Mothering Forum banner

"ring of fire question"

3K views 55 replies 50 participants last post by  monocyte 
#1 ·
I've not given birth vaginally and this question just came to mind (better ask now or I might forget!)
Does it hurt when the head is in the vagina or does it not hurt until its crowning?

Basically is the stretching pain from the moment it passes the cervix?

ETA:
Well, since I now have had a baby vaginally thought I might come back and answer my own question.

To me it was painful as his head was moving down through my pelvis. It felt like the bones were grinding or something. Part of the reason I didn't push, it seemed more painful when I pushed, so I just let my uterus do the work.

I didn't really have a ring of fire. It really only hurt on my left labia and in the front even though I was upright. I tried leaning back to take pressure off the front because I really didn't want to tear there.
 
#27 ·
I was TERRIFIED of crowning when I was pregnant. I just thought my yoni was too small to push a baby thru, and it would hurt like hell.

But it didn't hurt at all for me.

I tore, 3 stitches outside and dunno how many inside, but my yoni was stretched so much it felt numb. I felt the ripping, but no pain.

I agree that it felt like taking a big crap. I was overwhelmed by the concept of vaginal delivery, so I just pretended I was going to the bathroom. My midwife and doula were saying, "oh there you go, you're pushing your baby down" and I was like "shut up! I'm just having a big
."
 
#28 ·
I had a VBAC with an epidural and they turned it down so I could feel to push. I don't remember feeling anything when she crowned. It was probably due to the epidural, but I could feel to push so I wondered about that. I think I was so shocked that I was actually pushing and concentrating so hard on getting her out (they helped me with a vac extractor cuz her heart rate was low and they wanted to get her out fast) that I'm not sure I would have felt what the epi was letting through. I do remember feeling enormous relief after she came out and just fell back on the bed, crying happy tears. What a moment that is when your precious child has just entered the world
 
#29 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by pamamidwife
I honestly believe that the "ring of fire" is your body's way of slowing your pushing down - or stopping it altogether for just a while. This allows the skin to stretch all around the baby's head, then ease out.

Watching a woman birth undirected, she will often gasp when this sensation occurs - and not push. Then, with the next contraction, it's almost like she'll be hesitant to really push, so her body will push the baby out slowly.

This is not always the case, for sure, but I think it's designed perfectly for a reason.
Wow this describes my 2nd DD's birth perfectly! No tearing either!

with my first DD, I never felt the "ring of fire" - lots of pressure as she was moving down the birth canal but very little pain and no pain when I pushed her out, really it didn't hurt at all. I tore a little that time though!
 
#32 ·
Never had the 'ring of fire'. I had an episiotomy (
) with my son, so I guess that's why I didn't feel it. With my daughter her head was born under water so I guess that helped .. I did feel like I was kind of 'splitting in two' down there when her head crowned but no 'burning sensation'.
 
#33 ·
Quote:
i felt like my kids heads were emerging from my butt!
:

As soon as his head was in the birth canal I felt like my butt was going to explode- in fact I was too afraid of this happening to push! DH had to put counterpressure on my butt so that I could push without feeling like my butt was spliting in two!
:

I didn't feel the "ring of fire" at all- just a stinging sensation as his head started to emerge- I didn't tear.
 
#34 ·
I didn't feel the "ring of fire" at all. I could feel myself opening and stretching. It felt good, not orgasmic, more like a satisfying poo. I hate comparing giving birth to my beautiful baby to going to the bathroom, but I agree that it felt similar. I had an amazing feeling of fullness in my pelvis/vagina, but I never felt I would "split open" or the like. I wasn't pushing during crowning; I just instinctively breathed and dd moved slowly down and out. I didn't tear.
 
#35 ·
I felt the ring of fire each time, four times.

The thing is, I did not mind with babies one, two and four since the posterior pain was so bad that any other pain did not hurt as bad.

With baby three, I was not in pain at all, and when I felt the ring of fire, it surprised me, and I flinched a bit only because I did not feel discomfort at all until then...

All of my babies were born at home.
 
#36 ·
I felt a tiny bit of burning with my first two births (when the head was on the perineum). Not much at all, really. My last birth, however, it was a RING OF FIRE. Literally, felt like it was on fire. However, I gave birth to a big 11 lb boy, and no tears, so it feels like a small sacrifice.
 
#37 ·
I didn't feel pain from the moment my babes passed the cervix but I definitely felt it before crowning. In both cases once they hit my perineum it burned. There was a peak to that burning when they crowning but it was burning well before then. Wow that smarts! And I did feel like I was going to split open with my last birth it was really hard to just let go and trust that it would be ok. That stretching and burning was not momentary though. I pushed for 25 minutes and she was on my perineum after the first couple of pushes. As someone else mentioned though until crowning the burning was only during pushes and was gone during breaks even after she crowned it still eased up during breaks in contrax.
 
#38 ·
I have to say I do understand the term "burning ring of fire" --however it always reminds me of that Johnny Cash song when I talk about it--I'm singing it right now in fact :LOL . The ring of fire was really intense for me when DS was crowning--I also had a 1 1/2 degree tear, so maybe that was part of the sensation for me as well.
 
#39 ·
I definitely felt the ring of fire, and it was very painful. My midwife was excitedly telling me that the head was visible--they could see about an egg-sized amount of it. I think that was th hardest moment of my labor/birth. I was so worried that if I felt so much stretching/burnng with just a small part of the head coming out, what would it be like with the whole circumference?! The thing I wish I knew at the time was that it didn't hurt any more--the burning continued, but I sort-of got used to it and it didn't get worse. Knowing that would have put me at ease. I did have a teeny-tiny, maybe 1st-degree, healed in a week, skin-only tear. Not bad at all, though.
 
