Effacement/Dilation w/OUT painful contractions??

[mom2angelbabies]

Did ANY of you efface/dilate without having noticably painful contractions?? The reason I ask is that I just found out that lots of the women in my family DID have it that way! At my shower, I was asked if I had had many contractions yet, and I said "no, just occasional BH," and they all said, "oohh...that was ALL I ever experienced!" (meaning that they never got more painful than a simple BH- basically, sometimes they didn't even notice they were having contractions) What?? I mean, I know they all had really quick, easy, natural births, but I never would've thought they'd get away without bad contractions to efface/dilate the cervix in the first place!

[3daughters]

My doula friend told me she never believed in painless birth until she attended one. The woman just started feeling the contractions at 9 cm and they weren't even strong.

I'm jealous if this is the kind of births you have in your future!

[Peony]

I walked around for weeks at 4cm and 90% effaced and never felt a contraction. I still spent 19 hours in labor so I was glad for the "free" 4 cm I got without feeling anything. :lol

[burke-a-bee]

I found out I was 5cm on my due date with my last birth and hadn't felt a single thing. I continued at 5cm for about a week before I took castor oil. Once that kicked in, the contractions started and I had my baby within 35 minutes. Up until then all I experienced were BH and nothing painful.

[an_evans]

I did until 8 cm when my water broke. I didn't know I was in labor and went in for my 39 week appointment and I was 6cm. Midwife came home with me and I seriously thought everyone was going to go home eventually when my water broke and I finally believed I was in labor.

Even then the only pain I experienced was crowning.....the rest was intense but nothing like my two previous inductions.

[Squeakyneedle]

I feel BH contractions before I even feel life. The never *hurt*, they feel like any other muscle in my body flexing. I am 2 days from my due date and dilated to 4, stretchy to 5 (I had a sweep this morning...I think things are picking up) and 50% effaced. It can happen. Especially in someone who has had a baby before...that cervix can dilate a lot easier and with less effort...at least the first few centimeters. Like a previous poster said...be grateful for the pain-free freebies when active labor hits! I'm not a big fan of internal checks, but I wanted one at my 38 week appointment because I wanted to know how far out of the gate I was when it was really time. If I was still closed, I'd feel safer laboring at home longer. If I was already dilating (yipee!) then I know not to hang out too long and risk making a rushed trip to the birth center. Looks like we'll be heading out when I know it's real!

[OakEmber]

Yes! Both my labours were not painful, all I felt were strong, intense contractions...no pain. It's definately possible, my births were by no means easy either, with my daughter I pushed for 4 hrs (I think it was only because I wasn't in pain or complaining that they let me push that long because it seems most hospitals won't) she came out with her hand over her shoulder holding onto the cord. My son's shoulder got stuck and he came out ear first. Some woman really do not feel pain during labour, although I am not sure why...could be genetic, my aunt says hers weren't painful and my sisters weren't until the end.

[mamato3cherubs]

I did not experience this ( too bad, huh) but I have a good friend who did. She had quite a bit of preterm labor, but none of it was painful, just what she distribed as mild cramping, and all of it stoped. When she did go into labor she only had 2 1/2 hours total with the first, she said it never even hurt that bad til the delivery part, and a total of about 45 min. with her second one.

it is possible for some women to dilate without noticable contractions, just from the preasure of babies head on the cervix. Gravity helps do the work :love

heres to wishing you a quick, painless, dilation and delivery!! :champagne :broc: :champagne

[sweetpeasmom]

Yup. I went to 10 cm without one contraction. I did have some minor ones in the beginning, although i barely felt them but they did pick up on the monitor. I was actually on the monitor when they checked me and told me i was at 10 cm and i was like huh? I only felt about 15 mins of contractions afterwords while pushing her out. My first I went to 7 cm without any contractions either, the nurse told me that I was just too comfortable, yeah whatever lady :lol Of course I have most likely have an IC, so that may play a part.

[orangefoot]

Yes. I was 2-3 cm with my first at 38 weeks and was told to lie down for the next 2 weeks to keep him in! All I had felt was tightenings, not pain.

I'm not sure about no2 but I got to hospital and they didn't think I was in labour and by the time they checked he was crowning. That was not an awful long time of pain so I think I had done a lot of work beforehand.

No3 I was 3 cm for ages but she wasn't in position and that led to a loooong miserable story.

