"Thought I was dying" question - Page 2

[Redifer]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

If I had pain as intense as labor pain at another time, when I didn't know there was a perfectly natural reason for the pain, I might think I was dying.

This.

I had a rather intense, FAST labor... I didn't think I was dying, or wanted to. And luckily, I just just as intense an adrenaline rush after (I was screaming how awesome I was at the top of my lungs).

But I didn't feel like I was dying. It actually felt more like I was incredibly constipated and was pooping a big one... that more adequately describes it. Like I was constipated for a month and then it all came and hit me at once.

Ok, that was totally TMI.

[danotoyou2]

Thanks for all the perspectives. Hearing some of you describe that pain makes me weak in the knees! I can't imagine going through those painful labors.

I can only hope that my next goes as well as my last. Because hearing what you guys said makes me want to never open my legs again.

[Kirsten]

I've had three natural births - and never thought I was dying, or described it as such.

DD1 was 20 hours with a midwife in a hospital.
DD2 was 9.5 hours with a midwife in a freestanding birth center.
DD3 was 14 hours with two midwives at home. 11 days late.

We used Bradley natural childbirth techniques for all three births. Totally fine, and I cry at a paper cut. No one thought I could have natural births. It was MUCH easier than I expected it to be - after listening to the horror stories.

Physically I consider myself to be a big wuss, but almost 44 hours of labor and birth and I never cried, swore, or said I couldn't do it. I did move around a lot. I did moan and make some really primal noises. After dd1 was born - right after - I said "I could do that again!"

[dogmom327]

Actually I never worried for myself or DS while I was in labor. Thinking back that does strike me as a bit odd since it was the most pain I've ever been in (the pushing and crowning part, not the labor itself) and yet, I never thought I was going to die or wished I was going to die. As a PP said, I knew I was in labor.

[prettymom]

I said several times in labor that I was dying. I wasn't actually fearing for my life, just describing the pain. Also, I knew that once I said it I would be near the end (you know, like all the women in the birth videos) so I kept saying it hoping it would speed up the process. Turns out I lived.

[wannabe]

The first time I was terrified that something was profoundly wrong, the pain was so awful. I'd read all this junk about how it was 'good pain', and it was bad bad bad agony.

The second time I knew I'd lived through it last time so I was less scared by it. Still would have wanted to die if it'd been much longer than it was.

[pookel]

No, but I sure WANTED to die. It was very very bad, there are really no words.

[momtoafireteam]

I never thought I was dying in labor, even in pitocin induced transition.

I did think I was going to die with m/s though. Seriously. With DS1 I was throwing up so much all I did was lift my head off the bathroom floor and threw up again. Til I got on obviously needed medication, I was sure I would die on the bathroom floor and my DH would find me when he got home from work.

Oh, and I was also worried about dying on the c/s table for my second c/s. I asked anyone who would listen how many people they had seen die during a c/s. I really should have listened to why my body was rejecting it so much....

[sapientia]

Three out of my 4 natural births were totally manageable and great-never thought I was dying-totally great experiences, very fulfilling.
However, my second birth was hell. She was a malpresentation and I had back labor-stayed stuck at transition for over 8 hours-back to back contractions that would not stop, (this was after all day labor) could not get on top of the pain at all, and little to no support. (the midwife convinced dh that he needed rest and I'd be fine, she'd watch me-nope-she took a nap too, left me on the floor convinced labor would never end and that something was wrong.) I didn't really think I was dying-but I saw that something could go wrong very quickly and I was terrified. She was finally born and I promptly had a pph because of massive clots that wouldn't allow the cervix to close. Scary stuff. That's when I didn't CARE if I just went to sleep-the exhaustion was overwhelming.
But I really don't feel that this is in any way indicative of a well managed birth and looking back (being more educated) I do see where my labor was intensely mismanaged in many ways.
My other births were gentle and wonderful.

[thismama]

Originally Posted by Redifer

(I was screaming how awesome I was at the top of my lungs).

