2nd time moms: how bad would you say labor hurts?

MrserinJ

This is my third baby and I had coffee with a friend yesterday who is 2 days overdue. She was asking me how bad it really was and what I could compare it to.

It got me thinking.... I suppose it's different for everyone. It was different for me both times as the first time I had Pitocin and an epi and the second time I did it med free.

I just told her that I really couldn't think of anything else like it. I mean in the beginning, it felt like intense AF pains. My first son was posterior so that was horrible. But really, once you hit transition, I can't think of anything to compare it to. It's really in a class of its own.

I've heard women say its not that bad and I've heard women say it was excruciating. Personally, I thought it was excruciating and have never experienced anything more painful. My friend asked on a scale of 110 and i'd have to say a 10, as I've never felt anything worse. I really didnt want to make it sound that bad as she is doing it soon and planning a med free, water birth. But it's so interesting to see how women experience it differently. Obviously, the epi took the pain away the first time but if you've done it med free, WDYT? Did you find it compared to any other pain you've experienced? Was it the worst pain you've ever felt?

It's obviously all worth it because I am doing it a third time and I know your body is built to do it but man... I wish there was an easier way! LOL

Lolita0816

My contractions felt like really intense menstrual cramps up until transition. It got really painful at that point. The only way for me to describe it was shooting pains much more intense than cramps. It was the most painful experience I've had, but for such a beautiful purpose. Just remembering it was temporary and each contraction was one step closer to meeting my baby helped.

PrimRoseMama

I would just describe them as extreme tightness, and intense, prolonged menstrual cramps. I think the hardest part is that your uterus is so big that you feel like you feel it all over your torso.

It is not the worst pain I've ever felt, but its just more out of control to a certain extent. Also, I think there is an added level of anxiety/intensity because you are responsible for the life of another little tiny, helpless human.

I've only ever had the med free experience and I'm doing it again, if that means anything. There is an end to the pain and a great reward.

IOmommy2005

My son it was a breeze. Had pitocin and an Epi.

My Daughter is a whole other story... I told my husband I never want children again... and to have him snipped right hten and there.....obviously the body doesnt remember pain and here we are again pregnant with #3!!! soooooo lets hope it goes more smoothly

MrserinJ

IOmommy2005:

My son it was a breeze. Had pitocin and an Epi.My Daughter is a whole other story... I told my husband I never want children again... and to have him snipped right hten and there.....obviously the body doesnt remember pain and here we are again pregnant with 3!!! soooooo lets hope it goes more smoothly

LOL This was my experience exactly!!

sparkymcgeee

Mine was really not that bad. 6 or 7 on the scale. 

kathleen02

My labor lasted nearly two days, the first third being in the early parts of labor where it was tolerable. Over 24 hours later my water broke at 5cm and that's when things got a little...okay, a lot harder. That cushion was gone and I sure felt it. At the time I didn't know since I'd never gone through it before but I was having back labor and I wasn't progressing at that point, basically DS was stuck at a weird angle and it HURT. It hurt between contractions due to the back labor so there was never a rest. The contractions to me never felt like AF pain. They would come on and build in pain so I was able to handle them, then they faded away...rinse/repeat.

After nearly 7 hours of that...yep, I was trying to go natural, but having not slept the night before and working a full day at the office I was exhausted. I had to get an epi to sleep. I did, on my stomach on a bean bag (yep hospitals have them so ask if you're having issues progessing due to positioning). Pushing was tiring, though not quite as painful, except a teeny bit towards the end when DS hit some nerve that triggered the back pain again. I highly recommend doing some exercises that help in the position of the baby. www.spinningbabies.com is a very helpful site regarding this. I hopefully will have my natural birth this time...I'm actually looking forward to it. I think horrible illnesses like a stomach virus where you're puking and everything is worse than labor. Labor does feel somewhat natural, not like you're sick or something is wrong.

Carrie3102

DD was posterior as well. My water broke before contractions started. So even though I said no they tried to rush my labor along with pitocin. Those cx were HELL. I got an unplanned epi but it did not work.

The way I always described teansition was like the worst, for lack of a better
term, poop cramps you've ever had x1000 and the only relief was pushing.

Scale of 1 to 10, transition 11, pushing
3, pitocin cx 9.

I'm hoping for med free this time so u can move around to manage my pain.

luvmyducks

Transition was tough.  Otherwise it wasn't too bad.  Crowning hurt the worst for me.  Honestly, my gallbladder stones was a million times worse than labor.

knsh11

I didn't have noticeable contractions until the Pitocin kicked in, and once it did, they came on hard and fast. It was pretty painful, probably an 8 out of 10. I just barely got the epidural in time, but it didn't completely work. I could feel the midwife stitching up my tear, which hurt just as bad as the contractions.

bunnie712

Early labor wasn't bad. After my water broke I had it broke at 6cm it hurt and things started feeling serious. Transition definitely hurts bad. I had to focus through the pain and be in such a meditative zone that DH thought I was sleeping and not progressing.

I think knowing the source of the pain and that it is normal, makes it not hurt as bad as if my mind would have been wandering and making my pain mentally harder than it really was. My labor and delivery was pain med free.

ETA Stitching hurt me too. I think part of it is mind games, because it's not like the means to having your baby. DD was being assessed by nicu for mechoniun during my stitching. And I swear the local they used which I swear didn't work, was given as a shot in the bum hole.

Amanda&EricB

I couldn't talk, but I wasn't screaming or anything. It hurt a LOT and the way I dealt with it was laying with my eyes closed, asking for peace and quiet. During transition I was throwing up a lot. I couldn't even begin to describe the pain.

klyann

My water broke before I had any contractions and then when they started and hour later I was on the floor in extreme pain.  I think I might have had back labor.  They were 5 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart within an hour and then I started throwing up and shaking uncontrollably.  Definitely the worst pain that I've ever felt.  I did get an epi and I'm not sure that I could have delivered without passing out first.   I was able to feel pain while pushing, but thankfully DD was out in 5 minutes.  

I was not prepared for the kind of labor that I had and hoping I have a more gradual labor next time.  FX

bobcee

I think the pain is hard to describe.  I was able to actually manage it better after a little bit of relaxing - my husband even commented that the contractions were getting more intense, but I seemed to be handling them better.  I did throw up and had that feeling for a while which I hate, but wouldn't describe it as pain.  And I think you're in such a different world when it's happening that I didn't really focus on the pain.  I had a med-free birth and while there was some relief while pushing, there was such a great burning sensation as well that I think that may have been the worst part for me.

And I don't actually think it was the worst pain I've felt.  I got mastitis twice and the first time it came on so suddenly and I was all of a sudden shaky, couldn't stand up, my boob burned and hurt so much, and couldn't keep anything down that I actually told my husband at the time that it was worse than labor.

emandia

Both of mine were drug free. I would say a 10 for my first, 7 for my 2nd...maybe because it was a water birth?

equinus

I went med free as well, and honestly it was not bad at all. On a scale of 1-10, I'd say 5. My contractions felt like intense period cramps, and transition just very intense, to the point I got light headed at the peak of contractions. The inverted cracked nipple I endured for 3 weeks after that while breastfeeding was way worse.