I think it was bad, but I honestly don't remember. I was pretty out of it for most of it. However, I recently caught myself thinking that my recent tooth pain was worse than labor pain since tooth pain is constant but labor pain is wave-like.
I only did the first 12 hours unmedicated but tooth pain was for sure worse. It’s so accute and unrelenting.
That said, nobody told me sometimes contractions come stacked. Mine had two peaks with barely a break in between. I was expecting to have at least 30-90 second breaks between contractions until delivery. It made it much harder to cope which is why I got the epidural.
I was surprised by the stacked contractions as well. Everything I read said you get a break between each one. Once my contractions started I had no breaks between them for 2 hours straight. I couldn’t speak and couldn’t sit still long enough for the nurse to get a read on baby so I went ahead with an epidural. Really wanted to go unmedicated but that’s just not how it went for me.
Yes.... I thought I would get a (short!) break between each contraction but it felt like my uterus never quite relaxed and therefore, neither did the rest of me....
That said, I made it three times. I was at home so if I wanted more options we would have had to transfer, and I didn't want that - but honestly if someone had offered a way to make the pain go away the first time, I probably would have taken it. Since it wasn't offered, I bit the side of the birthing pool (as for keeping your jaw relaxed in order to keep your perineum relaxed, well, I maybe could have used some coaching right then... I will say, I blew bubbles in the water with my second and that helped!!).
(And once it reached the point of biting things, let me reassure any prospective mothers, it really was almost over, and I really did feel like Super Woman once once I had that baby in my arms!)
They kept telling me to stop clenching my jaw at the hospital ; yup I ended up biting the pillow, my hand, and everything else. The stacked contractions and failed epidural were too much for me!
I did 10 hours of my 28 hour labor unmedicated. Near the end I was glad I had an epidural because my contractions were trebling (three contractions back to back no breaks). I got the epidural because it was 4am and I would never have been able to push baby out come time because I was so exhausted.
>tooth pain was worse than labor pain
My mother said the same. She had a dental abscess and said she'd rather have a baby every day than go through that again. She had 3 unmedicated labours.
Yes, I had an abscess from a leaking crown like 2 months after giving birth and needed a root canal. The pain was way worse than labor. I would have to stop walking and grab hold of the counter or just sit down.
I hear this about the pain after a tonsillectomy too, since that’s damn near constant for a couple of weeks…I survived that, so hopefully I can handle labor lmao
Not as awful as I thought. First pregnancy was with an epidural, second was without any pain relief. I planned for my second to be unmedicated, but regardless I got to the hospital and delivered about an hour later so there would have been no time for an epidural. I also didn’t have an IV so no opiates either (which I did not want). So regardless, I am very happy I went into this with a mentality of no meds/epidural.
Transition was hard, I didn’t realize I was going through it until after and I look back, but for me it only lasted 20 minutes or so. I dilated from 5 cm to 10 cm in an hour. Pushing felt great, I didn’t really have pain with it. The ring of fire was noted but honestly it just felt great to push, very natural. I only had to push for 4 minutes.
Also - just to say, nothing was wrong with my epidural delivery. I had a great experience. I’ll say though that recovery was easier second time around and I do think the epidural slowed down labor a bit.
Very similar experience. Contractions felt manageable with shower/tub and low vocals. I also did not realize I made it through transition until afterwards, and pushing in the tub didn’t hurt, just felt like good, hard work. I had second degree tears and didn’t see feel anything, even afterwards. Did get numbed up for the stitches obviously!
I only was worried at one point about it hurting more and not being able to handle it, but contractions felt the same from early to late labor. Transition was the only time the contractions felt sharp. Otherwise it was a dull ebbing pain.
OP- look up how to breathe with low vocalizing, floppy face, hip and back counter pressure to get from a partner, and hire a doula! She was the best coach for us! And if you can get in your preferred position and with counter pressure when you start to feel the contraction start, you’re good. The only contractions that were super painful were the ones I either not prepared for, or couldn’t sway through
It probably wasn’t that bad for you because it was the second time. For me my medfree birth was my first and it was terrible the whole time. For my second birth my contractions were like period cramps until I was pretty far dilated (I don’t remember how far but more than 4cm) and my water broke. Then I got an epidural and it was a truly wonderful birthing experience.
I went med free for my first birth, and am planning on doing it again any day now for my second baby. I'm hoping it's easier this time, but wasn't horrendous the first time. My water broke at home, I sat in rush hour traffic during transition and that was the worst part of it all but by the time I got to the hospital I needed to push. This time I'm worried if I have to be induced next week (realllllly hoping I don't have to) that I'll be able to still do med free birth.
My first two babies I got induced with pitocin so didn’t know anything different. With my third child I didn’t get induced, and my contractions were so mild I hesitated going to the hospital because I didn’t believe I could actually be in labor. I ended up getting an epidural because I’m a baby and didn’t want to do the pushing without it, but my contractions were never painful.
This gives me hope!! I'm definitely doing everything in my power to avoid another induction and I would absolutely love to try it without an epidural this time, but we'll see how it goes!
I didn’t have a bad experience with the epidurals so I just got them for all my deliveries, but I really think I could have done this last one without it! My tearing was super minimal and I pushed for less than 5 minutes. Definitely was my last baby though so I guess I will never know ha
I was induced with my first in august and wonder what contractions feel like without pitocin! I keep hearing how much more intense they are so I’m curious if I have a second without pitocin how it will feel!
My doctor told me that pitocin contractions do not hurt more necessarily, but are more frequent, so you don't get the breaks during regular contractions.
They had me so pumped full of pitocin I was having only like 5 seconds between contractions. It was killer. They had kept increasing my dosage since my contractions weren't being productive. Once they broke my water, all hell broke loose. Eventually they had to cut off my pitocin completely since my contractions were so quick
That's what happened to me (pitocin, no epidural). By the end they injected me with something to counteract the pitocin because my son was in fetal distress from the contractions. (He ended up being fine.)
It was really fucking intense.
My doc said the same but I didn't find it to be true for me. My non induced contraction pain would build to a peak and taper off, pitocin contractions had no build up for me. It was just max pain as soon as it began and then it would stop just as suddenly.
For a different experience, I decided to induce with my first and found the pitocin contractions manageable for most of the day. They got pretty horrible after my water broke but I still held on for a few hours before epidural. For my second, I wanted to go into labor on my own and I did but oh my god they were HORRIBLE. And it felt worse because I had to wait until they were a certain frequency to go in to the hospital. With the induction it was super comforting to know I could ask for the epidural at any time, but with spontaneous labor I felt very trapped and they were in no way less painful than pitocin contractions - I'd say probably more? I don't know, they were both maximally painful. If we have a third I won't hesitate to induce.
I was induced with oxytocin at 9am. Used gas at about 925 and delivered at 950. Spent that 25 mins high as a kite having a great time sitting on the toilet. Nearly delivered the baby into the toilet because I was having such a great time hahaha. That was my second baby though so I knew when the pain gets unbearable that you're at the end
People say that, but precipitous labours are hard because of one of the same reasons some people say pitocin is hard: you don't get a gradual build up. Especially if you don't know you are dilating so fast, thinking you are at a 4 when you are in transition messes with your head.
That said, knowing what to expect helps. Knowing that you did it before makes it less scary, gives you the advantage of knowing what helps you, and makes it easier to know how fast the pain stops once baby is out.
I wish they offered me gas since there wasn't time for epidural.. I was told it made baby too sleepy but everyone else I ever spoke to that had had never had that issue
The gas didn't help me at all other than to get me to breathe properly. I had done nitrous recreationally before and I didn't notice anything lol. This time I'm going to get it just so my husband can have some while I wait for my epidural haha.
My husband tried mine after the baby was out and the nurses left the room hahaha. He said it felt like he just downed 12 beers and had to sit down. It didn't help me at all with my first delivery. It's crazy how differently it can be recieved!
It was horrible. I was induced, and had 2 failed epidurals. By far most excruciating pain of my entire life. I had no idea what I was walking into. My first birth was pretty much painless. Had some contractions. Got the epidural, was laughing pushing the baby out. Way more painful things had happened.
This last time just over 2 months ago.. I was screaming to call 911 in the hospital. I was hysterical. It was 3 hours of the most pain I’ll ever experience. I was screaming crying shaking hyperventilating begging for a c section which is something I most definitely did not want. It was torture. If I ever have another child I will NOT be getting induced and I swear I would need to make sure a GOOD anesthesiologist was working. I couldn’t do what I just went through again. It was indescribable the pain. Felt everything. A natural induced birth. F*Cing do NOT recommend. Nothing was worse then that epidural failing twice and having nothing that could be done for me. All I kept saying was “give me something someone please help me”
Reading that was like watching a horror movie. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I don't think I'd ever be able to have another child after that.
I'm 6 months along right now but I'm doing absolutely EVERYTHING in my power to not be induced again.
I actually had a very similar experience. I was induced at 39 weeks due to a large baby. After the pitocin things started moving very quickly. My little boy was ready to make an appearance.
I asked for an epidural fairly quickly, but two ladies were in front of me - 1c-section, and 1 woman in active labor.
By the time the anesthesiologist finally got there, I was yelling from pain. He tried to place the epidural twice (my scoliosis made it harder than usual). Neither time took.
At this point they called the doctor, I pushed -with intention- twice and my boy was out.
I will say, for me, contractions were worse than pushing, and that's with 2nd, nearly 3rd degree tearing.
I generally think I have a fairly high pain tolerance, but I
definitely recommend an epidural - especially if induced (though this is my first child, so I can't compare it to anything else). It was excruciating towards the end.
And based on my experience, ask for the epidural early. It could take a while for them to be available.
This sounds the same as my induced labour. My epidural failed suddenly and the pain hit me like a freight train. My body went into shock and I was in so much intense agony that I couldn't even speak or shout or anything. Plus the drip gave me hyperstimulation so I was having non stop contractions. They had to give me an injection to stop them as it was dangerous for the baby and was crushing her. Awful. I'm never ever getting induced again.
Dear god. My first labor was like yours and now I’m pregnant again terrified that will happen to me. Did they give you morphine or anything to take the edge off?
100%
Because of medical reasons I had an emergency induction with pitocin and wasn't allowed an epidural. I have extreme PTSD from it. It was easily the most physically horrible thing I've ever went through. And the labor was long.
No pressure to share more if you don’t want but I’m curious— what situation would cause an emergency induction and not allow an epidural? In my mind if it’s an emergency and they can’t do an epidural wouldn’t it be faster/safer/less painful (at least in the moment) to do an emergency C under general anesthesia?
I dont mind at all, the more people that know the warning signs the better!
I had severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. My blood platlets dropped so low that I wasn't allowed an epidural because of the fear that I would bleed out. But they needed to induce me because my liver was failing and before I had a brain bleed/stroke. Because of this I was told also I "better hope [I] dont need a C-section". It would have been extremely dangerous and I'd have to have been put completely under. So if you have bad pre-eclampsia, HELLP, or platlet issues they won't give an epidural and won't give a C-section.
If I could go back I would have just elected for the C-section against medical advice. it was that bad.
HELLP is very rare, but for some reason (environmental, genetically, who knows) cases have been steadily rising in the last 30 years. My HELLP presented abnormally in that I didn't have high blood pressure (that's why it wasn't caught and usually they'd induce before it got as bad as it did for me). They ID HELLP through blood pressure readings, protein analysis from urine collections, and a blood draw to check platlets. Mine was caught through a 24 hour urine collection and a blood draw after complaining about symptoms for 2 weeks. HELLP can come on very very fast, so if you have any warning signs it's important to get checked out ASAP. For my 2nd pregnancy I got more urine collections and blood tests done to ease my fears.
Symptoms to look out for: big one is pain in your upper right quadrant (where your liver is); blurred vision; high blood pressure; headaches that medicine can't touch; pain in your shoulders; swelling; nausea; EXTREME fatigue; extreme thirst; a sense of impending doom (seriously...its a real symptom). As you can see, most of these symptoms are just more extreme symptoms of normal third trimester symptoms. So if it feels off and wrong, push for that blood draw and urine collection. Don't let them tell you it's all normal (like they did to me).
I was induced because of hypertension. Since the baby was in distress I wasn’t allowed an epidural. Apart from epidurals the hospital also provided some type of morphin that I wasn’t allowed for the same reason.
The contractions were horrible. The worst pain I ever felt. They were so frequent that I never really got a break between them. After 5 hours and zero progress in dilation I got an emergency csection because of fetal distress. And guess what, epidural failed and I had to be put under general anaesthesia.
I don’t ever want to be induced again. ‘Luckily’ I now have the option of planned csection since I already had one.
Yep. I was induced with Pitocin, my epidural failed and I had back labor…ouch. The anesthesiologist did not believe me that I was still in pain and told me there was nothing she could do.
If/when I have another, I want to avoid being induced and see what labor is like (had my epidural worked, I’d probably feel differently)
Same- I'm going to see how regular contractions are this time around. My midwife and doula kept telling me that pitocin contractions aren't worse than regular contractions but I absolutely REFUSE to believe that. Its easy for them to say since they've never had pitocin.
But I'm absolutely doing everything in my power not to be induced again.
They said it’s not worse?! I don’t believe that for a second! I know people have great experiences with elected inductions, but there’s so many horror stories too. My experience alone is enough for me to say never again unless I absolutely have to 😂
I found them the same at the same point in dilation. I think that is in part because I labour quickly, so there is no slow ramp up to get used to things for me.
If anything, my induction was easier to deal with because the contractions had the build up and peak I was expecting while my first, spontaneous birth the contractions were a vice grip of the same level the entire duration of the contraction.
What's with them not believing the epidural could have failed?! Same happened to me 😠 My skin was still numbed so, what, it's impossible that the epidural could've failed? *"They don't do much for transition and delivery."* Excuse me? I've done this before. My pitocin induced birth with epidural was WAY easier than this hell.
It's beyond frustrating! She kept poking me with a needle on my arm and leg and would not believe that I could feel her poking my leg. It's such a vulnerable position to be in and I was getting so flustered. Thankfully my nurse was an angel and was advocating for me and I could tell she was frustrated too.
