Spin Off From Fioner's Thread- How Would You Describe Labor Pain?

[Funny Face]

Of course when one is trying to use hypnosis or positive affirmations contractions can be described as 'hugs' or other less threatening terms, but how would you honestly describe what you felt? Where you felt it? Did it compare to anything else you've experienced?

Good and bad, lets hear it!

Hopefully this doesn't scare any first time mamas, but I know I liked hearing the truth my first time! I just love hearing how labor is different for each woman.

[pookel]

I felt like someone was sawing my spine in half. I had no pain anywhere else, it was all concentrated in my lower back. Once I was in the pushing stage it was beyond an "urge" to push; I had no choice. Even after we decided he was hopelessly stuck and I agreed to a C-section, I couldn't stop pushing. It was like dry heaves; it was awful.

[cappuccinosmom]

I don't remember what it felt like the first time, jsut that I was scared.

With my second labor, I'm pretty sure it hurt, sort of, but for some reason it didn't register as pain, at least not anything I could compare to. Very overwhelming sensations with each contraction but I really can't think of any other kind of pain to compare to. Labor is in it's own category for me. Actually, when I get badly hurt or bruised, I have a tendency to go into hysterical laughter and cry at the same time. I wasn't laughing or crying during labor. It was just different.

[Vespertina]

Even though I did the hypnobabies home study, I didn't use the hypnosis during labor. I was prepared to if it became painful, but it never did. They were perfectly manageable.

With my first they felt like mild-moderate menstrual cramps or aches in my lower back (baby wasn't OP.) And with my second, waves of pressure that started at my cervix and radiated to the top. Not painful.

My Norplant removal was worse. It wasn't excruciating, just very, very long and uncomfortable.

[lifescholar]

For me, it was like someone was tightening a huge belt around my middle.

My stomach ached, like a huge Charley Horse. My back, thighs, and hips also hurt. It was just a very tight, burning pain.

Honestly, though, it could have been much worse. I ended up with an epidural after 49 hours, only because I hadn't slept the whole time, and was still only 3 cm, and I was absolutely exhausted. Had I been 7 or 8 cm by then, I don't think I would have had the epidural.

[DoomaYula]

With my twin boys, it felt like increasingly painful menstrual cramps... I remember thinking, "wow this is starting to hurt," but I always thought it was bearable.

With my daughter, I had PROM, and when the ctx finally started, they were more painful than I'd experienced with my boys. They were more sharp stinging stabbing kind of pain in my tummy. She was posterior although I didn't have back labor.

[littleteapot]

I don't really remember with my first except that I can recall visualizing my uterus like a big egg (big end down) and that only the lower half was hurting, the upper half wasn't.

With my second it just felt like menstrual cramps mixed with gas pains. I went all the way to crowning not realizing it was really labour; it was very mild.

With my third they felt VERY different. I felt them very centralized in my cervix! It kind of felt like someone pinching my cervix, at first soft, and then VERY hard. Over time that pinching feeling (very uncomfortable) was coupled with the menstrual cramping.
It was totally bizarre, I've never felt that cervix-pinching feeling before. The first time I ever felt that sensation was about four days before real labour hit, I got about one hour of those cervix-pinching contractions and kept thinking I must be sitting on a nerve, or something.

[wannabe]

It felt like a giant had a side of my pelvis in each hand and was twisting, trying to break it. Excruciating doesn't begin to describe it. I spent each contraction dancing around trying to make it stop, screaming and biting my husband's shoulder. I couldn't even stand still for my doula to apply counter pressure, and the thought of sitting down in the bath was horrible to me. I cannot imagine what transition would have been like: I got drugs at 3 cm after four hours of real pain. I'd told myself that if I was 5cm I'd be happy, I thought I was probably in transition. TBH the thought of transition scares me stupid. how can a pain be worse than that? I just can't comprehend it. When I asked for the drugs my midwife said "I don't want you to be traumatised because you used drugs", and I said that I would be traumatised if I had to have 12 more hours of that pain. And it was true, I think I would have been. Hopefully next time I'm more mentally prepared to cope with it, now I know how truly horrific it is.

