Have you experienced totally "out of it" labor?

[Synchro246]

With my second I got to a point where I was sort of falling asleep between contractions. It wasn't real sleep, but it was unconsiousness. I would sort of "wake" for contractions, but I was in no rational state of mind. I had no capabilities of real conversation in this time. I know that it was the natural pain killers hard at work. I allowed my body to "go" and "do labor". The only person in my home at the time was DH. My mom, my son, and my adult neice were at my home when labor started, but I don't remember when they left. I didn't interact with them to any degree. When I was waiting for the midwife to come (and after she came) "sleep" would wash over me between contractions. I wasn't really present during contractions either. I was in myself completely. FWIW, my labor started after a descent night's sleep. I was not tired.

Who else experienced out-of-it-ness during natural childbirth and how do you describe it?

[spedteacher30]

It happened to me. The nurses could tell each time my labor stalled because I would snap out of it and begin chatting and joking around...

[April422]

Once I hit about 6CM I check out of conversation and live in my head.

I get the whole concept of going back to the primal brain to birth, I check out in labor as well, but not to the point that I can't be asked a question because I find myself unable to answer it.

To me it's like a light switch with a dimmer. The light is on, but it's just about off, but when I need to consent or deny a procedure or intervention the dimmer comes up, I reply and the dimmer goes back to the light just barely being on.

[Belle]

The common name for it is Laborland. An altered state of reality. I noticed it both times. I was there, but not really. Its kind of like I was controlling my body by remote control. Sort of... Kind of hard to explain.

When people started asking me questions that required rational thought it hurt a lot. I really don't understand the destraction from contractions/focal point techniques. How can one focus inward if they have to worry about baby booties or some other irrelevant object.

[Jannah6]

I haven't experienced this for labor. I have experienced this for excruciating menstrual cramps. I once waited too long to take my pills, bad idea. I went from cold to hot to sweaty. I left work in a cab and told the driver to run the red lights and I'd pay his tickets. Well, there was a precinct on the way to my house and he saw some cops and asked for them to escort me home. All they knew was that I was sick, but they said that they weren't an ambulance
I remember just praying over and over for the pain to stop. At home, I'd fall asleep and then a big pain would just wake me up, I was soooo exhausted. I was soooo out of it. I think that my body went into some kind of shock.

I suffered from extreme cramps since I was 9. After the birth of my last DC via c-section I only get little twinges. Before I had my first DC I remember people telling me that labor was worse than your worse cramps. I didn't believe that that could be true. Oh, but I found out that it was sooooo true

[MamaSong]

Wherever I went between and during contractions in active labor/transition was complete darkness. Not in an evil way - I just remember it as being in a place of literal darkness. I was not consciously aware of anything at that point - I know I was falling asleep between contractions laying my head down on my chest or on the side of the birth pool. At some point my MW pointed out to me that I was squeezing my legs shut! OMG! I had no idea, but it was just a subconscious reaction to the pain I suppose. And, when I finally got the urge to push - the HARDEST part of my labor was coming back into reality from my far away dark place. My MW asked me to come back and look at dh in the eyes during each contraction. It was so difficult for me - I felt as if my soul was so far away and I had to drag it back into my body. My dh still laughs and asks me to "do the face" that I had when I was pushing. He says I looked like a wild animal - looking right through him, but definitely not at him. So, labor land for me, was not "la la" in any way - it was somewhere deep and dark and far away. Not scary, just far far away.

[kitkat5505]

When I hit transition I completely tuned out everyone except for my awesome nurse who was helping me breathe through contractions. I don't remember any breaks between cntrx but I don't know if I spaced out between or if I just had no breaks lol, I'd get a few normal breaths and then the next one was there. But I really don't remember anything else during that time, it's like I was in the spotlight and everyone around was just faded into darkness. I don't remember a doctor coming in to tell me to be quiet because I was scaring the teen in labor down the hall lol, good thing too or I'd have given her a piece of my mind. I don't remember them giving me a bag of IV fluids at some point though I was told they did. They could have done a whole song and dance routine around the bed and I wouldn't have noticed lol. I was completely focused in on myself and getting through each cntrx

[ishereal]

This is exactly what happened to me. I thought I was wierd. My mw told me that after a while she could not tell if I was having a contraction or not. I was feeling so many sensations that I couldn't tell you what was what. I totally gave in to the labor, I was fading in and out

[Beeblebrox]

Man I wish I could have experienced that! I was so overwhelmed by the intensity of my contractions (during transition which was about an hour) and I wasn't able to check out and I felt like a caged animal. I would sort of have this feeling about me like I needed to escape, but couldn't and I don't even know where I was looking to escape to (my mind maybe?).