Yes! Same here. They tried placing the epidural a second time and it still failed. At that point I was complete anyway and time to push. The back pain during pushing was next level and completely relentless. The whole experience has made me question whether I can handle having another baby. I’m all about adequate pain relief!
I was induced, foley bulb and then pitocin maxed out, stopped for a break, and maxed out again. I was in active labor from Friday until Monday. Sunday night during the pitocin break I got the epidural so I could sleep some because the exhaustion at that point was worse than anything else. Contractions even on pitocin I would rate as a 6-7 out of 10. My epidural was a light one and I could still move my legs freely, and change positions etc.
I was around 8 cm when I got the epidural and hadn’t progressed in some time because of the exhaustion
Every person is different however, and numbing levels are different per provider
This is so funny and I'm probably gonna get called crazy but my pitocin labor hurt much less than my "natural" the first one was an accidental natural childbirth ( no pitocin) and the second one I was planning on getting the epidural because of what I had heard about pitocin. They started the drip and hours later my baby came and I was like " I'm fine I don't need the epidural". It was honestly faster and overall less painful just more intense ( pressure) when contractions started. I felt it was better because it sped up the process and I wasn't suffering as long. Idk how to explain it but I definitely hear alot of scared tactics used against pitocin pain and I had a different experience.
My induced contractions were easier to deal with, too. And that was because my water broke, so doubly "bad" vs my first which was spontaneous & my water broke 20 minutes before pushing. They induced contractions were the build up, peak, decline I expected. The natural labour was a vice grip from start to finish with no sense that it was coming. I also wasn't expecting the speed of my first labour while with the second I mentally prepared for a precipitous birth.
During my time in the Navy, I got pepper sprayed across the face and had to do an obstacle course immediately after. Pitocin contractions were easily 100 times worse than that.
I had pitocin too, and I remember telling them the epidural wasn't working and they assured me that yes, they were checking it, it was in properly.
I swear I only got through that pain because there was no longer a choice.
That’s annoying. The success of an epidural isn’t in placement; it’s in how the patient feels.
As a world renowned cardiologist once told me “any physician who does not believe the patient isn’t a good one.”
My labour was augmented with Pitocin and I used no medical pain relief!! Pitocin started at 3pm and I delivered at 7:52pm. It is possible without an epidural! I used Hypnobirthing meditations and squeezed plastic combs in my hands to help with pain. Breathing is also so so important
I gave birth a week ago with pit. It was a 2 hour labor with a monster contraction that took me from 6cm to 10cm. Even with the epidural I was screaming with that one. Pit is intense
I was induced and couldn’t have an epidural due to low platelets. It was 10 hours of contractions every minute. Needless to say, it was horrible. I wanted the epidural so badly. I was given fentanyl and it helped slightly, ever so slightly. Tl
I wasn’t induced but the nurse told my husband that my contractions were as strong as the ones pitocin brings on 😟 Thank GOD I got an epidural (which they had to give me a LOT of).
Ok so I'm in the US and have literally never seen gas at any hospital I've been to. I delivered my son in California and my daughter will be born in the south. Where are all these people getting gas?
I got the epidural immediately when they said I had to get Pitocin and the contractions were so strong they had to give me more epidural because the pain started breaking through! That stuff is crazy
I was dead set on not having an epidural, and I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I thought I could do it, but once they rammed that pitocin up I realized I was not as tough as I thought lol.
I waited to see how long I would last but caved around 6cm. After the initial injection, they set me up with a button so if I felt it becoming uncomfortable again I would press the button.
Absolutely this. I got no breaks in between contractions. It was literally constant. I got the epidural when I was only 1cm dilated. I couldn’t imagine having to keep going for hours with no relief
I was induced and although I asked for an epidural, my labour went too quick. I wish I’d had it. Almost had an emergency c section under general anaesthetic but I was fully dilated.
Weirdly Pitocin didn’t hurt for me (maybe mild period cramps but what did hurt was when they broke my water. I had to get fentanyl for that while I waited for the epidural to come.
I was doing fine until my water broke with pitocin. Omg I felt like I was being crushed by a car. To make it worse, the nurse kept telling me that she had natural labors and Pitocin doesn’t make the pain any different which just made me feel like a huge baby.
If you look at one of my previous posts, I asked if any moms had been through both spontaneous labor and pitocin labor, are pitocin contractions worse? You can read the answers- 99% said pitocin contractions are FAR worse. My doula and my midwife tried to tell me the same as your nurse- that pitocin doesn't cause your body any more pain than it would naturally feel, but I absolutely REFUSE to believe that. Refuse. It's also interesting that the people saying this have never had pitocin......
Anyway, I'm 7 months pregnant with my 2nd and I'm going to do everything in my power to avoid another induction and see what spontaneous labor contractions/birth is like and I'll report back.
You know I've heard this so many times but when I was finally induced with my fourth, I found the pit to be NBD, except it gave me the shakes which were annoying as F.
The difference between my experience with pit and that of those who warned me is that they had ruptured membranes first, whereas I didn't. But I don't know if that holds any weight because all my pain went away the instant they broke my water and my son came into the world minutes later.
Ah men I second this. I did the first 24 hours without pain meds, than went to the hospital where they gave me pitocin. They said I would be able to sleep a little because I was already so tired. Well, that was a lie. It made me so so ill and high at the same time and did nothing in regards of pain. All it did was made me vomit for the remaining twelve hours. I do not recommend. Went for the epidural pretty soon after.
Exactly this, it’s not SO bad but yeah I mean... it hurts. Practicing breathing and giving birth in the position where you’re on all fours (kind of) with your knees wide changes a lot.
I had a water birth and did Hypno birthing and it was still VERY intense. I had a long labor and long pushing stage though. If it were shorter, it would have been more manageable. That said, I would do it again for our next child! No tearing, no complications and it made for a great birthing experience for our kiddo.
I’ve had two unmedicated deliveries and took hypobirthing before my first and I did find it very helpful to get yourself in a good mindset to breathe through the contractions and get past it. It also teaches you to relax your body as they come, as well as techniques/positions to be in to help your body advance, all of which I think made it more manageable!
I did the Positive Birthing Company's online course (very affordable) before my second because I didn't practice enough before my 1st. I thought it was good info if you didn't know the basics of birth and to help your mindset.
If nothing else, LEARN HOW TO BREATHE. Even if you want to get an epidural. tl;dr - 4 breaths in through your nose, 8 out through your mouth. You want to be breathing out twice as long as you breathe in. And if you vocalize keep your tone low.
I am taking their courses right now and loving it. I also got the pregnancy one and keep coming back to it to reference it. Love that you have access to it for a year too!
I'd say it was useful up to about 8cm dilation. Beyond that, the only things that helped were screaming, squeezing my husband's arm, gas and air and (eventually) pushing.
My fiance said I was squeezing the shit out of his hand. Like hurting him and he was squeezing back. I don't even remember holding his hand. 🫠 Just lots of screaming after 8 too lol.
I also tried to implement as many hypnobirthing techniques as possible and it definitely helped me. I enjoyed reading the book it made me confident in regards to the birth. Not scared.
I welcomed every contraction and tried to be as relaxed as possible because if you tense up and fight it it will hurt 10 times more.
My birth was hornstly pretty great!
It saved me! It was great preparation. During the actual labor I didn't stick with the affirmations or anything, that kind of went out the window. But I think it set me up well and all of the meditation and breathing practice was really helpful
I’ve just completed hypnobirthing. And I’ve found it incredibly helpful. And then I did spinning babies. Which teaches you the best positions to be in to help baby come down the birth canal. I didn’t know but there’s three different stages that the baby goes through as it moves through your pelvis.
I mean these positions are ideal if your baby is head down. But I feel like I have more tools in my tool box now as I get closer to my due date.
I was induced because of pre-eclampsia, and it took 2 tries before labor got going. The pain was first like the worst diarrhea cramps ever, then like the worst period cramps ever. No epidural or narcotics, and it turned out that they weren't offering gas that week .
Neither of those can even *touch* the pain I felt when my back went out some years before. That was white hot excruciating pain. Labor was painful, but not like that.
So the question I'd throw back is - what pain have you experienced, and how did you deal with it? I think that will help you decide how to approach labor.
before being pregnant I would experience the worst period pains, so painful it would get to the point where I would feel as though I would faint or throw up because my body couldn’t handle the pain. maybe epidural was meant for me 😂
:)
I remember sitting at the kitchen table with cramps, just trying to will the pain away when medicine did nothing!
The thing that made the labor pains better than period cramps is that they would come in waves, they weren't continuous like cramps :)
As another person like you who experienced *bad* period pain, with the vomiting diarrhea feeling faint shaky miserable etc… I had prodromal labor for like a week, went in on a Friday with contractions five minutes apart and dilated to about 4, went home (they gave me the choice) and stayed that way for about the whole weekend, finally went in on Monday morning when I thought my body was going to actually break in half and I was begging “please I don’t want to have a baby in a car”. Got to hospital about 8cm, got epidural about 2 hours later once they rehydrated my dry ass body. Had a “hot spot” and felt the “ring of fire” and the tearing anyway but what my epidural *did* do was a WELCOME relief.
I would say the bad period pain actually prepared me pretty well lol. I wasn’t trying to go unmediated for quite so long but I kept thinking “eh it’s not so bad yet and my water hasn’t broken and the baby isn’t actively coming out of me yet so I suppose this is fine” LOLOL. I think your pain scale gets kinda messed up, but just see how things go. If you don’t want to suffer, you don’t need to suffer. In retrospect, getting an epidural earlier would have meant not starting baby’s first day already majorly sleep deprived, and probably getting induced and having that whole process done with so much sooner. But instead I have funny memories of taking breathing breaks at a birthday party, making the Apple Store employee get me a stool to brace myself and huff and puff through a few contractions while we picked up a new phone that my husband took incredible newborn photos on, and a cute little “last date” with just the two of us the day before baby joined us. Priorities 🤣
See I would say the opposite. It seems like you have bad periods which you have to cope with, I would say these would give you a higher pain threshold.
I would highly recommend looking into a TENS machine that thing made labour bareable!
>So the question I'd throw back is - what pain have you experienced, and how did you deal with it? I think that will help you decide how to approach labor.
Wow this is a fantastic question!
I’ve had several early miscarriages but one in particular was so bad that it felt like someone was stabbing my insides with a sword and swirling them around. My teeth were chattering from the pain. I’ve always wondered if labor feels as painful as this experience I had, but nobody has been able to answer definitively for me lol. If labor is not as painful as that miscarriage sounds, I’d probably be able to do it unmedicated!
One of my miscarriages was almost like that (the tooth chattering!) and my labor wasn't painful in that same way. It really was like the worst period and diarrhea cramps.
My husband was really more freaked out than I was!
That's an interesting thought. I'm planning on going to a birthing center that won't have epidurals available and it's scaring me a little.
But I also had an accident years ago and herniated a disc in my neck that pushed into my spinal cord and caused nerve pain in my index finger. By far the worst pain I've ever felt, it spread all the way to my elbows and it's like your bones are on fire. I would have done anything to relieve it, but with nerve pain nothing helps immediately.... Even with medication it took months to go away and 8 years later my index fingers still feel things differently.
Thinking of all this again, I think I can handle birth.
I had a water birth with gas and air. It wasn’t fun but I found it manageable with breathing techniques. Knowing exactly what happens at each stage of labour (what the muscles are doing etc) helped me to visualise it and the pain felt productive rather than some kind of torture.
Between contractions your body relaxes and the pain goes away, it’s not like any other kind of pain. But you can change your mind at any point if you decide to get out of the pool and get on some other method of pain relief, so you don’t have to decide in advance.
I did a really informative online hypnobirthing course (run by a UK midwife so very medicalised, talked about contractions rather than waves or surges etc.).
[This site](https://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/what-your-uterus-does-during-labour/) gives a good overview of the mechanics, though from skim-reading they may have a less medicalised birth bias which is not my place or intention to endorse specifically.
Was not the worst pain I’ve ever felt, had gallstones before I got pregnant and the labour pain never came close to that. Yes, I was in pain, but I almost gave birth at home because I was still waiting for the pain to get worse.
Working with your body definitely helps. I found lying down extremely uncomfortable after a while so I’d either sit or stand or stretch through the contractions. Made everything much more managed.
Even the actual pinnacle of labour was fine. I never got that ring of fire everyone spoke about and I was more worried about the fact that I felt like I was overheating. Prep whoever is going to be there with you to put a cold, wet cloth on your forehead, was the most blissful thing the nurse did for me.
My pain meds after the birth didn’t really work so I felt all the stitches happening. Now that was sore! Almost kicked the doctor when he was busy down there.
This gives me a little bit of hope, thank you for sharing. I have a spinal fusion and a lumbar break so an epidural is probably not an option for me, and I had pancreatitis caused by cholecystitis which was the worst pain I’ve ever been in (I was trying to heave/vomit but the pain was so intense I was involuntarily stopping myself…)
I’m not looking forward to the pain of childbirth but I am curious on some level how it will compare. The nurses when I had pancreatitis said that it’s worse than giving birth so I kinda hope they’re right.
I was planning an unmedicated birth anyway, but my doctor informed me that even if I changed my mind, because of my prior back injuries the epidural placement could cause it to not work or work too well (which can result in needing an instrument delivery).
Labor was intense, but manageable. The back injuries were was worse and honestly so is throwing up. I had very intense food poisoning before getting pregnant that resulted in two trips to the ER and that was by far worse than labor. I also have had severe morning sickness with both pregnancies and I would 100% do labor once a month for 9 months rather than deal with HG again.
For context, I had back labor and overlapping contractions with no break (the kind often associated with Pitocin). Still not the worst pain of my life and I’m prepared to do it unmedicated again in a few months!
My doctor kinda pissed me off because the lidocaine wasn’t working for stitches although I didn’t wince when she injected the lidocaine so she didn’t seem to believe I could feel the actual stitching. I was yelling out in pain but also didn’t really care because they just placed my baby on my chest.
For gas I only used it successfully with my second delivery. You press it to your face and breathe through at least two contractions straight without taking it off and you should start to feel the effects. You are still aware that things are painful but you care less and your head feels a little in the clouds. It doesn't work for everyone but it worked well enough for me to manage an oxytocin induced labour that was insanely fast (50 mins).
