Giving Birth

[MiniN]

Ok , tell the truth how awfully painful is childbirth?

[boobesque]

very, until you see your baby! plus pain relief is a wonderful thing! I am sitting with a 3 week old on my lap, with a 4th degree tear and the happiest person alive, would do it again in a heartbeat! :-D

[MiniN]

did u have an epidural?how good are they?what drugs worked?

[meltoadhall]

its like trying to pass a watermelon - it hurts and then its overwith.
i had gas and air only because i was at home for numbers 2 and 3 and had a water birth in hospital for number 1.
gas and air worked for me but it doesnt suit everyone.

[ummmm]

You can't explain the pain. Saying it is extremely painful doesn't do it justice.

[RATTER15]

I pass water melons in Tesco everyday no probs!! but I understand childbirth can be a sore, keep a couple aspirin handy, especially if you gotta work later in the day!!

[Pippa68]

Unbelievable pain. However, it does disappear straight after the birth..you are left sore, and maybe even in some pain due to stitches, but not in the same kind of pain as contractions or pushing out a baby!

They don't call it labour for nothing...

Having done it 4 times now it can't be that bad ;o)

[devilwoman]

epidurals are fantastic, i had one 14 years ago when my son was born by cesarean cos he was laid across so it was only way, i wanted to stay awake so had epidural and chatted away ot husband and midwife about holidays, films the weather and all sorts while the surgeons got on with it, only drawback was feeling sick but they gave me an injection that stopped that instantly. no pain whatsoever reccomend it to anyone.

[redcrx]

I have never been good with pain, i cry squeezing a spot lol

I was terrified of labour and yet i still managed it without drugs (needle phobia meant they couldnt jab me) and its painful but it a means to and end and once baby is out the pain goes.

Of course, some women are like my mum and only feel the last few minutes as babys head crowns

[tradey]

well if you have an epidural it makes it better to handle,thats what ive heard,ive had normal births with nothing all 3 times,and im sorry to say but yep it bloody hurts,but once youve got the little baby in your arms you forget straight away.

[ganesh]

I'm afraid I agree with ummm, but some people have more pain and more difficulty than others.
My first one was 16 hours of hell, and after 20 hours with my second, I had an epidural(took a further 10 hours after that),
and it is wonderful. You can sort of still feel what's going on but there's no pain.
The actual pushing stage isn't as bad as the contractions. Imagine the pain of a leg cramp, then multiply it by a hundred,and put it in your abdomen.
My advice, have as much pain-relief as possible.You wouldn't have a tooth out without an injection, or surgery without anaesthetic would you ,so why suffer when your baby is born?

[ganesh]

By the way, nothing really worked other than the epidural.The gas and air makes you drowsy and feel 'drugged', TENS helps in the early stages,and I had something else which I cant remeber the bname of and that made me sick.

[boobesque]

i didnt have n epidural in childbirth as i cant, but had one for an op, and that was god, but i love gas and air!

[Pippa68]

gas & air made me sick. I am scared of epidurals, and I dilated too quickly for pethidine. I just suffered!

[noxlumos]

My first wife screamed the place down for hours in the hospital with all of ours and wouldn't let me into the room and when I did manage to get in there called me for all the hateful b4stards in creation, so I'm assuming it hurt her a lot. My second wife had very quick labours with home birth and no pain relief and just breathed differently than I've ever seen her and didn't get at all worked up or distressed.
I know my first wife was terrified of childbirth in advance and I think it made her very much more tense and uncontrolled than my second who views it as something that shouldn't necessarily be stressful so long as everything is normal about the delivery, so maybe anxiety levels about it might matter to the pain actually felt as well as the physical pain level itself.

[ganesh]

I went to all the ante-natal classes and was very confident about giving birth,as naturally as possible.I was in for ONE BIG SHOCK,and no amount of relaxation and breathing techniques could have helped ME. You are describing two different births and two different people. It's just extremely painful for some and some are lucky.

[xanderma]

Nox, once again you've hit the nail on the head. Obviously everyone's different, but from the MANY people I've spoken to about childbirth (sad conversations us mums have!) the ones who suffered most were the ones who got themselves into a 'state' beforehand.

I'm not saying this is the case for everyone, obviously, but it certainly seems to be a recurring pattern among my friends and family.

Myself, I had 3 very good deliveries - as Nox described, I too breathed very strangely(!) and just had gas and air, and a water birth for the last 2 babies. It honestly wasn't very painful :-?

**stands back and waits to be shot down!**

Not sure if this helps though?!

[B00]

Gotta admit my last delivery was a bit of a doddle, just over two hours after arriving in hospital I was sitting up in bed on the ward with a cup of tea :-)

It was painful, but because it was quick I can honestly say it wasn't unbearable- the worst part for me was the stitches afterwards, they hurt far more than the delivery!!!

[curiosity]

Well have you ever used a slendertone machine? The contractions are very similar to the contractions felt with one of these if you put it on too high a level! But if you keep walking and breath in a relaxed way leaning over & holding onto a chair or something during the actual tightening sensations then you will manage the pain easier than laying still on your back waiting for the next one. I personally wouldn't recommend an epidural, but I know many women like them. I had one as a last resort with my 1st and because you can't feel the need to push very strong I ended up being cut and had a venteuse delivery. I later read that this is common with epidurals. For me it made it longer and more frustrating. I enjoyed 2nd time around without the epidural, the pushing and actual delivery being pleasurable (yes) compared to waiting for the pain of the next contraction in the build up.

[Pippa68]

I have to agree with nox too...I was very worked up with my first and was the most painful & difficult birth. My second was a bit of a doddle due to the fact I knew anxiety was going to make it worse.

The third was the most wonderful thing ever as I had her at home..calmly. In fact the midwife was on the other side of the room as I delivered my daughter myself..the fourth was quick but not so great, as she was a month early and I was in hospital ~ because I didn't want to be there I got in a bit of a panic and I have to say the pain was worse than the second & third births, despite being quick!

[Pippa68]

Forgot to mention I also agree with curiosity...the pushing is so productive ~ it is involuntary (unless an epidural is up to the max and you need to be told to push) and certainly not as painful as contractions.

I also made those very strange low growling noises.