[Shelsi]

yes but it was self induced using hypnobabies so I don't know if it counts. I don't know how far along I was when I started my hypnosis while leaning over my ball. I know I had just gotten off the phone with the mw to tell her I was in labor and it would be a long while yet and I had just called dh to tell him to come home for work. Then I just sort of went inside myself with the hypnosis. I felt the contractions but they didn't hurt at all. I had a vague knowledge when dh got home. I remember he knelt down next to me and asked me a question...I have no idea if I even had my eyes open...but I ignored him and then I remember the sound of him filling up the pool.

I have no recollection of getting up and going into the bathroom. I started to snap out of it while in there but that's because I was pushing.

However I thought for the longest time that I was already on hands and knees when dh came into the bathroom but I found out later that he helped me onto the floor. Until we figured out my misconception of the sequence of events, dh said he could never figure out why I asked him if he had enough room to get behind me...he already was behind me and had been

I labor and birth. Am I weird? I really enjoy laborland.

[Shelsi]

Oh and my mom tells me that when I started making very obvious pushing noises my dh started knocking on the bathroom door asking if he could come in. I was in labor land for sure and didn't hear him knocking at all. Finally my mom was worried I was going to have the baby all by myself (mw hadn't arrived yet) so she said, "Jon! For heaven's sakes! Just GO IN THERE! STOP ASKING HER!!" LMAO

[newmama8824]

IDK how far into labor I was but I had about 20 minutes where I was just out so inside myself. focusing. I was laying in the water and was having contractions and could feel them but it's not like I was even in my own body. I can't really explain it.

I always try to explain how inside myself I was. I guess you can't really understand unless you've been there.

[mwherbs]

yes in labor with all of my kids I reached a degree of altered state like you describe-- not being able to talk but I was able to think and be aware-- the best degree of altered was when I had our third baby(first home birth) I had flashes of the other births and my own birth and when she dropped down almost out I could see/feel it

and no I don't have much language to describe it
when women are in labor I am looking for levels of resolve where they can open to that- labor goes easier when it happens

[rightkindofme]

I couldn't talk in the middle of really hard contractions, but I was otherwise just fine for talking/participating in everything going on.

[Synchro246]

I love reading all of your descriptions! So many of them rang true for me, but I wouldn't have picked those words. Now I think I'd be more able to describe it.

It was dark for me too, and not in a bad way. I was just in a black hole inside myself and there was nothing until a contraction came again. Time meant nothing during those times. I had no idea how far apart contractions were. I was suprised when DH told me that there was only a minute between contractions. But also, in the moment of it I was suprised that another contraction would be coming already because I was only in darkess for a moment. Weird.

After reading all of these I remembered something too. Before I even got to "labor land" I needed DH to touch me during contractions. Just touch me. Just lay a hand on me. Otherwise I felt like I was falling and wobbling out of control. Just by having that tiny human touch I felt stable--like what the moon does to earth.

[Kappa]

I experienced exactly what you described. I "slept" in between contractions during my labor. We were in the car on the way to the hospital when I got to this intense point, I woke up for the contractions, and was knocked out in between. By the time we got to the hospital, I think I was in transition because I could walk, filled out some ridiculous form, and got into the L&D room just in time to push. I couldn't feel a thing, I experienced no pain until after the baby was born. I think the pain was more because my handlers were used to dealing with women who had epidurals and were a bit rough

[mama_ani]

For my 3rd child I was totally out of it for a lot of labour. I could hear people talking but I couldn't really tell what they were saying and couldn't talk - though I didn't want to talk so it was okay. I was just sort of "floating" mentally... after 4 hours I opened my eyes and said "My head feels foggy... oh! here comes the baby!"... one push and she was out!

[soso-lynn]

Same thing here. No thoughts (not even 'Am I in labour?'), no consciousness, just pure instincts. I was actually talking about that with a friend a while back. She was saying that she was always very mentally present and self-conscious the whole time. Turned out she was the same way during sex, not being able to 'let go' or whatever. I found that a very interesting connection.

[NatureMama3]

absolutely yes. with my 3rd son's labor I had that. I was kind of looking forward to it this last time, but no such luck. I was "out of it" in a whole other way (out of my mind with pain).

[paintedbison]

I'm the same way. I think everyone is. Your body just has to totally focus on the work of birth. Sigh. I love the feeling.