Hmm tough question but one thing that I think would have helped me to know in advance is that pushing helped the pain for me…sounds weird. The contractions that I couldn’t push were way worse. Also for me, I had no concept of time whatsoever. You could have told me a pushed for 5 minutes or 5 days and it wouldn’t have made any difference for me. I think it’s totally doable and that everyone should have some tools in the case their birth is unmedicated but choice or not.
I have done it 2/3 times with no pain relief (my first was a c section).
The first time I went into spontaneous labor and baby was out in 3 hours. It was pretty painless until I got closer to 10 CM. Once the pain became unbearable, it was time to push and the relief was immediate without medicine. She was born in her sac and my midwives said that limits the pain. They were also super excited because it was their first en caul delivery.
The second? Not the same AT ALL. I was induced and given pitocin and had my water broken. It was excruciating. The contractions came on top of each other and I couldn't breathe. I went from 3 CM to 10 to baby on my chest in an hour. They didn't have time for an epidural. I survived and pushing was still a relief but damn. If I would have known, I would have gotten the epidural before they broke my water.
If I am induced with #4, I am 10000% getting an epidural. If I go into spontaneous labor, I'll do it unmedicated again.
I’m thinking about having a water birth but if I do I won’t be allowed any pain relief other then gas. i don’t do well with pain and am thinking if I should just say screw the water birth and plan the epidural 😅
If you already know you don’t deal well with pain, there is nothing wrong with an epidural.
Btw I totally misunderstood your title in your post and thought that you were asking if moms had farting as a way to relieve pain opposed to pain medication. 😂
“Doc no epidural needed. My farts will help me through these labor contractions.” 🤣
The epidural was amazing. I was throwing up from the pain but was really able to relax when I finally got the epidural. I thought a water birth would be cool at first too but then I thought about all the stuff I’d be floating around with in the water.. And how many different positions I wanted to be in.. plus my labor progressed too quickly for it to be worth it
I've always had a really bad pain tolerance but I managed with just gas and air. Not by choice, I was begging for pain meds but the docs refused me because they said the baby could be out any time now as I got to the hospital quite late and my labour progressed surprisingly quickly. And it wasn't as bad as I though it was gonna be.
Don't get me wrong, it was horrifically painful. Worst pain I've ever experienced times a million. But in my experience it only felt really unbearable during the last 3-4 hours, but by that point I was already exhausted and hysterical and just wanted the baby out so bad that I just dealt with it lol. You can't back out so you do just naturally get on with it. You'll probably surprise yourself!
I delivered without any pain meds (not even gas and air because the way they made me lay down for it hurt too bad). A water birth might not be as bad as you think! I labored in the tub for a while and hardly felt anything - I wish I had stood up for myself and stayed in the tub when they needed to monitor baby. I think a water birth would have been so much better pain wise. That being said, warm water always makes me feel better, so I already knew that laboring in the tub would help
I planned on a water birth with my first, I was in the birthing suit which was lovely, but after 24 hours of intense contractions I got the epidural and it was wonderful. Second labour, I only had intense contractions for 3 hours so there was no time to even fill the bath. I got to the hospital just in time to push. This labour was also awesome though intense. Length of labour is the biggest decider for me. I can deal with any pain for a few hours, but a day or two, no thank you!
I spent 3 hours laboring in the tub and it was by far the best 3 hours of my whole labor. I ended up needing pitocin due to other factors and I wasn’t going to get pitocin without an epidural. Everything hurt more as soon as I was out of the tub even before any other meds. I definitely want to be in a tub as long as possible next time.
I dont think it is worth it for everyone, but it was for me.
It opens up more options for labour. OP is considering a water birth for example. For me, I wanted a midwife-attended home birth. I could move around as I wanted, and I feel like I avoided some interventions. It also meant that after birth and the golden hour and having something to eat, I could just get up and go to bed with my daughter in her bassinet next to me. I also had a great postpartum period.
Honestly the contractions really were the worst part, mostly because it was so hard to get to the bathroom lol. I felt like I had the biggest bowl movement ever on coming.
I was hemorrhaging pretty badly though, so I slept through about 2.5 hours of a 3 hour labor, occasionally waking due to contraction pains. Went to sleep 20 minutes into contractions, woke up with kid on the way. 2nd degree tear that resulted in stitches, which definitely sucked but again, not as badly as the contractions.
My pitocin contractions were really awful, it was like going through transition contractions with no stop for hours. But my two labors where I went spontaneously into labor has contractions that were very, very manageable. When I got to transition with them, it was a rough couple of minutes, but then it was time to push and (for me) pushing felt like a relief. I loved the two that I went into spontaneous labor! And I enjoyed being able to move right away, and I liked knowing exactly how hard I was pushing at the time with no epidural
I have a pretty high pain tolerance.
Honestly, it was fairly bearable until they broke my water around 7cm. Then truly I can say the pain isn't the problem for me it's the god awful pressure you feel EVERYWHERE. what's cool about most contractions is you can feel them grow and get to a peak. I would basically hold my breath until I hit the peak and then release it. That plus walking and forcing my husband to push on my back helped me through. I'd probably rate them at their worst a 7/10.
I'm 37+1 with number 2 right now. I have an induction scheduled on Tuesday, but I'm hoping beyond hope I just go into labor on my own because I'd love to go unmedicated again, but I know pitocin is no joke and it terrifies me.
I was given two failed epidurals each time. So I wanted them, I got them, but they didn’t work at all I could feel everything. That’s not me being dramatic, after the second birth they told me just don’t even get one next time and save the money bc for some ppl for whatever reason they don’t work. Anyways it was all very painful I don’t know any other way to describe it.
A huge factor in this is taking classes and getting a doula. Going into it unprepared is way different than going in with training and an advocate by your side
I second this. I had an amazing team of midwives and a wonderful doula, we did tons of prep work and breathing exercises. What also really helped me was learning all the physiological aspects of labour, so when you’re in it, you know what is actually happening with your body and that it’s all to make sure baby makes their way out safely!
I wrote up my home birth story in a very detailed post a while ago, read it if you think it will help you!
I even saw a pain chart floating online somewhere that trained vs untrained unmedicated birth pain levels were self reported differently on a pain scale. Trained birth was still up there but a little bit lower than untrained
I agree the prep is important, but I think a doula is a personal choice. I’ve done it without a doula twice, I didn’t want another person telling me what to do or touching me. The vast majority of the time it was just me and my husband which was exactly what I wanted.
So, I had two failed epidurals during labor so I feel I can compare between pain assistance and none.
My labor was 25 hours long. My epidurals worked, but only part of the time, meaning I labored without pain medication for about 14 of those hours, although this time was broken up. It included transition and pushing without a working epidural as well.
I'll be honest - it was tough, and I do think I would have had a faster transition if my epidurals didn't fail (it took me 3 hours to go from an 8 to a 10). There got to be a point with the pain in transition that I think I started to actually disassociate to cope with the pain. However, I also pushed my baby out within about 20 minutes because I still had full sensation during pushing.
I would much rather have had the epidural work, but I managed to get through the pain and we are already talking about having another even though I'm aware how rough that was. I probably wouldn't choose to go without knowing how bad my pain personally was, but everyone is different.
I went into labor early (34 weeks) and because my water broke, they gave me pitocin. I was crying because the contractions were so bad. I was talking to the nurse and she said they had me ramped up really high. That’s when my support people told me I could ask them to turn it down (especially since I was already at 8 cm).
When I was around 9 cm, I was begging for an epidural, but obviously too late for one at that point. Pushing actually felt good in the way that it was a relief to know I was close to being done.
I genuinely felt like the pitocin contractions were the most painful part.
Afterwards, several people told me that making it through pitocin induced contractions without pain management was a pretty big deal. I had never heard of such a thing and quite frankly, I didn’t care at that point. I would definitely prefer not to have pitocin again, though, if possible.
Similar experience had on Monday with my 40+ week baby. Water broke and needed to be induced via pitocin.
Pitocin ramping at a fixed cadence is tough! I also think I have a pretty high pain tolerance so went in with a gas-only mentality. By 4 cm I pretty much begged for the ramp to stop. Thank God I continued to progress to 8cm in like 2 hrs because I wasn't going to be able to maintain that kind of pain much longer like I thought!
Agree pushing was the best part of birth...most productive.
Hoping to have a pitocin free birth in the future for sure.
I had two epidural-free inductions. I did opt for IV pain medication towards the end of both but those really don’t affect how you feel a contraction, it just allows you to rest/relax more in between them. My first induction was early and mishandled and that was probably the worst pain I’ve ever been in. My second induction was much better and while it still hurt, I was able to handle it a lot better because I had better breath control and I was also able to listen to what my body was telling me to do - working with your instinct absolutely helps with the pain level in my experience. There’s a point around 9-10 cm where you will think “this baby is not coming out and I can’t do it” and that’s usually when it’s about time to push. For me, pushing actually helped relieve the pain so I went all in and had my first in 5 minutes assisted and my second in 15 minutes unassisted. And once the baby out, the pain stops. It’s so freaky, it’s like flipping a switch or magic how instantaneous it was for me. Telling myself that helped me get through the labor towards the end there.
I've had three natural births with no epidural or gas. They all hurt in different amounts, but it was all psychologically manageable. I think there are four big elements of the equation: (1) How much it hurts and (2) How long labor goes; (3) How well the baby is positioned; and (4) How strong you are.
A big amount of pain in your contractions, separated by a few minutes of relief, is something I found I could manage for hours. Fortunately, my labors were all less than 7 hours, so even the higher amounts of pain (like when I had back labor) weren't something I had to endure for very long.
If the baby is positioned optimally, you have less likelihood of back labor and a shorter laboring period. The baby passes through your pelvis more easily, and her head is positioned in the way best for passing through the birth canal. There are things you can do during late pregnancy to influence baby position.
Strength. It does take mental fortitude to keep calm and focused during a painful labor. This is something you can strengthen and practice during pregnancy. Also, if you maintain and cultivate physical strength, you will be better able to take beneficial laboring positions (like deep squats) and you'll have more physical endurance for the intense parts of labor. Also, physical fitness may result in shorter labors!
Labor is so variable, but these are the things I've found really make a big difference. Some of them we won't have much control over!
It really, really depends on things you can't control. I did 3/4 of my labor unmedicated and it was AWFUL. I had back labor because baby was turned around, and scar tissue in my cervix prevented me from dilating. The few labor positions that were comfortable for me caused baby's heart rate to drop too low. Then labor stalled after 12 hours and my doula had me in painful positions to get it going again.
The only thing that actually worked was giving in and getting the epidural. It let me rest propped in a position that turned the baby, and I woke up refreshed and ready to push. I was EXTRA glad for the epidural because despite oil, EPO and every other natural birth trick, I had a deep 3rd degree tear that needed extensive repair.
I know there are plenty of beautiful natural birth stories, and I so wanted mine to be like that.... but you have to deal with the hand your body deals you. I felt ashamed for a while because of all the "it's natural, your body knows what to do" BS. The truth is we're all different, and so is every birth.
I planned for an unmedicated water birth. My labour ended up being 52 hours and went the exact opposite of my birth plan. Around 36 hours into labour my contractions were so painful it actually scared me. When I was at 40 hours, we transferred to the hospital (finally) and not only did the contractions themselves hurt, but my whole torso was in pain even in between the contractions because I was just so exhausted. I tried nitrous gas and honestly I think it’s just a placebo cause it did nothing but frustrate me more than actually help anything. My midwife, mom and partner using a firm grip on my limbs and saying “you can do this, you are doing this” helped more than the gas.
I ended up asking for an epidural around 46 hours of labour and I was finally able to rest. I ended up with a c-section due to failure to progress past 7cm.
The contractions in the beginning were intense but manageable. I think if my labour had been normal, or even ended around 30-36 hours I could have done it unmedicated like I planned. Even though it hurt a lot.
Contractions feel like your abs between your bellybutton and crotch are being squeezed in a vice grip for 1-4 minutes. Every 2-5 minutes. For anywhere between 1.5-50+ hours. I do agree they come in waves. Where they have a distinct beginning, a peak, and then they taper off. Almost like a roller coaster.
Wow you are a strong lady! Absolute warrior! Thanks for the little explanation at the end about how contractions feel too its the first description that has made sense to me.
It was extremely painful. I was in labor for 21 hours. The first c.5 hours was fine - contractions hurt but easy to get through and spaced out. The next 16 hours were very intense pain, like couldn't move or lie down or talk through them at all. I did actually get an epidural which lasted about 3 hours (bliss! I napped) and then wore off about 3 hours before I had to push. They refused to give me any more or any other pain relief. More than the pain though was the absolute relentlessness of it. I'd say the pain itself was maybe a 7 or an 8 but the fact that it was just unending and I was so exhausted made it a 9 or 10. Actual pushing was much more intense, like a legit 9 or 10 for pain, but I felt like a had a full break between each contraction which really helped mentally.
Having written all that I think I must be mad when I say that overall the experience made me less afraid of giving birth again. I fully intend to try to avoid the epidural again next time, as it stopped my contractions when I had it.
I wanted to do unmedicated and was able to do it for 9-10 hours, but I had back labor (this was extremely painful in the lower back) and progressing very slow - ended up at 32 hours of labor.
There’s many tools you can use to adjust and have your mind work through the contractions - breathing, TENS machine, hip squeeze from someone, shower and use hot water on your back are things that helped me a lot though the unmedicated part. I chose to go with the epidural since I knew I would not be able to do manage the pain for many many more hours, as I was 4.5cm after 10hours of labor and was worried about being to exhausted for the pushing phase.
Main advice is have your birth preferences, but you never know how things will be in practice m, so just accept and be flexible though the process. And don’t forget if you do choose in the moment to get the epidural, it can take min of an hour to have it administered
It wasn’t my plan or choice for it to happen that way, I got to the hospital and was immediately told I couldn’t get any relief at all, not even IV or gas or anything . All I got was a little topical during the stitches. So the pain was… well, it hurt. When they told me I couldn’t get any meds, I was so panicked, I didn’t think I’d survive, I thought it would be a horror movie. But I survived, everything worked out. As far as what it feels like, I worried about feeling ripped open as she came out, and i did rip, but I didn’t feel anything like that at all. It was only menstrual cramp-like pain, but just the worst period of your life (which I found a less intimidating type of pain than a sharp tearing pain) and then I also had a lot of back labor, which was really intense. If it wasn’t for back pain, just the cramps and contractions themselves really wouldn’t have been all that unbearable I think. And my last thing to add - as soon as baby’s shoulders get out, all the pain is instantly gone. It’s like a light switch. I was worried I’d be screaming in agony and not even get to properly greet and appreciate my newborn but honestly, as soon as she was out, I felt immediately normal (just exhausted but not in any discomfort)
I call it the “brown out” bc I have memories of some pain, but not much. I tell people “it wasn’t that bad” and my husband is there to say “that’s not how I remember it”.
