transition by the time we left for the hospital, and the car ride in was pretty painful, mostly because she had dropped and each bump put pressure on my pelvis (and then I had to have DH stop the car so I could vomit). Even once we got to the hospital, my contractions were not bad if I was up and moving. I had been in labor so long, the midwife thought it might help to break my water and once she did that the contractions started coming closer together and were much more intense. I am sensitive to dairy, and those contractions reminded me of the really bad diarrhea cramps I sometimes get after eating it, only worse.

Yeah, I have a phobia about puking. I hate it. Thats one of my fears is puking in labor. But thankfully I dont have to be in the car because Im staying home.

Originally Posted by Carlito's_wife

Girl, lol, it is about 7-8 months too late to be worrying about what labor pains feel like.

Lol Yeah I know. I just like to hear stories so I know Im not the lone "wimp" when I complain in labor.

Originally Posted by ldybg610

I have to say that planning on going natural scares me. Everytime I tell someone that they just kinda laugh and say "oh ok". But seriously I'm more scared of having the needle put in my spine for an epi than for the ctxs. I've always had really bad cramps so if my ctx are anything like those I should be able to handle them. Plus I'm too stubborn to "fail" and get the epi. Really the only thing I'm worried about hurting is the episiodomy or possibly ripping. That to me seems like it would be painful, but I guess at that time the baby's already coming out so you can't really tell what pain is what.

: The thought of tearing really scares me. If I would *know* it was just contractions then I would be ok I think but its the thought of tearing and the pain from that that makes me scared.

Originally Posted by tayndrewsmama

I have to say that for me, labor is not the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. Kidney stones and problems are much, much worse IMO. If you've ever had that you'll be fine. With my last pregnancy I didn't even realize I was in labor until it was too late to stop it and had ds 5 weeks early. Transition was really the only time that I freaked a little, but then he was out soon after anyway.

Never had kidney stones but I have had horrible menstrual cramps for YEARS and I also went through some time last year where I got horrible headaches that nobody could find the cause of. Nothing relieved them. Some so bad I threw up. Let me tell ya, feeling so bad and knowing the dr's cant find whats wrong has got to be the worst pain!! At least I know a baby is coming and thats whats causing the pain!