This totally made me smile!

[luckymamato2]

I posted that I thought I was dying while in early labor on another bb. In later labor/pushing I realized that it probably wasn't the worst pain possible. I would think a severely broken bone would be worse.

eta: It was my first birth, but I was prepared to experience the pain. It was intense though! I survived w/out meds.

[luckymamato2]

Originally Posted by prettymom

I said several times in labor that I was dying. I wasn't actually fearing for my life, just describing the pain. Also, I knew that once I said it I would be near the end (you know, like all the women in the birth videos) so I kept saying it hoping it would speed up the process. Turns out I lived.

I agree with this statement.

[starshine1001]

No, I never thought or felt like I was dying...I WAS a bit concerned with my most recent labor, though. I was a week "overdue", he was over 10 lbs, and I was stuck at 9 cm for about 5 hours. That's a bit distressing, but I dealt with the pain O.K. And one point, I just looked at my midwife with a look of dispair, and it was like she read my mind. Without me saying a word, she knew my "look" wasn't due to pain, and said "We won't have to go to the hospital...don't worry!" And she was right!

[Celticqueen]

I totally thought I was dying with #1.

Pitocin. I blame pitocin.

This next time around, there will be no pitocin. Mark my words.

-Caitrin

[Sepia]

Originally Posted by thismama

I get the 'felt like I was dying' stuff for sure. For me I worried about whether the intense level of pain I was experiencing, pain I couldn't have imagined before giving birth, was normal or if something was wrong. I remember asking the midwife incredulously, "Is this really how it's supposed to be?"

I had a very similar experience when i was having my first child. It hurt way more than i thought it could, and I was sure something had to be really really wrong. I asked my midwife and she said it was normal. That made all the difference to me, and i went on and had my ds a few hours later.

I didn't have anywhere near that amount of fear or pain with my second and third births.

[Romana]

I have felt pain so bad I became irrational and thought I was dying. It was menstrual cramps due to endometriosis, though - not NCB.

NCB felt more horrible, but it wasn't as pure-pain intensive and I knew we were both fine the whole time. I did not think I was dying during childbirth. I did hate it, though (the level of pain, duration, and physical sensations of transition and pushing).

[hapersmion]

I never felt that way. Labor did hurt, but not that bad. I've felt worse - leg cramps, stomach bugs, migraines; all were worse than labor for me. (And I had an 18-hour labor with what seemed like five hours of transition, it took 3.5-4 hours to push my breech baby out - but no one interfered with me or gave me evil meds like Pitocin, so things were calm and peaceful the whole time. It was the best thing I've ever done.)

I think it's different for everyone, as we can see by this thread.

[artgoddess]

Originally Posted by the_lissa

I didn't think iI was dying actually, but part of me wished I was.

This was me with my first. It was really rough and I reached a point where I didn't care if I died, I just wanted the pain to stop. It wasn't as bad with my second.

[Seie]

No I didint think I was dieing but I did think that the pain was so bad that it really wouldnt matter if they just cut me up and removed the baby. Only my first labor involved that kind of pain - pain that was to me unbelievable. I never knew it was possible to be in that much pain and be conscious. To this day I am still not sure if a section without analgetics could be more painful than those last hours of my first labor.
I have had two babies since - one a homebirth and one a long labor with a malpositioned (military) baby ending in transfer and section, but niether of them involved that kind of torment..

[newmama8824]

Originally Posted by danotoyou2

Thanks for all the perspectives. Hearing some of you describe that pain makes me weak in the knees! I can't imagine going through those painful labors.

I can only hope that my next goes as well as my last. Because hearing what you guys said makes me want to never open my legs again.

Yeah, if I would have read this before I had DS I would have stopped at the first post that said it was painful, but in hindsight, yeah it hurt reallllllly bad but it was awesome, as weird as that sounds...

you don't feel the pain forever, but you always remember the experience. I wouldn't trade my birth or the pain for anything in the world. All part of the process and I was thankful to be an active part of it.