[hipem]

I totally believe in pain-free birth or at least dilation...I've been to a couple as a doula and hope for one for me in the future (both my babes were in bad positions - my daughter'es ear was presenting and came out with her fist next to her cheek and my son was born sunny-side-up...ouch! I have since been through a number of therapies that I hope will help with how babies fit through my pelvis).

One first time mom called and said she hadn't really felt anything but had some show and was feeling a little pressure. I told her I'd meet her at the hospital - she was 10 when they arrived (though pushing was some work). And a friend walked around dilated to 4 for four weeks and once contractions started the whole thing was over in 3 hours.

I'm also always inspired reading Jeanine Pavarti's pain-free birth stories.

[peilover010202]

I had zero pain until I was at a 10, then those contractions were *very* painful thanks to Pit. But, pushing felt so good :)

I walked, talked, showered, and hung out on my birth ball through the entire time. Though, labored progressed *very* slowly for me. So, I was given pit and it still took 7 hours. But, I was on a timeline because my water broke before I started having contractions.

I do remember the nurses telling me my contractions weren't doing anything unless they were painful. Whatever, I walked around for over a week at 3cm - thinking I had some mild BH ctx. Not painful, but sometimes I knew they were happening.

GL!

[Nature]

Yup. All my births are almost painfree and pretty much contractionless until close to 7-8 cm's. Thats when they start getting painful. The nurses at the hospital always look at me like I'm insane when I say I'm not in any pain yet. :lol I reguarly walk around at anywhere from 1-6 cm's without even knowing it.

[Red Sonja]

I didn't feel anything at all (though I could tell my stomach was tightening during contractions) until 8+ cm. DS was posterior for 7 hours of my 9 hour labor, I didn't feel a thing the whole time he was posterior. It wasn't until the last 1-1.5 hours that things got intense. I'm hoping for a repeat performance in July! :)

[lilsishomemade]

with my first, my water broke at 2:30 pm. I had felt a "tightening" about fifteen minutes before that, but it didn't hurt. I had been dilated at a 3 for several weeks before that, never even feeling a BH. After my water broke, I still didn't have any ctx, until they started pit at 7:30, which kicked in at 8:30. As soon as those darn painful pit ctx's started, I was pushing. No one really checked me much before pit, though, so I don't know how far dilated I was. I bet if I hadn't had the pit, labor wouldn't have been too bad for me....

[Susannah M]

My mw does not measure dilation, etc, so I don't know how effaced or dilated I was, but cx started 6 hours before DS was born, and were not "painful" except for about an hour or so. More than "pain" it was fear of "is this normal", "what should I do", etc. etc.
-Susannah

[danav]

With my second and third pregnancies, I dilated several cms and effaced early without any painful contractions - I had frequent BHs, but they were only a tightening feeling, not painful. Now, my pelvis was sore and my pelvic floor hurt some in the last weeks, but the contractions did not. With Noah I was 3-4 cm and I think 70% or so effaced for 2-3 weeks before he was born, and I was having only painless BH that whole time. With Ian it was similar - the only time the BHs were painful was when my bladder was full and being squished during the contraction, LOL! As soon as I would go to the bathroom, the next contractions would be painless again.

This last labor was also not nearly as painful or intense as the first two. I was at 3 cm/60% effaced on Wednesday. Friday evening I started having regular contractions that began painless and gradually became crampy. At 1:15 am Saturday I had my monitrice check me (still not totally sure it was real labor) and I was 5 cm and 80% effaced. We spent the next 1 1/2 hrs in the car driving to the birth center, and although the contractions were painful, they were not very intense - I was able to handle them very well by myself in the back of our vehicle, and was singing through them. When we arrived I was 9 cm!! The contractions did not get intense or painful enough for me to really need help through them until after that point, when I was nearly ready to push.

So short answer...YES, it is entirely possible to dilate and efface without having painful contractions. It is entirely possible to get through a good portion of real labor without significant pain. And if many women in your family have experienced this, there is a good chance that you will as well. My mom, sister and aunt (17 babies between them) all tended to have fast, early births, often beginning to dilate and efface in the weeks before birth, and my three births have followed that pattern as well.

[mom2angelbabies]

Thanks so much for all your stories!! I guess I can vouch for this, now!! I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow but am completely effaced and within the past 3 days have dilated from a tight, closed ZERO to a good 2 as of this morning. Yet I've YET to experience a "real" contraction. I've had the occasional, few BH's, but that's it...