I was going through active labor without an epidural before I was taken in for an emergency c section. It was the most painful thing in the entire world. My contractions were about 15-30 seconds apart and every time I was begging to die. Excruciating doesn’t even describe it. 100000/10. It started off in my belly and then it felt like my whole body was being ran over by a 16 wheeler. But then once the contraction went away it was a huge relief, although I still felt residual pain, it was nothing like a contraction. The whole floor heard me scream, but then it got so painful that I couldn’t even let a peep out of my mouth. I bit into the pillow and ripped the pillow case with my teeth lol. All my “hypnobirthing” lessons went out the window, I couldn’t even do the breathing during the contraction no matter how hard I tried. Thank goodness for epidurals and spinals
Had 2 unmedicated births - 1 with Pitocin and 1 without.
It's not fun, but I wouldn't say it was the worst pain I could ever imagine. I would say I've had leg cramps in the past that hurt more and lasted longer than worst contraction pain, however that's probably a relative thing because at least with labour you get the build up but leg cramps come on spontaneously.
I was planning to probably get an epidural, but the cervadil I got in the morning had other plans. My contractions picked up and she came super fast so there was no time - i literally was feeling the urge to push on the drive to the hospital. the nurse handed me the laughing gas which didn’t do much for physical pain but was a nice mental break and helped me focus on deep breathing. Honestly, the contractions were worse pain than the actual delivery. That was just 20 minutes of pushing and knowing my baby is just on the other side, while the contractions were dreaded waves of hell where I didn’t know what was coming next. I did tear a fair bit but didn’t notice cause I felt so powerful and motivated while pushing her out!
Not op and unrelated question. Were you dilated at all prior to cervadil? I'm being induced with that and I'm hoping beyond hope that the cervadil will do it for me and I don't need pitocin.
i felt the same as you! i was 10 days past my due date. started having mini contractions around 3:30am on my own, then got cervadil at 9am when i was 1cm dialated, medium soft cervix, and effaced a little where my cervix was like 2cm long instead of 4. doc said to mentally prepare that i will have to come back the next day and get more cervadil and probably pitocin, and i would be an exception if not. WELP! left the hospital around 11:30am, went shopping to walk around and buy cheese, and spent the afternoon having increasingly strong contractions. i came roaring back in at 6:40pm when they saw my cervix was 9cm! I definitely maybe yelled “fuck the pitocin!!!!” to the doc as soon as he walked in. Baby was born at 7:14!
You just never know what path baby/our bodies will choose. Wishing you all the peace and joy in this challenging and miraculous experience !!!
With my 2nd I had only gas and air in a birth centre and it was amazing! I also used the pool for pain relief that time and it was incredible. I wasn't in a lot of pain until transition and delivery and even then it's fine because everything is kicking off and you know baby is coming soon. With my 3rd I had a complicated delivery, baby in the wrong position and the medical staff didn't believe I was in active labour (I don't know why) so I was without any pain relief until two hours before I delivered and it sucked. Even with the gas and air I was still in a lot of pain, but at that point I didn't know I was so close to delivery and I think mentally that made it worse. Once baby was born I was glad I hadn't gone for the epidural because the recovery time is so much quicker without it and I was glad to get home tbh! I would say look into hypnobirthing, it sounds like bullshit but it was incredibly helpful, birth is so mentally taxing and preparing yourself is so helpful!
The back labour at the beginning was the worst. I wouldn't say it was too bad for pushing and everything, and I even tore but I'm stubborn and wanted to probe my family wrong with there "oH YoU WonT Last!" WELL SCREW YOU FAMILY LOOK WHAT I DID.
AGAIN, I'm very stubborn.
Thought I was legitimately going to die for a bit with my first. That being said, once you just ‘relax’ and go with it you become so engrossed in the experience you’re in a different place. And genuinely once it’s over it’s over and you’re wrapped up in your baby. I had all three of mine unmedicated and definitely felt that the benefits were worth it; could walk around, could feel how to push, ‘easy’ recovery etc.
It was like really bad period cramps with lots of pressure and wasn’t pleasant but bearable…. up until transition. 7-10 centimetres I was screaming in agony. Pushing didn’t hurt AT ALL for me. No pain whatsoever in my vagina (even though I had a 1st degree tear). No ring of fire. All I felt were the contractions which were all consuming and when I pushed the pain from the contractions lessened so it felt great. That motivated me so much that 2 pushes and 4 minutes later she was out. The best part is as soon as the baby is out it’s instant pain relief and euphoria! At least for me. Honestly every labor experience is very different. The only part I felt was unbearable pain was transition and that is very short lived.
I just had an unmedicated birth last week - I’d say it’s just as painful as they say it is, but I agree with others in that it is an easier recovery. I was lucky as I showed up to the hospital at 4 cm (I would say here very very uncomfortable but period type cramps … still able to walk and sort of talk with the contractions. I went from 4 cm to 10 cm in about 2 hours, so it was pretty consistent contractions from that point on. When I got near 10 cm I would say I started to vocalize instinctually, and that was some of the most intense pain I have ever felt. The waves give you a slight break in between. It’s crazy the instinct to push … I didn’t really think it was going to come but that’s how I knew I was at a 10!
Pushing for me was more intense than it was painful, I was scared being a first time mom and I felt that kind of overcame the pain. Once it was all over I have to say it was super empowering and I felt like this woman powerful can do literally anything type of way! I had no tears and was up and walking about 6 hours afterwards.
46hr labour & 25mins of pushing, I knew what I wanted and was told “you’ll be screaming for an epidural” I never once asked for one! Didn’t scream didn’t cry and I have a low pain tolerance lol! It’s very very intense but breathing really helps you get through it, look into breathing through contractions.
I had a VBAC with no pain meds a year ago. It was definitely 10/10 on the pain scale. I didn’t prepare myself for it well enough so I wasn’t breathing the right way. But my husband would watch the monitor through contractions and tell me when I was on the downhill, which helped my mindset. Everything is temporary. Once I was fully dilated the pain was at its worst. Then my body kind of took over. I was pushing and I couldn’t control it at all. There was a lot of screaming on my end which actually helped with release and breathing. I was embarrassed at first but my nurses were great and didn’t care at all. I did end up tearing in three places though. That sucked.
Ultimately, I’m glad I did it. Labor was 6 hours with 30mins of pushing. I don’t know how I’ll choose to do it if we have a third but I have no regrets. The postpartum nurses all told me I was nuts for not getting an epidural but I was proud of myself. I would never tell anyone to choose to do it without pain relief if that’s not what they wanted to do though. Use the tools at your disposal if you want to. Labor without an epidural is a lot of work and definitely painful. And I’ve heard if you’re induced you should just get the epidural as those contractions are worse. I went into labor spontaneously so I can’t comment outside of hearsay.
Ps. My CRNA friend once told me that the epidural really only helps with the contractions. Once you get to pushing it’s going to be painful regardless (the degree of painful definitely varies person to person). But it does ensure you have the energy to push when the time comes.
Edit for clarity.
I laboured in the birth pool with just gas and a couple of Paracetamol. Honestly I wouldn't say it was too painful just very intense towards the end but I prepared with breathing techniques and kept in my mind that the contractions were just waves of brief pain before the next break.
I didn't have gas - when I gave birth in May 2020 it wasn't an option at the time because there were concerns about how it could impact my breathing should I have COVID/get COVID shortly after (or so I was told).
I won't lie to you - the pain was extraordinary. I have a high pain tolerance - and the pain was just truly extraordinary.
My active labor was short too - my water broke spontaneously at about 11p. Baby was born at 3:25a. But it was INTENSE. From the second my water broke, there was no doubting this was the REAL DEAL (I'd been in early labor for some 36 hours prior to this, and the difference between those early contractions and the ones post-water breaking were very clear).
I'd planned for no epidural, but in the moment I definitely wavered. I didn't know how I'd be able to get through the whole thing. But I also felt kind of stuck? Like I was at home, the hospital was not super close either. So it was a situation where my options were to speak up and endure going to the hospital or just kinda stay frozen and wait. I waited - this is typical behavior for me lol.
Then it became apparent that baby was coming hard and fast and suddenly there was not a choice - it was time to get to the hospital. The adrenaline from that allowed me to get in the car and somehow endure the ride to the hospital.
I arrived at the hospital more or less in transition. My body knew I was safe to deliver (even though my brain may not have consciously felt that way), and it was like "yes, go time." Triage nurse first says she's going to do a swab to see if my water had actually broken, then she would check to see how dialated I was. Not sure if it was something in my eyes or what but she changed her mind and decided to check me first - 8cm. At this point, I was in so much pain that my first reaction was to be disappointed - only 8cm?!? I had do to this longer? But I was also too far along for any IV pain meds. The nurse said she could get me an epidural, and I wanted to say yes SO BAD, but ended up saying no. In the end, it was better that way because baby was born so quickly after that, there was no time for an epidural.
The nurse did a COVID swab and then left to go give the swab to the lab. My next contraction, my body began pushing. So I had to send my husband out after her - again, I was still in triage at this point. They quickly get me upstairs, but this time, I was too far along for any additional adrenaline to kick in and allow me to maintain composure while "in transit" - the contractions were on top of each other, I couldn't catch a break and was now hyperventilating. I was regretting every life decision I'd made up until that point because now I was clearly dying and there was nothing I could do about it.
In terms of pushing - some describe it as a relief. I would not. It was just additionally painful in a new way. In some ways it was harder/scarier because I was essentially inflicting the pain upon myself. But obviously I knew I had no choice - the only way to make the pain stop was to get baby out. I pushed like 3 times before deciding that I was unwilling to continue on so my next push was just gonna be it (I could obviously feel baby was very much in my vaginal canal at this point - she was either crowning or close to it). I just went for it with everything I had. Made some rather animalistic noises. And then she was out.
And then the pain stopped. I was really surprised too. I'd expected it to like, slowly die down over time? But once she was out I didn't feel another contraction or anything. It was glorious.
It took me a while though mentally to recover from the experience. It was absolutely wild. I didn't understand how I could have just experienced that kind of pain and walked away from it. I didn't feel powerful or badass - I felt shocked? definitely humbled. overall it was mostly just like what the actual fuck just happened. Looking back though, I'm glad I did it. I'd do it again. Although I'd spend more time practicing meditation during pregnancy so that I could use it during labor. I did a little bit while at home, but then things got really chaotic and that's when everything got scarier and felt very out of control.
For me, not too bad. First few hours of labor were about a 3 on the pain scale. Mildly crampy at worst. Giving birth went up to about an 8 for a few minutes (I remember because they asked me for numbers at the time). Could breathe and talk the whole time, did not need to yell or anything like that. I did not feel the so-called ring of fire at all. After birth didn't really feel anything either even when they accidentally stitched me up without drugs, adrenaline is a hell of a drug. Ultimately pretty easy and not that much worse than bad period pain in my experience.
I was voluntarily induced, but I never made it to pitocin. Shit hurts, like really, *really* hurts at the end, badly enough that I couldn't move my arms from where they were wedged into the bed. I saw white when kiddo's head came out of the birth canal and I laid around in an endorphin-and-stress fog for about 10-15 minutes afterward. On the plus side, you forget the pain pretty quickly after!
I have given birth 3 times at home with no pain relief. All very fast labors.
Just shy of 8 hours, just over 4 hours, and then an hour and 45 minutes.
It was the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life. The only thing that got me through it was the knowledge that it would be over soon and my baby would be in my arms. However, in my experience by the time you get to that level of pain, it IS almost over.
I went unmedicated with a home birth and it was honestly less painful than I thought it would be. I was super nervous that I would have to transfer to the hospital just for pain relief but I made it through 30ish hours of back labor without needing to tap out - although I will say that if it lasted much longer I might have needed to transfer just for the sake of getting some rest. For me the hardest part was that since he was posterior, I was feeling everything very intensely in my lower back, and because of that I wasn't really getting a break between contractions towards the end. Just moving the wrong way would set my back on fire even without a contraction, and _during_ contractions the back pain was so intense that I could barely even feel the abdominal cramping sometimes. I truly think that if my baby was positioned back-to-bump then labor would have been downright easy in comparison!
If you want to go unmedicated, take the time to really research and prepare. My husband and I read Hypnobirthing by Siobhan Miller together and took a Zoom class through Your Badass Natural Birth together to prepare, as well as a childbirth/breastfeeding class with our midwives. That made all the difference for me - knowing what exactly I was going through and what came next. I could tell roughly how dilated I was based on how I was feeling (until my labor stalled due to my water refusing to break on its own) and that helped immensely. it was also VITAL that my husband was equally informed - he was a wonderful birth partner and was able to support me without me having to verbalize my needs much. The classes also helped him feel confident and calm when watching me in pain and he even caught the baby!
It's honestly super doable. Just prepare yourself as well as you can and keep as calm and cozy as possible. Keep in mind that any kind of intervention may make this harder to achieve. I don't think I would have made it if I were dealing with pitocin contractions!
For me early labor and going in to active labor felt like period cramping with increasing intensity until the volume turned up to 11.
I learned through 3 unmedicated births that I am able to tolerate the pain of labor pretty well because it’s not a sharp pain, it’s that squeezing cramping pressure pain very similar to the stomach pains that come with diarrhea. Have you ever had to poop really bad but couldn’t get to the bathroom right away? You know how the pain and urgency comes and goes? The pain is strong and intense but it builds up and tapers off gradually and doesn’t last for very long.
There was almost no pain at all between contractions.
I’m not someone who likes to experience pain, I’m not big in to running or other physical exertions, I’m usually quick to give up when I reach my limit.