The quality of the pain was closest to sciatica or a dying tooth than any other pain I've felt. It was a real nerve type pain. I've had a broken bone and that was much duller and less intense, as was a bleeding ovary. I always said I'd be good in labour because I have two days of awful period pain every month Period pain doesn't feel *wrong* the way real contractions do. I was so naive, swallowing the line about how it's 'good' pain, and it's just hard work. I wish someone had told me that when it comes down to it you'll just have to survive through each contraction, and there's no way to not want to climb out of your body when each one hits.

[BetsyS]

Originally Posted by wannabe

It felt like a giant had a side of my pelvis in each hand and was twisting, trying to break it. Excruciating doesn't begin to describe it. I spent each contraction dancing around trying to make it stop, screaming and biting my husband's shoulder. I couldn't even stand still for my doula to apply counter pressure, and the thought of sitting down in the bath was horrible to me. I cannot imagine what transition would have been like: I got drugs at 3 cm after four hours of real pain. I'd told myself that if I was 5cm I'd be happy, I thought I was probably in transition. TBH the thought of transition scares me stupid. how can a pain be worse than that? I just can't comprehend it. When I asked for the drugs my midwife said "I don't want you to be traumatised because you used drugs", and I said that I would be traumatised if I had to have 12 more hours of that pain. And it was true, I think I would have been. Hopefully next time I'm more mentally prepared to cope with it, now I know how truly horrific it is.

The quality of the pain was closest to sciatica or a dying tooth than any other pain I've felt. It was a real nerve type pain. I've had a broken bone and that was much duller and less intense, as was a bleeding ovary. I always said I'd be good in labour because I have two days of awful period pain every month Period pain doesn't feel *wrong* the way real contractions do. I was so naive, swallowing the line about how it's 'good' pain, and it's just hard work. I wish someone had told me that when it comes down to it you'll just have to survive through each contraction, and there's no way to not want to climb out of your body when each one hits.

:

[chiro_kristin]

Contractions felt like super painful menstrual cramps, but unlike a pp, they did feel "right." Hurt like crazy, but I definitely felt it had purpose. I was in hard labor for 55 hours (not to minimize anyone else's experience, please don't take it that way), so I know what excruciating pain and exhaustion feel like. I had paralyzing spasms with every contraction into my buttocks and iliotibial bands of my thighs after 24 hours.

[~Heyokha~]

Originally Posted by wannabe

It felt like a giant had a side of my pelvis in each hand and was twisting, trying to break it. Excruciating doesn't begin to describe it. I spent each contraction dancing around trying to make it stop, screaming and biting my husband's shoulder. I couldn't even stand still for my doula to apply counter pressure, and the thought of sitting down in the bath was horrible to me. I cannot imagine what transition would have been like: I got drugs at 3 cm after four hours of real pain. I'd told myself that if I was 5cm I'd be happy, I thought I was probably in transition. TBH the thought of transition scares me stupid. how can a pain be worse than that? I just can't comprehend it. When I asked for the drugs my midwife said "I don't want you to be traumatised because you used drugs", and I said that I would be traumatised if I had to have 12 more hours of that pain. And it was true, I think I would have been. Hopefully next time I'm more mentally prepared to cope with it, now I know how truly horrific it is.

The quality of the pain was closest to sciatica or a dying tooth than any other pain I've felt. It was a real nerve type pain. I've had a broken bone and that was much duller and less intense, as was a bleeding ovary. I always said I'd be good in labour because I have two days of awful period pain every month Period pain doesn't feel *wrong* the way real contractions do. I was so naive, swallowing the line about how it's 'good' pain, and it's just hard work. I wish someone had told me that when it comes down to it you'll just have to survive through each contraction, and there's no way to not want to climb out of your body when each one hits.

What would you do different as far as coping techniques if you have a second child? Do you think anything would help? Just wondering, upcoming birth in April

[huskermommy]

Ok... Everyone get ready to think I'm absolutely nuts...