[hunnybumm]

I have a friend who had a painless labor. She was 'in labor' for about 12 hours, she felt no pain, when she had a contraction she said it felt like the baby was stetching. She ended up with a c-section because her daughter wasn't come out (she was 10 cm, but flat on her back, 3 hours of pushing). Inbetween her pushing contractions she was offering food and drinks to her nurses, doctor and husband. She only had one daughter and didn't want any more kids.

[veganf]

The second time I assume that happened to me. The first sign of labor was that my water broke and I immediately had intense back to back contractions that made me want to push. So I assume that I had effaced and dilated almost fully before that and never knew it. It was a fast birth, but certainly not painless. However, I've never had a vaginal exam during pregnancy or birth, so I couldn't tell you for sure.

- Krista
mother to Ryan (3, self-weaned in Nov.), A.J. (2, still nursing), both born at home, and babe #3 (due Aug. '06)!

[Black Orchid]

Women who use HypnoBirthing techniques often dialate without feeling pain. Its a very effective method because your body is relaxed and your uterine muscles are able to work without fighting your body for resources. I plan to use it with this baby and am looking forward to pain-free transition!

[minkajane]

15 minutes after my water broke, I was at 5cm. Turns out those progressively uncomfortable backaches I'd been having over the last couple of weeks were really contractions. The night before, I had a bad backache, but no pain while in the tub, and pain relief with heat/massage/counterpressure and sidelying.

I don't know how much I dilated before DS was born - he was a C/S within 2 hours of water breaking for breech presentation.

[PancakeGoddess]

My MIL had two painless births. Mine are not painless to the end, but I do think I must have opened nearly halfway in the last weeks of my pregnancy, and those were all painless. I just guess that because I was 6cm when I'd barely started having painful contractions. But that was my 3rd birth. The first two were painful earlier.

[Kirsten]

Absolutely you can! I did. Went longer with each birth. Dd3's birth was the most pronounced in this regard. I thought I "might" be in labor - a little this and that that made me think so - so called the midwife as we were planning a homebirth and I just wanted to give her a heads up as we live 40 minutes from her and she has kids to transport to her childcare plans.

So it turns out one of our two midwives actually is in our town for another homebirth so will stop by after that to check me. She comes a few hours later, talks to me, tells me I'm not really that far into labor as I am not stopping conversation or doing anything at all noticeable to deal with contractions. But since the midwives are not going to be nearby, and it is my third child, she asks if I want her to check me. I agree to it and the look on her face is priceless. She says "you are an 8..." I hadn't really had any contractions to speak of at that point. Dd3 was the only of my kids to be born posterior though so maybe that plays into it? I would NOT suggest that though - bad, bad idea...

I think MANY women can dilate a bit (1, 2, even 3) without having painful contractions - I think that is fairly common. Much less common would be getting to between a 5 and a 10 without them. But it is definitely possible.

One thing - I wouldn't assume that just because other women in your family gave birth a certain way that you will. I was SO sure that I'd have quick labors because my mom did (really quick, like barely make it to the hospital and left the moment you had an inkling) but dd1's birth was almost 20 hours. I actually think slow and easy is better than quick and hard but to each her own. We don't get to pick anyway.

[Brinda]

I had lots of pre-term contractions that were not painful. In fact, when delivering my second daughter, I only had like 2-3 contractions showing on the monitor, and they weren't painful at all. I did puzzle books, watched tv, etc. They were going to send me home because I wasn't in pain enough and not having enough contractions. Upon checking me, my cervix was changing! So, I stayed overnight and delivered around 9am with only 2 painful contractions only during transition.

[babysx9]

I don't really feel them until 9 or so. I had this annoying nurse once who kept coming in and asking me if I was feeling them. I think for me it had more to do with my state of relaxation rather than lack of pain.

[3ncountin]

With my last baby I walked around at 4-5cm and 90% effaced fir the last two months .My three hour labor was painless until the last 40 min. but as for the birth itself I dont think that part of labor is painful at all .Pain free birth is a beautiful thing!

[Karry]

With all three of my pregnancies I had tons of BH contx that caused my cervix to dilate and efface. I really don't start to have painful contrx until I'm in more active labor like 5-6 cm. I also go pretty fast too. My first labor was three hours plus and hour and a half of pushing. My last two labors were shorter. With my last one, I went from 4 cm to him being born within 2 hours.