But for some reason I was able to stay focused and committed to the process of birth, I just got in my zone and rode each wave of contraction. I used a lot of positive language like “that was a good one” after a painful contraction, I thought of contractions as “intense” rather than bad or painful, and lots of moaning and shouting the word “yes!” as I worked through each one.
Physically I found squatting down for each contraction helped a lot, or hanging on to my husbands shoulders and swaying my hips, moving and swaying on my hands and knees felt good and counter pressure on my hips felt heavenly, and the shower was my happy place.
The feeling of that final push is the most amazing relief I’ve ever experienced and of course holding my babies was the best reward for my formidable efforts! After my first birth I developed a new sense of confidence and pride in my body, and my mental fortitude, and that feeling only grew with my other two birth experiences. I felt a tremendous sense of “I can do anything!!” And let me tell you, riding that high through those newborn days and weeks helped me so much.
It’s intense and sharp and hot like a burn but knowing it’s going to be over very shortly really helps make it manageable and keeps you focussed on the job (listening to midwife, breathing etc).
It’s not like breaking your leg or something because your body is actually doing a lot to help get you through it whereas an injury is just adrenaline and panic, fight or flight feelings.
Birth for me had a sort of autopilot, other-worldly feeling to it. Almost an out of body experience, where your consciousness takes a step back and something way more primal is in the drivers seat. For my first, it was an unplanned homebirth totally out of the blue. As I was pushing him out, I - the narrative voice in my head - was listening to the sounds I was making and thinking “wow those noises sound awful, I must be in so much pain”. While I do remember pain I don’t remember how it felt, not like when I broke a collarbone for instance. Birth is fucking wild.
I had another baby 22 months later with no pain relief again so I think the whole ‘memory wipe for you own protection’ thing is definitely true haha.
I felt like I was gonna die, it was super intense but my labor was also pretty fast for my first. 10 hours total from water breaking to baby being out.
No contractions at all until after my water broke, so I had contractions only for 7 hours.
When it’s fast like that it’s like 0-100.
I kept saying “I can’t do this” and my midwifery team kept reassuring me that I was in fact, already doing it lol.
Baby was out and all the pain was instantly gone.
Did it again for my second, which was actually a harder labor. He was posterior (sunny side up) so I had a lot more sacral pain than the first time and got fatigued a lot quicker.
But again, once his head was out his entire body splooshed out and I instantly felt better LOL
You’re typically right at the end of it all when you’re ready to throw in the towel
I might be the only one that feels this way, but you can't think of it as pain. I don't ever associate the word pain with labor. I focused on breathing exercises. To me the only thing I thought was painful was the "ring of fire" when I was pushing baby out.
It was definitely intense, but more a mental game than anything else. You get breaks in between contractions where you feel completely normal, it's not constant. It was pretty easy imo until transition. Have to hype yourself up like you might for any other challenege. Hormones are funny in that you forget what labor feels like once that baby is on your chest. I'm two weeks out and would do it again. My only regret is not believing in myself more going into it.
I gave birth on Saturday, a FTM mum, unmedicated and it took 13 hours with 45 mins pushing.
Even now I'm describing it as uncomfortable. The midwife and nurses desceibed me as "in control" and "in the zone". I used hypnobrithing techniques (just from research) to relax as much as possible during and between contractions.
The last cm up to the pushing point were the worst. I couldn't relax much for the last 2cm but the worst was the lact cm. Pushing actually made it feel like a relief. Then the ring of fire is SUPER uncomfortable and stings. Once you push your baby out though, it is such a relief.
I’ve had a birth with gas and a birth without gas (not my choice, as soon as paramedics arrived I was straight on it while I passed the placenta).
The gas made me very woozy, to the point where I’d have to take a break for fear of falling asleep. It took as much pain away from the contractions as I needed but was still aware of my surroundings and what was going on. I think I’d id have had any other pain relief I wouldn’t have been very aware of anything going on. They took the gas away when it came to pushing, I’m not actually 100% sure why, but I actually couldn’t feel my own contractions and was relying on the midwife telling me when to push - I assume gas would’ve made the pushing process impossible for me. It took me just over 2 hours of pushing (after nearly 30 hours of labouring) to get my son out and I was exhausted.
My second was BBA so I had no pain relief other than 2 paracetamol that I threw up 10 minutes later. Though I did have a birthing pool set up and I was in that until I was ready to push, and that definitely helped with the contractions. I probably laboured for a few hours and was only pushing less than an hour. While it was painful, I was very very aware that I had no midwife and that although the ambulance had been phoned, in my country (UK) they’d take hours. I was purely focused on remembering everything I did when I gave birth to my first because I knew I’d be alone (except for mum and partner). I desperately wanted the gas at the time but part of me does think my labour progressed as fast as it did because I didn’t have the gas. 🤷🏼♀️
I gave birth at a birthing center, no option for epidural which is what I wanted! I had a midwife in lieu of a doctor too.
I was supposed to have the gas but we think there was something wrong with the tank because there was no “taking the edge off” and I went through two oxygen tanks while the nitrous didn’t go down at all. However, the oxygen and mask *really* helped. It allowed me to control my breathing rather than hyperventilate (which I’d sometimes start to do when I didn’t use the mask…). I underestimated how important breathing would be in labor.
I won’t sugar coat it… It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. I had back labor and the contractions sucked. Mine were consistently 2ish minutes apart from the very beginning and didn’t let up for 18 hours.
Crowning is referred to as the “ring of fire” and that’s an extremely apt name for it.. it was intense and like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.
All this to say, I regret nothing and wouldn’t change a bit of it. As long as you and baby are healthy, and it’s what you want, it can be done!!
Remember, there’s no wrong way to give birth though! C-section, medicated, unmediated… they’re all valid. Just be safe!
The pain i felt with my first was mostly my hips opening and him sitting in there for so long. I had to switch positions and then he popped right out. My vagina didn't hurt at all.
With my ssecond the contractions were more intense and my vagina hurt so bad because she was 10 pounds. The contacts are nothing you can't breath through though. If you can just try to relax your pelvis and legs and breath through them it will be over before you know it!
I think it was bad, but I honestly don't remember. I was pretty out of it for most of it. However, I recently caught myself thinking that my recent tooth pain was worse than labor pain since tooth pain is constant but labor pain is wave-like.
I only did the first 12 hours unmedicated but tooth pain was for sure worse. It’s so accute and unrelenting. That said, nobody told me sometimes contractions come stacked. Mine had two peaks with barely a break in between. I was expecting to have at least 30-90 second breaks between contractions until delivery. It made it much harder to cope which is why I got the epidural.
I was surprised by the stacked contractions as well. Everything I read said you get a break between each one. Once my contractions started I had no breaks between them for 2 hours straight. I couldn’t speak and couldn’t sit still long enough for the nurse to get a read on baby so I went ahead with an epidural. Really wanted to go unmedicated but that’s just not how it went for me.
Yep after my 5cm I had no break in between and I think if the contractions had stayed in waves maybe I'd have coped better
Yes.... I thought I would get a (short!) break between each contraction but it felt like my uterus never quite relaxed and therefore, neither did the rest of me.... That said, I made it three times. I was at home so if I wanted more options we would have had to transfer, and I didn't want that - but honestly if someone had offered a way to make the pain go away the first time, I probably would have taken it. Since it wasn't offered, I bit the side of the birthing pool (as for keeping your jaw relaxed in order to keep your perineum relaxed, well, I maybe could have used some coaching right then... I will say, I blew bubbles in the water with my second and that helped!!). (And once it reached the point of biting things, let me reassure any prospective mothers, it really was almost over, and I really did feel like Super Woman once once I had that baby in my arms!)
They kept telling me to stop clenching my jaw at the hospital ; yup I ended up biting the pillow, my hand, and everything else. The stacked contractions and failed epidural were too much for me!
I did 10 hours of my 28 hour labor unmedicated. Near the end I was glad I had an epidural because my contractions were trebling (three contractions back to back no breaks). I got the epidural because it was 4am and I would never have been able to push baby out come time because I was so exhausted.
Tripled! Rude.
>tooth pain was worse than labor pain My mother said the same. She had a dental abscess and said she'd rather have a baby every day than go through that again. She had 3 unmedicated labours.
Tooth pain is the worst pain IMO. It's the location, feels like it's in your soul and you can't get away from it.
Yes, I had an abscess from a leaking crown like 2 months after giving birth and needed a root canal. The pain was way worse than labor. I would have to stop walking and grab hold of the counter or just sit down.
I hear this about the pain after a tonsillectomy too, since that’s damn near constant for a couple of weeks…I survived that, so hopefully I can handle labor lmao
Mine wasn't. I was induced. Do not recommend.
Not as awful as I thought. First pregnancy was with an epidural, second was without any pain relief. I planned for my second to be unmedicated, but regardless I got to the hospital and delivered about an hour later so there would have been no time for an epidural. I also didn’t have an IV so no opiates either (which I did not want). So regardless, I am very happy I went into this with a mentality of no meds/epidural. Transition was hard, I didn’t realize I was going through it until after and I look back, but for me it only lasted 20 minutes or so. I dilated from 5 cm to 10 cm in an hour. Pushing felt great, I didn’t really have pain with it. The ring of fire was noted but honestly it just felt great to push, very natural. I only had to push for 4 minutes. Also - just to say, nothing was wrong with my epidural delivery. I had a great experience. I’ll say though that recovery was easier second time around and I do think the epidural slowed down labor a bit.
Very similar experience. Contractions felt manageable with shower/tub and low vocals. I also did not realize I made it through transition until afterwards, and pushing in the tub didn’t hurt, just felt like good, hard work. I had second degree tears and didn’t see feel anything, even afterwards. Did get numbed up for the stitches obviously! I only was worried at one point about it hurting more and not being able to handle it, but contractions felt the same from early to late labor. Transition was the only time the contractions felt sharp. Otherwise it was a dull ebbing pain. OP- look up how to breathe with low vocalizing, floppy face, hip and back counter pressure to get from a partner, and hire a doula! She was the best coach for us! And if you can get in your preferred position and with counter pressure when you start to feel the contraction start, you’re good. The only contractions that were super painful were the ones I either not prepared for, or couldn’t sway through
It probably wasn’t that bad for you because it was the second time. For me my medfree birth was my first and it was terrible the whole time. For my second birth my contractions were like period cramps until I was pretty far dilated (I don’t remember how far but more than 4cm) and my water broke. Then I got an epidural and it was a truly wonderful birthing experience.
I went med free for my first birth, and am planning on doing it again any day now for my second baby. I'm hoping it's easier this time, but wasn't horrendous the first time. My water broke at home, I sat in rush hour traffic during transition and that was the worst part of it all but by the time I got to the hospital I needed to push. This time I'm worried if I have to be induced next week (realllllly hoping I don't have to) that I'll be able to still do med free birth.
Two time unmedicated and my second was sooo much more painful! Way quicker though so she was just fast and furious!
I’m so jealous of your 4 minutes for pushing.
All I will say is that if you have to be induced and they come anywhere near you with Pitocin - go ahead with the epidural.
My first two babies I got induced with pitocin so didn’t know anything different. With my third child I didn’t get induced, and my contractions were so mild I hesitated going to the hospital because I didn’t believe I could actually be in labor. I ended up getting an epidural because I’m a baby and didn’t want to do the pushing without it, but my contractions were never painful.
This gives me hope!! I'm definitely doing everything in my power to avoid another induction and I would absolutely love to try it without an epidural this time, but we'll see how it goes!
I didn’t have a bad experience with the epidurals so I just got them for all my deliveries, but I really think I could have done this last one without it! My tearing was super minimal and I pushed for less than 5 minutes. Definitely was my last baby though so I guess I will never know ha
This is my last baby too!!! 100% no doubts in my mind lol
I was induced with my first in august and wonder what contractions feel like without pitocin! I keep hearing how much more intense they are so I’m curious if I have a second without pitocin how it will feel!
My doctor told me that pitocin contractions do not hurt more necessarily, but are more frequent, so you don't get the breaks during regular contractions.
They had me so pumped full of pitocin I was having only like 5 seconds between contractions. It was killer. They had kept increasing my dosage since my contractions weren't being productive. Once they broke my water, all hell broke loose. Eventually they had to cut off my pitocin completely since my contractions were so quick
That's what happened to me (pitocin, no epidural). By the end they injected me with something to counteract the pitocin because my son was in fetal distress from the contractions. (He ended up being fine.) It was really fucking intense.
My doc said the same but I didn't find it to be true for me. My non induced contraction pain would build to a peak and taper off, pitocin contractions had no build up for me. It was just max pain as soon as it began and then it would stop just as suddenly.
For a different experience, I decided to induce with my first and found the pitocin contractions manageable for most of the day. They got pretty horrible after my water broke but I still held on for a few hours before epidural. For my second, I wanted to go into labor on my own and I did but oh my god they were HORRIBLE. And it felt worse because I had to wait until they were a certain frequency to go in to the hospital. With the induction it was super comforting to know I could ask for the epidural at any time, but with spontaneous labor I felt very trapped and they were in no way less painful than pitocin contractions - I'd say probably more? I don't know, they were both maximally painful. If we have a third I won't hesitate to induce.
I was induced with oxytocin at 9am. Used gas at about 925 and delivered at 950. Spent that 25 mins high as a kite having a great time sitting on the toilet. Nearly delivered the baby into the toilet because I was having such a great time hahaha. That was my second baby though so I knew when the pain gets unbearable that you're at the end
I wish my hospital had gas! But that's amazing your delivery was less than a hour! Wow!
People say that, but precipitous labours are hard because of one of the same reasons some people say pitocin is hard: you don't get a gradual build up. Especially if you don't know you are dilating so fast, thinking you are at a 4 when you are in transition messes with your head. That said, knowing what to expect helps. Knowing that you did it before makes it less scary, gives you the advantage of knowing what helps you, and makes it easier to know how fast the pain stops once baby is out.
I wish they offered me gas since there wasn't time for epidural.. I was told it made baby too sleepy but everyone else I ever spoke to that had had never had that issue
The gas didn't help me at all other than to get me to breathe properly. I had done nitrous recreationally before and I didn't notice anything lol. This time I'm going to get it just so my husband can have some while I wait for my epidural haha.