I LOVED my second labor. The whole time, I'm just like, "This is it???" It was about an 8 hour labor and super easy. Did the contractions hurt, yes, BUT then it would go away and all was good in labor land!!! I can not tell you how EASY it was. A lot of it is that I was at home and comfy and had no worries. A hosipital and a bunch of people around can really scare you without you even feeling it. It truly made a HUGE difference.

First labor I WANTED TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had pitocin... DO NOT GET PITOCIN IT IS MURDER IN A TUBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a four hour labor from HELL. Plain and simple. By the time I felt like I had to push, the nurses were telling me not to. However, I did . And I'm glad I did, because DD was coming whether anyone wanted her to or not!

You'll get through it!! It's an experience either way!

[cottonwood]

My contractions always felt like menstrual cramping, at first very mild and later intense. I didn't mind them at all, to be honest, welcomed and even enjoyed them. (And FWIW, I don't regard "contract" as a negative word.) What got me was the back pain -- as the baby descended and pressed on my sacrum. It felt as if I was being drawn-and-quartered. It was excruciating crazy-making pain. It wasn't dangerous to the baby or to me, but I know it wasn't normal. The pushing out of the baby didn't hurt except for the "ring of fire", but I wasn't doing the typical pushing the baby out before the body is truly ready, so that was brief. In fact aside from that I really loved the sensation of the baby being born.

[pookel]

Originally Posted by wannabe

Period pain doesn't feel *wrong* the way real contractions do. I was so naive, swallowing the line about how it's 'good' pain, and it's just hard work. I wish someone had told me that when it comes down to it you'll just have to survive through each contraction, and there's no way to not want to climb out of your body when each one hits.

:

My C-section recovery sucked, but my most traumatic memories are of the labor that preceded it. The C-section itself was relatively pleasant. I remember lying there with a smile on my face, thinking "wow ... the pain is gone."

[stacyann21]

Honestly, labor wasn't as bad as I thought it would be until about 7-8 cm. Then it was just as bad as I thought it would be! I stayed home until I was 7-8cm and I never would have guessed I was that far along. Prior to arriving at the birth center and getting in the tub contractions felt like strong, relentless menstrual cramps coupled with a lower back ache, that came on slowly and faded away slowly. Once I got in the tub labor really picked up and the contractions felt the same but much more painful. They came one right after another and lasted much longer. When my water broke at 10 cm I felt intense, excruciating pressure on my cervix. Almost immediately my body began to push, it felt exactly the same as having a big, hard bm. Pushing wasn't painful but it was VERY hard work. I felt the "ring of fire" for maybe a minute...it's overestimated imo. When I was actually pushing his head out was quite painful but it was over quickly and I barely felt the rest of him slide out. AFterwards it felt raw and burning down there, I later found out I had a bad tear. HTH

[artemis80]

I had two separate sensations, one (I think) caused by "normal" labor and the other caused by the fact that ds was posterior. The "normal" pain was something like menstrual cramps; in the same area, but more painful and with a lot of pressure. That was pretty intense, but I could handle it. The other sensation, which I am telling myself is because he was posterior so I won't worry about it happening again was like a hot poker jammed up my butt and twisted. It was so horrible, words can't even describe. I wanted to die. Fortunately, even with the difficulty of his positioning, my entire labor lasted only 11 hours.

[Mrs_Hos]

DC#1: Back labor--forced to labor FLAT on my back...felt out of control and after drugs wore off it was excruciating...my body hadn't built up the endorphins so I was in bad shape since they couldn't give me more meds cuz I was 9cm...

DC#2: Homebirth in water...felt each contrax, felt like a belt very low around my hips being tightened...not plesant but very 'work-thru-able'...pushing and transition contrax felt good.

Incidently, my water broke at the start of labor both times...felt back labor both times, and both were relatively short (4hrs labor, 3 hrs pushing for DC#1, 5hrs labor, 45min pushing for DC#2).

