Read this if you want to go natural....

BabyCakes3

I really think this is true about the pain. I lost control during pushing but up until transition, I was able to breathe & relax through them.

https://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/labor-contraction.html

emilysbeaulieu

great article!

tastyburger

great share!  I am also convinced that if I can relax and let my body do it's job, the labor part will not be painful.

monkeyqueen

I'd love to whole heartedly agree with this, but I don't.  I don't even agree with their description of a "true labour contraction."   Not accurate....for me, at least.

eta:  it is important to stay relaxed and it will lessen the impact (ie pain) of the contractions, but to say that a contraction isn't painful in and of itself is silly - maybe for some women, it's true.    Labour is much to individualistic to generalize in this manner.

christina627

Wish I had read that while I was pregnant.  My contrax weren't painful until after my water broke, but my pain was in my back...LO had his fist up by his face and his elbow was rubbing into my back.

AutumnBride929

I agree.  It seems like my labor was completely manageable until I was given Pitocin during transition (I was "stuck" at 9cm).  Hard work?  Yes.  Maybe a little uncomfortable?  Sure.  But when you take them one at a time, think of them for what they really are and RELAX, it's honestly not that bad.

livpod

i too, was able to control the "pain" up until transition.  I found it helped to keep my eyes open and do the focal point thing...  i also spent an hour in a whirlpool, which helped 4 a while

MTAngel

This definitely was not my experience. I know my labor contractions with DS were painful and I worked very hard at staying calm and relaxed. They weren't so terrible that I couldn't work through them and working on relaxation goes a long way, but to say that they aren't painful seems like a bit of a stretch. Maybe that is the case for some women, and I'll hold out hope that this labor will be that way but I'm not holding my breath.

OregonMama

I went into my labor knowing that if I stayed relaxed, I could make it through without it being awful.  Which I did, up until my water broke and my contractions were one on top of the other one.  I dilated from 5cm to 10cm in 50 minutes.  At that point, all the relaxing in the world didn't stop the pain.  I still made it through it, but the contractions were painful. As always, every woman is different.

carpozi

While I agree with some of this, I don't think that there is a "standard" that can be applied to everyone.  One of my midwives said "real" contractions are felt down low (to which I blew off too, because different people feel them differently).  Also, I know for a fact from friends that went natural that their contractions weren't timeable, they were irregular, but it was still real labor. 

 I do however think that "pain" is something unnatural (hitting your head or running into a brick wall) and hopefully I will feel labor as a purpose and not "painful" if I can relax! 

BabyCakes3

carpozi:

While I agree with some of this, I don't think that there is a "standard" that can be applied to everyone.  One of my midwives said "real" contractions are felt down low (to which I blew off too, because different people feel them differently).  Also, I know for a fact from friends that went natural that their contractions weren't timeable, they were irregular, but it was still real labor. 

 I do however think that "pain" is something unnatural (hitting your head or running into a brick wall) and hopefully I will feel labor as a purpose and not "painful" if I can relax! 

This was me all the way. They were timeable but not regular, stronger, closer, etc. But I think the "purpose" vs "pain" really helped me get through the whole thing. I focused on getting that baby into the world! And that the pain would end soon.

mejumpmore1

For me, and I did go natural, the contractions before transition felt like pinches but once transition hit, all bets were off. There was nothing I could do to make it hurt less. I tried moving, squatting, getting massaged, whatever. But, nothing compares to the hurt of trying not to push when that is all you want to do. Six hour labors are NOT fun because your body is going at warp speed. Thank goodness for ambulances!

desmerelda317

Honestly, I think the article is misleading.  Just as only a few women will experience "orgasmic" labor and birth, I think only a few women will ever experience painless labor and birth.  Every woman's experience is different.  I went natural.  I had a doula.  I was relaxed through my contractions.  I was able to deal with and relax through the pain.  But my contractions were in no way painless.  No, they were quite painful.  So, to those of you planning your natural birth around a painless labor - I just want to let you know that may not happen.  Yes, tension will increase your pain, so by all means practice your relaxation techniques and have a doula and a good support system to help you during the event.  But don't necessarily count on having a painless labor.  It just doesn't happen that way for the great majority of women.