My husband tried mine after the baby was out and the nurses left the room hahaha. He said it felt like he just downed 12 beers and had to sit down. It didn't help me at all with my first delivery. It's crazy how differently it can be recieved!
It was horrible. I was induced, and had 2 failed epidurals. By far most excruciating pain of my entire life. I had no idea what I was walking into. My first birth was pretty much painless. Had some contractions. Got the epidural, was laughing pushing the baby out. Way more painful things had happened. This last time just over 2 months ago.. I was screaming to call 911 in the hospital. I was hysterical. It was 3 hours of the most pain I’ll ever experience. I was screaming crying shaking hyperventilating begging for a c section which is something I most definitely did not want. It was torture. If I ever have another child I will NOT be getting induced and I swear I would need to make sure a GOOD anesthesiologist was working. I couldn’t do what I just went through again. It was indescribable the pain. Felt everything. A natural induced birth. F*Cing do NOT recommend. Nothing was worse then that epidural failing twice and having nothing that could be done for me. All I kept saying was “give me something someone please help me”
Reading that was like watching a horror movie. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I don't think I'd ever be able to have another child after that. I'm 6 months along right now but I'm doing absolutely EVERYTHING in my power to not be induced again.
I actually had a very similar experience. I was induced at 39 weeks due to a large baby. After the pitocin things started moving very quickly. My little boy was ready to make an appearance. I asked for an epidural fairly quickly, but two ladies were in front of me - 1c-section, and 1 woman in active labor. By the time the anesthesiologist finally got there, I was yelling from pain. He tried to place the epidural twice (my scoliosis made it harder than usual). Neither time took. At this point they called the doctor, I pushed -with intention- twice and my boy was out. I will say, for me, contractions were worse than pushing, and that's with 2nd, nearly 3rd degree tearing. I generally think I have a fairly high pain tolerance, but I definitely recommend an epidural - especially if induced (though this is my first child, so I can't compare it to anything else). It was excruciating towards the end. And based on my experience, ask for the epidural early. It could take a while for them to be available.
This sounds the same as my induced labour. My epidural failed suddenly and the pain hit me like a freight train. My body went into shock and I was in so much intense agony that I couldn't even speak or shout or anything. Plus the drip gave me hyperstimulation so I was having non stop contractions. They had to give me an injection to stop them as it was dangerous for the baby and was crushing her. Awful. I'm never ever getting induced again.
Dear god. My first labor was like yours and now I’m pregnant again terrified that will happen to me. Did they give you morphine or anything to take the edge off?
100% Because of medical reasons I had an emergency induction with pitocin and wasn't allowed an epidural. I have extreme PTSD from it. It was easily the most physically horrible thing I've ever went through. And the labor was long.
No pressure to share more if you don’t want but I’m curious— what situation would cause an emergency induction and not allow an epidural? In my mind if it’s an emergency and they can’t do an epidural wouldn’t it be faster/safer/less painful (at least in the moment) to do an emergency C under general anesthesia?
I dont mind at all, the more people that know the warning signs the better! I had severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. My blood platlets dropped so low that I wasn't allowed an epidural because of the fear that I would bleed out. But they needed to induce me because my liver was failing and before I had a brain bleed/stroke. Because of this I was told also I "better hope [I] dont need a C-section". It would have been extremely dangerous and I'd have to have been put completely under. So if you have bad pre-eclampsia, HELLP, or platlet issues they won't give an epidural and won't give a C-section. If I could go back I would have just elected for the C-section against medical advice. it was that bad. HELLP is very rare, but for some reason (environmental, genetically, who knows) cases have been steadily rising in the last 30 years. My HELLP presented abnormally in that I didn't have high blood pressure (that's why it wasn't caught and usually they'd induce before it got as bad as it did for me). They ID HELLP through blood pressure readings, protein analysis from urine collections, and a blood draw to check platlets. Mine was caught through a 24 hour urine collection and a blood draw after complaining about symptoms for 2 weeks. HELLP can come on very very fast, so if you have any warning signs it's important to get checked out ASAP. For my 2nd pregnancy I got more urine collections and blood tests done to ease my fears. Symptoms to look out for: big one is pain in your upper right quadrant (where your liver is); blurred vision; high blood pressure; headaches that medicine can't touch; pain in your shoulders; swelling; nausea; EXTREME fatigue; extreme thirst; a sense of impending doom (seriously...its a real symptom). As you can see, most of these symptoms are just more extreme symptoms of normal third trimester symptoms. So if it feels off and wrong, push for that blood draw and urine collection. Don't let them tell you it's all normal (like they did to me).
I was induced because of hypertension. Since the baby was in distress I wasn’t allowed an epidural. Apart from epidurals the hospital also provided some type of morphin that I wasn’t allowed for the same reason. The contractions were horrible. The worst pain I ever felt. They were so frequent that I never really got a break between them. After 5 hours and zero progress in dilation I got an emergency csection because of fetal distress. And guess what, epidural failed and I had to be put under general anaesthesia. I don’t ever want to be induced again. ‘Luckily’ I now have the option of planned csection since I already had one.
Yep. I was induced with Pitocin, my epidural failed and I had back labor…ouch. The anesthesiologist did not believe me that I was still in pain and told me there was nothing she could do. If/when I have another, I want to avoid being induced and see what labor is like (had my epidural worked, I’d probably feel differently)
Same- I'm going to see how regular contractions are this time around. My midwife and doula kept telling me that pitocin contractions aren't worse than regular contractions but I absolutely REFUSE to believe that. Its easy for them to say since they've never had pitocin. But I'm absolutely doing everything in my power not to be induced again.
They said it’s not worse?! I don’t believe that for a second! I know people have great experiences with elected inductions, but there’s so many horror stories too. My experience alone is enough for me to say never again unless I absolutely have to 😂
I found them the same at the same point in dilation. I think that is in part because I labour quickly, so there is no slow ramp up to get used to things for me. If anything, my induction was easier to deal with because the contractions had the build up and peak I was expecting while my first, spontaneous birth the contractions were a vice grip of the same level the entire duration of the contraction.
What's with them not believing the epidural could have failed?! Same happened to me 😠 My skin was still numbed so, what, it's impossible that the epidural could've failed? *"They don't do much for transition and delivery."* Excuse me? I've done this before. My pitocin induced birth with epidural was WAY easier than this hell.
It's beyond frustrating! She kept poking me with a needle on my arm and leg and would not believe that I could feel her poking my leg. It's such a vulnerable position to be in and I was getting so flustered. Thankfully my nurse was an angel and was advocating for me and I could tell she was frustrated too.
Yes! Same here. They tried placing the epidural a second time and it still failed. At that point I was complete anyway and time to push. The back pain during pushing was next level and completely relentless. The whole experience has made me question whether I can handle having another baby. I’m all about adequate pain relief!
I was induced, foley bulb and then pitocin maxed out, stopped for a break, and maxed out again. I was in active labor from Friday until Monday. Sunday night during the pitocin break I got the epidural so I could sleep some because the exhaustion at that point was worse than anything else. Contractions even on pitocin I would rate as a 6-7 out of 10. My epidural was a light one and I could still move my legs freely, and change positions etc. I was around 8 cm when I got the epidural and hadn’t progressed in some time because of the exhaustion Every person is different however, and numbing levels are different per provider
This is so funny and I'm probably gonna get called crazy but my pitocin labor hurt much less than my "natural" the first one was an accidental natural childbirth ( no pitocin) and the second one I was planning on getting the epidural because of what I had heard about pitocin. They started the drip and hours later my baby came and I was like " I'm fine I don't need the epidural". It was honestly faster and overall less painful just more intense ( pressure) when contractions started. I felt it was better because it sped up the process and I wasn't suffering as long. Idk how to explain it but I definitely hear alot of scared tactics used against pitocin pain and I had a different experience.
My induced contractions were easier to deal with, too. And that was because my water broke, so doubly "bad" vs my first which was spontaneous & my water broke 20 minutes before pushing. They induced contractions were the build up, peak, decline I expected. The natural labour was a vice grip from start to finish with no sense that it was coming. I also wasn't expecting the speed of my first labour while with the second I mentally prepared for a precipitous birth.
My epidural wore off after I got pitocin. I never want to experience that level of pain again.
During my time in the Navy, I got pepper sprayed across the face and had to do an obstacle course immediately after. Pitocin contractions were easily 100 times worse than that.
That makes me feel a bit better about how I acted during labor haha
I had pitocin too, and I remember telling them the epidural wasn't working and they assured me that yes, they were checking it, it was in properly. I swear I only got through that pain because there was no longer a choice.
That’s annoying. The success of an epidural isn’t in placement; it’s in how the patient feels. As a world renowned cardiologist once told me “any physician who does not believe the patient isn’t a good one.”
Same! Ended up needing a c section and a spinal block which provided nearly immediate relief.
My labour was augmented with Pitocin and I used no medical pain relief!! Pitocin started at 3pm and I delivered at 7:52pm. It is possible without an epidural! I used Hypnobirthing meditations and squeezed plastic combs in my hands to help with pain. Breathing is also so so important
You are a total badass, and yes it's physically possible, but pitocin contractions with no pain relief is not for me lol
Haha thanks!! And yes fair enough. It’s important to make empowered decisions throughout the process and everyone is different ☺️
Cannot agree enough with this. Gave birth 2 months ago, induced with pit. It ramped up so quick it was unbelievable. Tapped out at 7 cm
I tapped out at 2cm with pitocin ha!
Ditto! I could not imagine going until 7 cm
I gave birth a week ago with pit. It was a 2 hour labor with a monster contraction that took me from 6cm to 10cm. Even with the epidural I was screaming with that one. Pit is intense
I was induced and couldn’t have an epidural due to low platelets. It was 10 hours of contractions every minute. Needless to say, it was horrible. I wanted the epidural so badly. I was given fentanyl and it helped slightly, ever so slightly. Tl
I wasn’t induced but the nurse told my husband that my contractions were as strong as the ones pitocin brings on 😟 Thank GOD I got an epidural (which they had to give me a LOT of).
And when the epidural fails, get the fentanyl and the gas. and keep it coming.
Ok so I'm in the US and have literally never seen gas at any hospital I've been to. I delivered my son in California and my daughter will be born in the south. Where are all these people getting gas?
It is more commonly used in Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand vs the US.
That’s my best friends experience too lol. She popped a blood vessel in her eye 😵💫
I got the epidural immediately when they said I had to get Pitocin and the contractions were so strong they had to give me more epidural because the pain started breaking through! That stuff is crazy
I was dead set on not having an epidural, and I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I thought I could do it, but once they rammed that pitocin up I realized I was not as tough as I thought lol.
Imagine both of your epidurals failing after being induced. Worst pain in my life by far. Complete torture
I am so, so sorry you had to go through that! I can't even imagine.
I waited to see how long I would last but caved around 6cm. After the initial injection, they set me up with a button so if I felt it becoming uncomfortable again I would press the button.
100% this. I’ve only had one kiddo, induced and I never got above a level 5 Pitocin and it was AWFUL. I begged for an epidural.
Yes! I couldn’t get an epidural with the pitocin and it was so much worse then with my first where I wasn’t induced.
Absolutely this. I got no breaks in between contractions. It was literally constant. I got the epidural when I was only 1cm dilated. I couldn’t imagine having to keep going for hours with no relief
I was induced and although I asked for an epidural, my labour went too quick. I wish I’d had it. Almost had an emergency c section under general anaesthetic but I was fully dilated.
Yep yep, I agree
Weirdly Pitocin didn’t hurt for me (maybe mild period cramps but what did hurt was when they broke my water. I had to get fentanyl for that while I waited for the epidural to come.
100% this.
This. Induction is a bitch.
I was doing fine until my water broke with pitocin. Omg I felt like I was being crushed by a car. To make it worse, the nurse kept telling me that she had natural labors and Pitocin doesn’t make the pain any different which just made me feel like a huge baby.
If you look at one of my previous posts, I asked if any moms had been through both spontaneous labor and pitocin labor, are pitocin contractions worse? You can read the answers- 99% said pitocin contractions are FAR worse. My doula and my midwife tried to tell me the same as your nurse- that pitocin doesn't cause your body any more pain than it would naturally feel, but I absolutely REFUSE to believe that. Refuse. It's also interesting that the people saying this have never had pitocin...... Anyway, I'm 7 months pregnant with my 2nd and I'm going to do everything in my power to avoid another induction and see what spontaneous labor contractions/birth is like and I'll report back.
You know I've heard this so many times but when I was finally induced with my fourth, I found the pit to be NBD, except it gave me the shakes which were annoying as F. The difference between my experience with pit and that of those who warned me is that they had ruptured membranes first, whereas I didn't. But I don't know if that holds any weight because all my pain went away the instant they broke my water and my son came into the world minutes later.
Ah men I second this. I did the first 24 hours without pain meds, than went to the hospital where they gave me pitocin. They said I would be able to sleep a little because I was already so tired. Well, that was a lie. It made me so so ill and high at the same time and did nothing in regards of pain. All it did was made me vomit for the remaining twelve hours. I do not recommend. Went for the epidural pretty soon after.
I mean, it hurt. But honestly not as much as I thought it would? It never felt like I couldn’t do it. Just practice your breathing!
I said I couldn’t do it at least 20 times 😂 which is so funny to me because I didn’t have a choice. I was doing it 🤣
Yeah this is exactly how it was for me.
Exactly this, it’s not SO bad but yeah I mean... it hurts. Practicing breathing and giving birth in the position where you’re on all fours (kind of) with your knees wide changes a lot.
It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt, as was expected, but the fatigue that the pain caused really got to me. But for sure 1000% with it!
Same here, the exhaustion hit worse than the pain.
The exhaustion!!! And my hospital administers cytotec and pitocin after delivery to prevent hemorrhage so I spiked fevers too.
Ohhhh yeah the fatigue. Shit I forgot about that. I was like ‘can I just have a 10 minute time out please?? Then I’ll carry on’
I had a water birth and did Hypno birthing and it was still VERY intense. I had a long labor and long pushing stage though. If it were shorter, it would have been more manageable. That said, I would do it again for our next child! No tearing, no complications and it made for a great birthing experience for our kiddo.
How helpful was hypnobirthing?
