random questions for STM who had PGAL

luvU2theMoon · January 2014

first off i will start by saying i am really embarrased that i just posted this on Feb 2014 board... didnt realize until i posted it. thank you very much pregnancy brain!

I have a random question for any STM's who expirienced PGAL and had a D&C with out being put under or having meds. I had a D&C with no meds and a co-worker told me that if i could do that i would be fine with labor and contractions because it feels the same. any insight on this? I know there is no way to predict the feelings and pain i will go through but i am just curious because i plan to do a natural birth and i am just wondering if it will be anything similar to that?

misskristina21 · January 2014

I have never heard that. Interesting. I had a DnC, but I was completely out, and then took pain meds for 2 days after. A nurse at the hospital told me that I handled my DnC well, and that played into handling my c-section well. (They were performed exactly a year apart)

ksulli · January 2014

I was out for my D&C as well, and used the pain meds for a few days afterwards. I think the huge difference is your mental state, and that coping with the pain along with a loss just blows, whereas coping with the pain along with a birth is pretty sweet.

porterlove525 · January 2014

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm not a STM so I can't offer too much insight, but I am curious as to how your coworker is comparing labor and delivery to a D&C. For me, my D&C was a surgical procedure and there was no induction or anything, just the removal of a baby that stopped growing at 10w. It really wasn't awful or painful and I anticipate labor to be painful and exhausting.

My first loss was a natural miscarriage at 11w and that experience I guess I could consider better comparing to labor and deliver since I did have contractions and deliver a fetus at home, but I still think it will be very different to deliver a 40w baby vs an 11w baby. That's just my take though. Has this woman experienced both?

thomas930 · January 2014

Never heard the connection either. I was completely out but I didn't have to take anything after, I only had mild cramping and nothing I could compare to labor.

luvU2theMoon · January 2014

porterlove525 said:

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm not a STM so I can't offer too much insight, but I am curious as to how your coworker is comparing labor and delivery to a D&C. For me, my D&C was a surgical procedure and there was no induction or anything, just the removal of a baby that stopped growing at 10w. It really wasn't awful or painful and I anticipate labor to be painful and exhausting. My first loss was a natural miscarriage at 11w and that experience I guess I could consider better comparing to labor and deliver since I did have contractions and deliver a fetus at home, but I still think it will be very different to deliver a 40w baby vs an 11w baby. That's just my take though. Has this woman experienced both?

She meant the feeling you get when they do the D&C as far as pain contractions. I was completely awake and on no meds and it was an intense feeling but i could tollerate the pain. so i think she was trying to say that contracting feelings from the the D&C are similar to labor and contractions. She did have a D&C and has had three kids naturally, But i dont know if she was just trying to make me feel better because everyone else who was in the conversation was making me feel crazy for wanting to do a natural birth.

porterlove525 · January 2014

I can't help but feel like this woman's response is from someone who has never experienced an mc. For most the emotional toll outweighs any physical pain, but to spend hours or days to deliver a healthy baby may be physically exhausting and/or painful, the anticipation, adrenal and excitement over having a baby may outweigh the pain I would imagine.

I think it really depends on your pain tolerance and how much you can control your labor. No one really knows what their personal experience is going to be until you go through it.

luvU2theMoon · January 2014

Seems like i just should stop taking advice from people at work who have all kinds of Knowledge... lol. i know the emotional toll is way different to be delivering a baby than to go through a MC and i know she was just trying to be helpful but i guess i will just take the D&C pain and let it be a expirience i hope to never face again and i will know what real contractions and labor feel like when it happens.

homediva · January 2014

I had a natural mc and a d&c which I was out for, and severe cramping after...and it was nothing compared to my natural labour. I don't think you can compare the two. There is no way you could stay still enough on an operating table for them to do a d&c while experiencing a full natural contraction.

Serenla · January 2014

((Hugs)) op, don't let nay sayers I'm with @porterlove525 I find it odd to say the least.
I was awake during mine, but I had local anesthetic. I've not delivered a surviving baby but I can say that my d&c took maybe 10 minutes vs hours of labor so I can imagine that it would be different. I'm not saying one would be worse than the other but definitely different.

myschlove · January 2014

I've never heard of that either, there's all kinds of things people say about labor. I've heard of some women that have period cramps so bad that when they finally go through labor their labor pains are equal or less than some of their menstrual pains. (My sister was one example of that- bless her heart, her periods were BAD)

But every labor and delivery is different just like Every woman is different so one person having that experience doesn't mean everyone that had that will have the same experience. It's really hard to know exactly what your body is going to do when it goes through labor the best thing for you to do is to educate yourself and to learn as much as you can about natural pain management if that's what you choose to do! Good luck!

ckred27 · January 2014

I was knocked out for my d&c as well. Was sore for a couple days but not nearly as sore as I was with childbirth. 2 miscarriages and they hurt but also nothing compared to childbirth but was worse than a period so I guess that miscarriage is the middle ground in terms of pain

luvU2theMoon · January 2014

myschlove said:

I've never heard of that either, there's all kinds of things people say about labor. I've heard of some women that have period cramps so bad that when they finally go through labor their labor pains are equal or less than some of their menstrual pains. (My sister was one example of that- bless her heart, her periods were BAD) But every labor and delivery is different just like Every woman is different so one person having that experience doesn't mean everyone that had that will have the same experience. It's really hard to know exactly what your body is going to do when it goes through labor the best thing for you to do is to educate yourself and to learn as much as you can about natural pain management if that's what you choose to do! Good luck!

My periods are those periods!! i got on birth control at 13 to try and help the cramps! my mom thought my apendix were rupturing, but i was just getting my period. they have been horrid since then... so maybe i can do this easy breezy! lol

porterlove525 · January 2014

I have friends who have no pain tolerance, but were determined to have natural births. Where there is a will there is a way. I think if you have a clear goal and you've educated yourself on how to achieve that you will likely be able to handle it. I do know that my friends who took the time to read up, take classes, talk to/use doulas and midwives were all able to successfully handle the pain naturally. I'm sure it will help too if you're used to horrible PMS cramps and were able to have no meds and be awake for your D&C, your pain tolerance is likely higher

good luck! And don't let people talk you out of what you want unless it's your doc and there's a medical reason to change your mind.

pineconey · January 2014

I did not have a d&c, but I have no doubt I can "handle" labor without drugs. There are plenty of coping techniques out there to learn that don't result in needing medical interventions (which often make labor even more unpleasant AND drawn out, not to mention the effects on the fetus).
Pain tolerance has nothing to do with ones ability to handle labor- our bodies were built for this.

daniz110 · January 2014

I had a d&c while knocked out and another one fully awake. It was horrible but I also had to deliver my son last year naturally because it was an emergency...they didn't compare. Both were losses in the end, my son passed away later on, but the pain is completely different Fromm experience. The contractions are more intense(and I passed out on operating table during d&c) I do have a high tolerance but it depends on situation. Every birth is different. With my daughter I took the meds after a while. The contraction pain tires you out. If you want to do a natural birth go for it. In the end it's all worth it. I'm still debating having done both already myself.

snowclouds · January 2014

I did not have a D&C. I took misoprostol to induce a miscarriage since it wasn't happening on its own. Honestly, she partially right. The contractions were that bad, but they only lasted about an hour. The thing with labour is that the contractions go on for hours and hours so it's the length of it that gets to you. That being said the pain is different and you know there's a purpose to it.

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