[Queen of my Castle]

I don't describe my labour or contractions as 'pain'. They started out as wave-like menstrual cramps, and increased in intensity, uncomfortableness and frequency. They of course stayed wave like- and were burning, aching, sore tightening that gripped my whole middle, my lower abdomen and lower back especially. I wish there was another word other than 'pain' or 'not pain', I wish there was a term that described extreme discomfort without being acute pain, or hurting. I remember the point when they changed from being 'painless' to 'uncomfortable', and I laughed and said, 'these are starting to hurt', and then I got busy seriously working with them. My labour was 3.5 hours, from the first contraction, but mind you that meant for the majority of the labour they were literally on top of each other. When I got to the point of potentially recognising them as 'pain' I had to stop moving, lay down and instead of trying to escape them, focus through them, concentrating on my body and each contraction as it built, peaked and subsided. Anytime I was asked to move, or had to get up, the tension would creep into my body and it would register as pain, but when I lay there I had totally relaxed my body, and that was the only reason I stayed in control and was able to describe it as 'not pain'. i used visualization and relaxation and concentration; the only book I read before birth was Dr. Grantly Dick Read's 'Childbirth Without Fear', and I believed his theories and I believed that's the only reason I had a 'great' labour. And the pushing part was totally involuntary at first, until it came to actual hard pushing him out. Like throwing up, my body had to do it.
I think that if my labour was longer, and I had tried to use other methods or 'pain management' it would have been much worse. I'm looking forward to my next labour- in April!
A

[witchbaby]

Originally Posted by wannabe

It felt like a giant had a side of my pelvis in each hand and was twisting, trying to break it. Excruciating doesn't begin to describe it. I spent each contraction dancing around trying to make it stop, screaming and biting my husband's shoulder. I couldn't even stand still for my doula to apply counter pressure, and the thought of sitting down in the bath was horrible to me. I cannot imagine what transition would have been like: I got drugs at 3 cm after four hours of real pain. I'd told myself that if I was 5cm I'd be happy, I thought I was probably in transition. TBH the thought of transition scares me stupid. how can a pain be worse than that? I just can't comprehend it. When I asked for the drugs my midwife said "I don't want you to be traumatised because you used drugs", and I said that I would be traumatised if I had to have 12 more hours of that pain. And it was true, I think I would have been. Hopefully next time I'm more mentally prepared to cope with it, now I know how truly horrific it is.

The quality of the pain was closest to sciatica or a dying tooth than any other pain I've felt. It was a real nerve type pain. I've had a broken bone and that was much duller and less intense, as was a bleeding ovary. I always said I'd be good in labour because I have two days of awful period pain every month Period pain doesn't feel *wrong* the way real contractions do. I was so naive, swallowing the line about how it's 'good' pain, and it's just hard work. I wish someone had told me that when it comes down to it you'll just have to survive through each contraction, and there's no way to not want to climb out of your body when each one hits.

yes, quite. i was ready to perform my own hysterectomy with my bare hands if it would stop the pain.

[hapersmion]

My labor was pretty bearable compared to some of the people on here. I'd been having some kind of contractions since I was 2 months pregnant, and for the first 9 hours after my water broke the contractions felt pretty much the same, just a big squeeze over my whole belly, like muscles tightening. During the second 9 hours they started to hurt, mostly like strong menstrual cramps. I had back labor because ds was breech, so my lower back would hurt very low down. It felt better when someone applied pressure, but I couldn't seem to get the words out to tell my dh to do it with each contraction. Towards the time of transition I had weird tired-muscle pains radiating down the outsides of my legs, which just confused me completely, because I couldn't figure out why that would be happening. *shrug* Labor was harder than I had expected it to be, but bearable - I was more bothered by being tired and wanting to lie down than I was by the pain. (I couldn't lie down, because every time I tried it during a contraction I'd throw up.) The contractions kept feeling just the same through the whole pushing stage - they didn't start feeling better like they do for some people. But I never felt the "ring of fire" that people talk about, either. Just a little bit of tightness at the back of my perineum, and a minor scraping feeling when his head came out and I tore a little.

So, it's very hard work, but it's not always excruciating unbearable pain, I guess it just depends on your own situation. I kept thinking it was no worse than I've felt during a bout with stomach flu, just the stomach flu didn't last as long.

hapersmion