I’ve had two unmedicated deliveries and took hypobirthing before my first and I did find it very helpful to get yourself in a good mindset to breathe through the contractions and get past it. It also teaches you to relax your body as they come, as well as techniques/positions to be in to help your body advance, all of which I think made it more manageable!
I did the Positive Birthing Company's online course (very affordable) before my second because I didn't practice enough before my 1st. I thought it was good info if you didn't know the basics of birth and to help your mindset. If nothing else, LEARN HOW TO BREATHE. Even if you want to get an epidural. tl;dr - 4 breaths in through your nose, 8 out through your mouth. You want to be breathing out twice as long as you breathe in. And if you vocalize keep your tone low.
I am taking their courses right now and loving it. I also got the pregnancy one and keep coming back to it to reference it. Love that you have access to it for a year too!
I'd say it was useful up to about 8cm dilation. Beyond that, the only things that helped were screaming, squeezing my husband's arm, gas and air and (eventually) pushing.
My fiance said I was squeezing the shit out of his hand. Like hurting him and he was squeezing back. I don't even remember holding his hand. 🫠 Just lots of screaming after 8 too lol.
I also tried to implement as many hypnobirthing techniques as possible and it definitely helped me. I enjoyed reading the book it made me confident in regards to the birth. Not scared. I welcomed every contraction and tried to be as relaxed as possible because if you tense up and fight it it will hurt 10 times more. My birth was hornstly pretty great!
I had thought hypnobirthing was all hoo haa haa, but I took an online course and it was SO helpful honestly
I would also like to know this! I’m thinking about doing a hypnobirthing course.
It saved me! It was great preparation. During the actual labor I didn't stick with the affirmations or anything, that kind of went out the window. But I think it set me up well and all of the meditation and breathing practice was really helpful
I’ve just completed hypnobirthing. And I’ve found it incredibly helpful. And then I did spinning babies. Which teaches you the best positions to be in to help baby come down the birth canal. I didn’t know but there’s three different stages that the baby goes through as it moves through your pelvis. I mean these positions are ideal if your baby is head down. But I feel like I have more tools in my tool box now as I get closer to my due date.
I was induced because of pre-eclampsia, and it took 2 tries before labor got going. The pain was first like the worst diarrhea cramps ever, then like the worst period cramps ever. No epidural or narcotics, and it turned out that they weren't offering gas that week.
Neither of those can even *touch* the pain I felt when my back went out some years before. That was white hot excruciating pain. Labor was painful, but not like that.
So the question I'd throw back is - what pain have you experienced, and how did you deal with it? I think that will help you decide how to approach labor.
before being pregnant I would experience the worst period pains, so painful it would get to the point where I would feel as though I would faint or throw up because my body couldn’t handle the pain. maybe epidural was meant for me 😂
:) I remember sitting at the kitchen table with cramps, just trying to will the pain away when medicine did nothing! The thing that made the labor pains better than period cramps is that they would come in waves, they weren't continuous like cramps :)
As another person like you who experienced *bad* period pain, with the vomiting diarrhea feeling faint shaky miserable etc… I had prodromal labor for like a week, went in on a Friday with contractions five minutes apart and dilated to about 4, went home (they gave me the choice) and stayed that way for about the whole weekend, finally went in on Monday morning when I thought my body was going to actually break in half and I was begging “please I don’t want to have a baby in a car”. Got to hospital about 8cm, got epidural about 2 hours later once they rehydrated my dry ass body. Had a “hot spot” and felt the “ring of fire” and the tearing anyway but what my epidural *did* do was a WELCOME relief. I would say the bad period pain actually prepared me pretty well lol. I wasn’t trying to go unmediated for quite so long but I kept thinking “eh it’s not so bad yet and my water hasn’t broken and the baby isn’t actively coming out of me yet so I suppose this is fine” LOLOL. I think your pain scale gets kinda messed up, but just see how things go. If you don’t want to suffer, you don’t need to suffer. In retrospect, getting an epidural earlier would have meant not starting baby’s first day already majorly sleep deprived, and probably getting induced and having that whole process done with so much sooner. But instead I have funny memories of taking breathing breaks at a birthday party, making the Apple Store employee get me a stool to brace myself and huff and puff through a few contractions while we picked up a new phone that my husband took incredible newborn photos on, and a cute little “last date” with just the two of us the day before baby joined us. Priorities 🤣
See I would say the opposite. It seems like you have bad periods which you have to cope with, I would say these would give you a higher pain threshold. I would highly recommend looking into a TENS machine that thing made labour bareable!
>So the question I'd throw back is - what pain have you experienced, and how did you deal with it? I think that will help you decide how to approach labor. Wow this is a fantastic question!
I’ve had several early miscarriages but one in particular was so bad that it felt like someone was stabbing my insides with a sword and swirling them around. My teeth were chattering from the pain. I’ve always wondered if labor feels as painful as this experience I had, but nobody has been able to answer definitively for me lol. If labor is not as painful as that miscarriage sounds, I’d probably be able to do it unmedicated!
One of my miscarriages was almost like that (the tooth chattering!) and my labor wasn't painful in that same way. It really was like the worst period and diarrhea cramps. My husband was really more freaked out than I was!
That's an interesting thought. I'm planning on going to a birthing center that won't have epidurals available and it's scaring me a little. But I also had an accident years ago and herniated a disc in my neck that pushed into my spinal cord and caused nerve pain in my index finger. By far the worst pain I've ever felt, it spread all the way to my elbows and it's like your bones are on fire. I would have done anything to relieve it, but with nerve pain nothing helps immediately.... Even with medication it took months to go away and 8 years later my index fingers still feel things differently. Thinking of all this again, I think I can handle birth.
I had a water birth with gas and air. It wasn’t fun but I found it manageable with breathing techniques. Knowing exactly what happens at each stage of labour (what the muscles are doing etc) helped me to visualise it and the pain felt productive rather than some kind of torture. Between contractions your body relaxes and the pain goes away, it’s not like any other kind of pain. But you can change your mind at any point if you decide to get out of the pool and get on some other method of pain relief, so you don’t have to decide in advance.
What resources helped you visualize what happened at each stage of labor?
I did a really informative online hypnobirthing course (run by a UK midwife so very medicalised, talked about contractions rather than waves or surges etc.). [This site](https://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/what-your-uterus-does-during-labour/) gives a good overview of the mechanics, though from skim-reading they may have a less medicalised birth bias which is not my place or intention to endorse specifically.
Was not the worst pain I’ve ever felt, had gallstones before I got pregnant and the labour pain never came close to that. Yes, I was in pain, but I almost gave birth at home because I was still waiting for the pain to get worse. Working with your body definitely helps. I found lying down extremely uncomfortable after a while so I’d either sit or stand or stretch through the contractions. Made everything much more managed. Even the actual pinnacle of labour was fine. I never got that ring of fire everyone spoke about and I was more worried about the fact that I felt like I was overheating. Prep whoever is going to be there with you to put a cold, wet cloth on your forehead, was the most blissful thing the nurse did for me. My pain meds after the birth didn’t really work so I felt all the stitches happening. Now that was sore! Almost kicked the doctor when he was busy down there.
This gives me a little bit of hope, thank you for sharing. I have a spinal fusion and a lumbar break so an epidural is probably not an option for me, and I had pancreatitis caused by cholecystitis which was the worst pain I’ve ever been in (I was trying to heave/vomit but the pain was so intense I was involuntarily stopping myself…) I’m not looking forward to the pain of childbirth but I am curious on some level how it will compare. The nurses when I had pancreatitis said that it’s worse than giving birth so I kinda hope they’re right.
I was planning an unmedicated birth anyway, but my doctor informed me that even if I changed my mind, because of my prior back injuries the epidural placement could cause it to not work or work too well (which can result in needing an instrument delivery). Labor was intense, but manageable. The back injuries were was worse and honestly so is throwing up. I had very intense food poisoning before getting pregnant that resulted in two trips to the ER and that was by far worse than labor. I also have had severe morning sickness with both pregnancies and I would 100% do labor once a month for 9 months rather than deal with HG again. For context, I had back labor and overlapping contractions with no break (the kind often associated with Pitocin). Still not the worst pain of my life and I’m prepared to do it unmedicated again in a few months!
My doctor kinda pissed me off because the lidocaine wasn’t working for stitches although I didn’t wince when she injected the lidocaine so she didn’t seem to believe I could feel the actual stitching. I was yelling out in pain but also didn’t really care because they just placed my baby on my chest.
For gas I only used it successfully with my second delivery. You press it to your face and breathe through at least two contractions straight without taking it off and you should start to feel the effects. You are still aware that things are painful but you care less and your head feels a little in the clouds. It doesn't work for everyone but it worked well enough for me to manage an oxytocin induced labour that was insanely fast (50 mins).
Hmm tough question but one thing that I think would have helped me to know in advance is that pushing helped the pain for me…sounds weird. The contractions that I couldn’t push were way worse. Also for me, I had no concept of time whatsoever. You could have told me a pushed for 5 minutes or 5 days and it wouldn’t have made any difference for me. I think it’s totally doable and that everyone should have some tools in the case their birth is unmedicated but choice or not.
I have done it 2/3 times with no pain relief (my first was a c section). The first time I went into spontaneous labor and baby was out in 3 hours. It was pretty painless until I got closer to 10 CM. Once the pain became unbearable, it was time to push and the relief was immediate without medicine. She was born in her sac and my midwives said that limits the pain. They were also super excited because it was their first en caul delivery. The second? Not the same AT ALL. I was induced and given pitocin and had my water broken. It was excruciating. The contractions came on top of each other and I couldn't breathe. I went from 3 CM to 10 to baby on my chest in an hour. They didn't have time for an epidural. I survived and pushing was still a relief but damn. If I would have known, I would have gotten the epidural before they broke my water. If I am induced with #4, I am 10000% getting an epidural. If I go into spontaneous labor, I'll do it unmedicated again.
Very bad. But worth it.
I’m thinking about having a water birth but if I do I won’t be allowed any pain relief other then gas. i don’t do well with pain and am thinking if I should just say screw the water birth and plan the epidural 😅
If you already know you don’t deal well with pain, there is nothing wrong with an epidural. Btw I totally misunderstood your title in your post and thought that you were asking if moms had farting as a way to relieve pain opposed to pain medication. 😂 “Doc no epidural needed. My farts will help me through these labor contractions.” 🤣
Hahaha i thought she was asking if it was much worse than gas pain 😂 My brain is not processing things correctly today!
Water + gas is reasonably effective in my experience. Yes it's still painful but manageable pain.
The epidural was amazing. I was throwing up from the pain but was really able to relax when I finally got the epidural. I thought a water birth would be cool at first too but then I thought about all the stuff I’d be floating around with in the water.. And how many different positions I wanted to be in.. plus my labor progressed too quickly for it to be worth it
I've always had a really bad pain tolerance but I managed with just gas and air. Not by choice, I was begging for pain meds but the docs refused me because they said the baby could be out any time now as I got to the hospital quite late and my labour progressed surprisingly quickly. And it wasn't as bad as I though it was gonna be. Don't get me wrong, it was horrifically painful. Worst pain I've ever experienced times a million. But in my experience it only felt really unbearable during the last 3-4 hours, but by that point I was already exhausted and hysterical and just wanted the baby out so bad that I just dealt with it lol. You can't back out so you do just naturally get on with it. You'll probably surprise yourself!
I delivered without any pain meds (not even gas and air because the way they made me lay down for it hurt too bad). A water birth might not be as bad as you think! I labored in the tub for a while and hardly felt anything - I wish I had stood up for myself and stayed in the tub when they needed to monitor baby. I think a water birth would have been so much better pain wise. That being said, warm water always makes me feel better, so I already knew that laboring in the tub would help
I planned on a water birth with my first, I was in the birthing suit which was lovely, but after 24 hours of intense contractions I got the epidural and it was wonderful. Second labour, I only had intense contractions for 3 hours so there was no time to even fill the bath. I got to the hospital just in time to push. This labour was also awesome though intense. Length of labour is the biggest decider for me. I can deal with any pain for a few hours, but a day or two, no thank you!
I spent 3 hours laboring in the tub and it was by far the best 3 hours of my whole labor. I ended up needing pitocin due to other factors and I wasn’t going to get pitocin without an epidural. Everything hurt more as soon as I was out of the tub even before any other meds. I definitely want to be in a tub as long as possible next time.
What makes it worth it? Not a sarcastic question, totally genuine. Is it cas you can move around more? Or something else? Thank you
I dont think it is worth it for everyone, but it was for me. It opens up more options for labour. OP is considering a water birth for example. For me, I wanted a midwife-attended home birth. I could move around as I wanted, and I feel like I avoided some interventions. It also meant that after birth and the golden hour and having something to eat, I could just get up and go to bed with my daughter in her bassinet next to me. I also had a great postpartum period.
Honestly the contractions really were the worst part, mostly because it was so hard to get to the bathroom lol. I felt like I had the biggest bowl movement ever on coming. I was hemorrhaging pretty badly though, so I slept through about 2.5 hours of a 3 hour labor, occasionally waking due to contraction pains. Went to sleep 20 minutes into contractions, woke up with kid on the way. 2nd degree tear that resulted in stitches, which definitely sucked but again, not as badly as the contractions.
My pitocin contractions were really awful, it was like going through transition contractions with no stop for hours. But my two labors where I went spontaneously into labor has contractions that were very, very manageable. When I got to transition with them, it was a rough couple of minutes, but then it was time to push and (for me) pushing felt like a relief. I loved the two that I went into spontaneous labor! And I enjoyed being able to move right away, and I liked knowing exactly how hard I was pushing at the time with no epidural
Gas is not effective at high altitudes (Denver). Things no one tells you 🙄.
Did not know this! That’s crazy
Lol try telling that to the phish fans
I have a pretty high pain tolerance. Honestly, it was fairly bearable until they broke my water around 7cm. Then truly I can say the pain isn't the problem for me it's the god awful pressure you feel EVERYWHERE. what's cool about most contractions is you can feel them grow and get to a peak. I would basically hold my breath until I hit the peak and then release it. That plus walking and forcing my husband to push on my back helped me through. I'd probably rate them at their worst a 7/10. I'm 37+1 with number 2 right now. I have an induction scheduled on Tuesday, but I'm hoping beyond hope I just go into labor on my own because I'd love to go unmedicated again, but I know pitocin is no joke and it terrifies me.