#40 ·
with dd1, I felt the ring of fire (hospital birth) and didn't know what it was. With dd2, uc, I felt it as she emerged from my vagina, and the skin (which is made to do this) stretched to accomodate her head. It was brief and intense. try stretching your mouth and lips as wide as possible, that burning sensation on your lips is a small indication of the feeling.
That's why skin is elastic! Thank Goodness!
lol
 
#41 ·
I had a super fast pushing phase (just got the notes back from the mw and it was less than 1 hour) but this was all my own doing, not any cheerleading (I remember thinking, I just want this baby out). I birthed in water and DO NOT remember feeling the ring of fire at all, though it was something I had worried about too. I do remember feeling Annie's head being born & thinking how incredible it was (as well as unreal!) I did tear though and got 4 stitches afterwards, with no freezing b/c the area was still so numb from the birth...
 
#42 ·
dc #1 - had an epidural. i could feel the pressure of her head and could actually push effectively, but no pain.

dc#2 - arrived at the hospital, water broke spontaneously within a minute and i was PUSHING. i didn't experience *pain* but it felt like i was pushing against a brick wall. it didn't feel like it was possible to get his head OUT. but he was born about fifteen minutes later, so clearly, it was very possible
 
#43 ·
I haven't read the replies but just thought I'd post my experience...

I've had 3 natural births... It doesn't hurt when the head is in the canal or when it is crowning. When it's crowning, you just feel TONS of pressure, like you have to poop and the poop is about to come out! It doesn't start to burn until you are actually pushing the head out. And even then, it's not that bad. Sure, it hurts, but it's tolerable since it doesn't last for very long. Once the head is out, then you can rest for a tiny bit. And then, once the shoulders are out (I can't remember if delivering the shoulders hurt much or not), then you're home free because the rest of the baby sort of just slithers out!! haha.
 
#44 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by littlebeagle
I haven't read the replies but just thought I'd post my experience...

I've had 3 natural births... It doesn't hurt when the head is in the canal or when it is crowning. When it's crowning, you just feel TONS of pressure, like you have to poop and the poop is about to come out! It doesn't start to burn until you are actually pushing the head out. And even then, it's not that bad. Sure, it hurts, but it's tolerable since it doesn't last for very long. Once the head is out, then you can rest for a tiny bit. And then, once the shoulders are out (I can't remember if delivering the shoulders hurt much or not), then you're home free because the rest of the baby sort of just slithers out!! haha.

respectfully: this really depends on the person, the baby, and the position the mama is giving birth in. seriously.

for me, the pain WAS intolerable, only i *had* to tolerate it, since there's not a whole heck of a lot you can do while the baby is crowning, except keep on keepin' on, yk?

if i can be honest here ~ i freaking *hate* the feeling of the baby crowning. it hurts in a way i can't even describe.

everyone is different. period. and even though there are things all mamas can do to relieve some of the pain, like ~ relaxing in water... relaxing in general... *not* being on your back to deliver... etc., for some mamas, it's just going to hurt like heck.
 
#45 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by klothos
respectfully: this really depends on the person, the baby, and the position the mama is giving birth in. seriously.

for me, the pain WAS intolerable, only i *had* to tolerate it, since there's not a whole heck of a lot you can do while the baby is crowning, except keep on keepin' on, yk?

if i can be honest here ~ i freaking *hate* the feeling of the baby crowning. it hurts in a way i can't even describe.

everyone is different. period. and even though there are things all mamas can do to relieve some of the pain, like ~ relaxing in water... relaxing in general... *not* being on your back to deliver... etc., for some mamas, it's just going to hurt like heck.


I already posted, but I gave birth again since then (6 days ago), so it's fresh in my mind. This birth was different from my first and I definitely felt the ring of fire. I actually thought of this thread during crowning and breathed instead of pushing. I swore I was going to tear, but didn't during crowning (an arm flipped up with the shoulders and I tore a little). And it hurt like hell! but it was over pretty quickly.

Megan, who knows how it will feel to you, but vaginal birth is worth it!!!
 
#47 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by sleet76
I definitely felt the ring of fire, and it was very painful. My midwife was excitedly telling me that the head was visible--they could see about an egg-sized amount of it. I think that was th hardest moment of my labor/birth. I was so worried that if I felt so much stretching/burnng with just a small part of the head coming out, what would it be like with the whole circumference?! The thing I wish I knew at the time was that it didn't hurt any more--the burning continued, but I sort-of got used to it and it didn't get worse. Knowing that would have put me at ease. I did have a teeny-tiny, maybe 1st-degree, healed in a week, skin-only tear. Not bad at all, though.
What a helpful post!! My good friend just had an unpleasant run in with the ROF in her first unmedicated birth, and this pg is the first i'm trying a homebirth and reading up on all these details. So she;s freakin me out a little but wow this is soooooo god to have read THANK YOU
 
#49 ·
I had the 'it burns, it burns' ring of fire with my 6/8 baby, my first.

I would say with #3 8/8 (compound presentation) and #4 9/8 )very fast labor) it was more like a tunnel of fire but agree that it seemed to get so much better once the head really started making an appearance


Keri
 
#51 ·
With my first I had an episotomy so I didn't feel when she crowned.
With my second he was coming so fast all I felt was a lot of pressure and a slight burning sensation when his head came out because I tore in a couple of spots. With my third I was in a lot of pain from the time his head entered the birth canal until he was out. I remember yelling at my OB to get him out now!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top