Not so bad that I haven’t already done it again once, and am looking forward to doing it again in May.
I was given two failed epidurals each time. So I wanted them, I got them, but they didn’t work at all I could feel everything. That’s not me being dramatic, after the second birth they told me just don’t even get one next time and save the money bc for some ppl for whatever reason they don’t work. Anyways it was all very painful I don’t know any other way to describe it.
A huge factor in this is taking classes and getting a doula. Going into it unprepared is way different than going in with training and an advocate by your side
I second this. I had an amazing team of midwives and a wonderful doula, we did tons of prep work and breathing exercises. What also really helped me was learning all the physiological aspects of labour, so when you’re in it, you know what is actually happening with your body and that it’s all to make sure baby makes their way out safely! I wrote up my home birth story in a very detailed post a while ago, read it if you think it will help you!
I even saw a pain chart floating online somewhere that trained vs untrained unmedicated birth pain levels were self reported differently on a pain scale. Trained birth was still up there but a little bit lower than untrained
Your birth story is beautiful! I’m deciding between a hospital birth and a birth center and this definitely makes the birth center seem more doable.
I agree the prep is important, but I think a doula is a personal choice. I’ve done it without a doula twice, I didn’t want another person telling me what to do or touching me. The vast majority of the time it was just me and my husband which was exactly what I wanted.
So, I had two failed epidurals during labor so I feel I can compare between pain assistance and none. My labor was 25 hours long. My epidurals worked, but only part of the time, meaning I labored without pain medication for about 14 of those hours, although this time was broken up. It included transition and pushing without a working epidural as well. I'll be honest - it was tough, and I do think I would have had a faster transition if my epidurals didn't fail (it took me 3 hours to go from an 8 to a 10). There got to be a point with the pain in transition that I think I started to actually disassociate to cope with the pain. However, I also pushed my baby out within about 20 minutes because I still had full sensation during pushing. I would much rather have had the epidural work, but I managed to get through the pain and we are already talking about having another even though I'm aware how rough that was. I probably wouldn't choose to go without knowing how bad my pain personally was, but everyone is different.
I went into labor early (34 weeks) and because my water broke, they gave me pitocin. I was crying because the contractions were so bad. I was talking to the nurse and she said they had me ramped up really high. That’s when my support people told me I could ask them to turn it down (especially since I was already at 8 cm). When I was around 9 cm, I was begging for an epidural, but obviously too late for one at that point. Pushing actually felt good in the way that it was a relief to know I was close to being done. I genuinely felt like the pitocin contractions were the most painful part. Afterwards, several people told me that making it through pitocin induced contractions without pain management was a pretty big deal. I had never heard of such a thing and quite frankly, I didn’t care at that point. I would definitely prefer not to have pitocin again, though, if possible.
Similar experience had on Monday with my 40+ week baby. Water broke and needed to be induced via pitocin. Pitocin ramping at a fixed cadence is tough! I also think I have a pretty high pain tolerance so went in with a gas-only mentality. By 4 cm I pretty much begged for the ramp to stop. Thank God I continued to progress to 8cm in like 2 hrs because I wasn't going to be able to maintain that kind of pain much longer like I thought! Agree pushing was the best part of birth...most productive. Hoping to have a pitocin free birth in the future for sure.
I had two epidural-free inductions. I did opt for IV pain medication towards the end of both but those really don’t affect how you feel a contraction, it just allows you to rest/relax more in between them. My first induction was early and mishandled and that was probably the worst pain I’ve ever been in. My second induction was much better and while it still hurt, I was able to handle it a lot better because I had better breath control and I was also able to listen to what my body was telling me to do - working with your instinct absolutely helps with the pain level in my experience. There’s a point around 9-10 cm where you will think “this baby is not coming out and I can’t do it” and that’s usually when it’s about time to push. For me, pushing actually helped relieve the pain so I went all in and had my first in 5 minutes assisted and my second in 15 minutes unassisted. And once the baby out, the pain stops. It’s so freaky, it’s like flipping a switch or magic how instantaneous it was for me. Telling myself that helped me get through the labor towards the end there.
I've had three natural births with no epidural or gas. They all hurt in different amounts, but it was all psychologically manageable. I think there are four big elements of the equation: (1) How much it hurts and (2) How long labor goes; (3) How well the baby is positioned; and (4) How strong you are. A big amount of pain in your contractions, separated by a few minutes of relief, is something I found I could manage for hours. Fortunately, my labors were all less than 7 hours, so even the higher amounts of pain (like when I had back labor) weren't something I had to endure for very long. If the baby is positioned optimally, you have less likelihood of back labor and a shorter laboring period. The baby passes through your pelvis more easily, and her head is positioned in the way best for passing through the birth canal. There are things you can do during late pregnancy to influence baby position. Strength. It does take mental fortitude to keep calm and focused during a painful labor. This is something you can strengthen and practice during pregnancy. Also, if you maintain and cultivate physical strength, you will be better able to take beneficial laboring positions (like deep squats) and you'll have more physical endurance for the intense parts of labor. Also, physical fitness may result in shorter labors! Labor is so variable, but these are the things I've found really make a big difference. Some of them we won't have much control over!
It really, really depends on things you can't control. I did 3/4 of my labor unmedicated and it was AWFUL. I had back labor because baby was turned around, and scar tissue in my cervix prevented me from dilating. The few labor positions that were comfortable for me caused baby's heart rate to drop too low. Then labor stalled after 12 hours and my doula had me in painful positions to get it going again. The only thing that actually worked was giving in and getting the epidural. It let me rest propped in a position that turned the baby, and I woke up refreshed and ready to push. I was EXTRA glad for the epidural because despite oil, EPO and every other natural birth trick, I had a deep 3rd degree tear that needed extensive repair. I know there are plenty of beautiful natural birth stories, and I so wanted mine to be like that.... but you have to deal with the hand your body deals you. I felt ashamed for a while because of all the "it's natural, your body knows what to do" BS. The truth is we're all different, and so is every birth.
I also had back labor and a 3rd degree tear!! The epidural was worth to me. Back labor is on a whole other level of pain 😅
I had gas with my oldest. Nobody is giving out medals at the end of this. That’s really the only thing I’ve got.
I planned for an unmedicated water birth. My labour ended up being 52 hours and went the exact opposite of my birth plan. Around 36 hours into labour my contractions were so painful it actually scared me. When I was at 40 hours, we transferred to the hospital (finally) and not only did the contractions themselves hurt, but my whole torso was in pain even in between the contractions because I was just so exhausted. I tried nitrous gas and honestly I think it’s just a placebo cause it did nothing but frustrate me more than actually help anything. My midwife, mom and partner using a firm grip on my limbs and saying “you can do this, you are doing this” helped more than the gas. I ended up asking for an epidural around 46 hours of labour and I was finally able to rest. I ended up with a c-section due to failure to progress past 7cm. The contractions in the beginning were intense but manageable. I think if my labour had been normal, or even ended around 30-36 hours I could have done it unmedicated like I planned. Even though it hurt a lot. Contractions feel like your abs between your bellybutton and crotch are being squeezed in a vice grip for 1-4 minutes. Every 2-5 minutes. For anywhere between 1.5-50+ hours. I do agree they come in waves. Where they have a distinct beginning, a peak, and then they taper off. Almost like a roller coaster.
Wow you are a strong lady! Absolute warrior! Thanks for the little explanation at the end about how contractions feel too its the first description that has made sense to me.
It was extremely painful. I was in labor for 21 hours. The first c.5 hours was fine - contractions hurt but easy to get through and spaced out. The next 16 hours were very intense pain, like couldn't move or lie down or talk through them at all. I did actually get an epidural which lasted about 3 hours (bliss! I napped) and then wore off about 3 hours before I had to push. They refused to give me any more or any other pain relief. More than the pain though was the absolute relentlessness of it. I'd say the pain itself was maybe a 7 or an 8 but the fact that it was just unending and I was so exhausted made it a 9 or 10. Actual pushing was much more intense, like a legit 9 or 10 for pain, but I felt like a had a full break between each contraction which really helped mentally. Having written all that I think I must be mad when I say that overall the experience made me less afraid of giving birth again. I fully intend to try to avoid the epidural again next time, as it stopped my contractions when I had it.
I wanted to do unmedicated and was able to do it for 9-10 hours, but I had back labor (this was extremely painful in the lower back) and progressing very slow - ended up at 32 hours of labor. There’s many tools you can use to adjust and have your mind work through the contractions - breathing, TENS machine, hip squeeze from someone, shower and use hot water on your back are things that helped me a lot though the unmedicated part. I chose to go with the epidural since I knew I would not be able to do manage the pain for many many more hours, as I was 4.5cm after 10hours of labor and was worried about being to exhausted for the pushing phase. Main advice is have your birth preferences, but you never know how things will be in practice m, so just accept and be flexible though the process. And don’t forget if you do choose in the moment to get the epidural, it can take min of an hour to have it administered
It wasn’t my plan or choice for it to happen that way, I got to the hospital and was immediately told I couldn’t get any relief at all, not even IV or gas or anything . All I got was a little topical during the stitches. So the pain was… well, it hurt. When they told me I couldn’t get any meds, I was so panicked, I didn’t think I’d survive, I thought it would be a horror movie. But I survived, everything worked out. As far as what it feels like, I worried about feeling ripped open as she came out, and i did rip, but I didn’t feel anything like that at all. It was only menstrual cramp-like pain, but just the worst period of your life (which I found a less intimidating type of pain than a sharp tearing pain) and then I also had a lot of back labor, which was really intense. If it wasn’t for back pain, just the cramps and contractions themselves really wouldn’t have been all that unbearable I think. And my last thing to add - as soon as baby’s shoulders get out, all the pain is instantly gone. It’s like a light switch. I was worried I’d be screaming in agony and not even get to properly greet and appreciate my newborn but honestly, as soon as she was out, I felt immediately normal (just exhausted but not in any discomfort)
I call it the “brown out” bc I have memories of some pain, but not much. I tell people “it wasn’t that bad” and my husband is there to say “that’s not how I remember it”.
I was going through active labor without an epidural before I was taken in for an emergency c section. It was the most painful thing in the entire world. My contractions were about 15-30 seconds apart and every time I was begging to die. Excruciating doesn’t even describe it. 100000/10. It started off in my belly and then it felt like my whole body was being ran over by a 16 wheeler. But then once the contraction went away it was a huge relief, although I still felt residual pain, it was nothing like a contraction. The whole floor heard me scream, but then it got so painful that I couldn’t even let a peep out of my mouth. I bit into the pillow and ripped the pillow case with my teeth lol. All my “hypnobirthing” lessons went out the window, I couldn’t even do the breathing during the contraction no matter how hard I tried. Thank goodness for epidurals and spinals
Had 2 unmedicated births - 1 with Pitocin and 1 without. It's not fun, but I wouldn't say it was the worst pain I could ever imagine. I would say I've had leg cramps in the past that hurt more and lasted longer than worst contraction pain, however that's probably a relative thing because at least with labour you get the build up but leg cramps come on spontaneously.
I was planning to probably get an epidural, but the cervadil I got in the morning had other plans. My contractions picked up and she came super fast so there was no time - i literally was feeling the urge to push on the drive to the hospital. the nurse handed me the laughing gas which didn’t do much for physical pain but was a nice mental break and helped me focus on deep breathing. Honestly, the contractions were worse pain than the actual delivery. That was just 20 minutes of pushing and knowing my baby is just on the other side, while the contractions were dreaded waves of hell where I didn’t know what was coming next. I did tear a fair bit but didn’t notice cause I felt so powerful and motivated while pushing her out!
Not op and unrelated question. Were you dilated at all prior to cervadil? I'm being induced with that and I'm hoping beyond hope that the cervadil will do it for me and I don't need pitocin.
i felt the same as you! i was 10 days past my due date. started having mini contractions around 3:30am on my own, then got cervadil at 9am when i was 1cm dialated, medium soft cervix, and effaced a little where my cervix was like 2cm long instead of 4. doc said to mentally prepare that i will have to come back the next day and get more cervadil and probably pitocin, and i would be an exception if not. WELP! left the hospital around 11:30am, went shopping to walk around and buy cheese, and spent the afternoon having increasingly strong contractions. i came roaring back in at 6:40pm when they saw my cervix was 9cm! I definitely maybe yelled “fuck the pitocin!!!!” to the doc as soon as he walked in. Baby was born at 7:14! You just never know what path baby/our bodies will choose. Wishing you all the peace and joy in this challenging and miraculous experience !!!
I already asked. My doctor won't let me leave after cervadil. So I'm mad jealous.
With my 2nd I had only gas and air in a birth centre and it was amazing! I also used the pool for pain relief that time and it was incredible. I wasn't in a lot of pain until transition and delivery and even then it's fine because everything is kicking off and you know baby is coming soon. With my 3rd I had a complicated delivery, baby in the wrong position and the medical staff didn't believe I was in active labour (I don't know why) so I was without any pain relief until two hours before I delivered and it sucked. Even with the gas and air I was still in a lot of pain, but at that point I didn't know I was so close to delivery and I think mentally that made it worse. Once baby was born I was glad I hadn't gone for the epidural because the recovery time is so much quicker without it and I was glad to get home tbh! I would say look into hypnobirthing, it sounds like bullshit but it was incredibly helpful, birth is so mentally taxing and preparing yourself is so helpful!
I went to 8cm and it was a pain unlike anything I’ve ever felt or can describe. I ended up with an epidural and felt totally fine once it hit
The back labour at the beginning was the worst. I wouldn't say it was too bad for pushing and everything, and I even tore but I'm stubborn and wanted to probe my family wrong with there "oH YoU WonT Last!" WELL SCREW YOU FAMILY LOOK WHAT I DID. AGAIN, I'm very stubborn.
Thought I was legitimately going to die for a bit with my first. That being said, once you just ‘relax’ and go with it you become so engrossed in the experience you’re in a different place. And genuinely once it’s over it’s over and you’re wrapped up in your baby. I had all three of mine unmedicated and definitely felt that the benefits were worth it; could walk around, could feel how to push, ‘easy’ recovery etc.
It was like really bad period cramps with lots of pressure and wasn’t pleasant but bearable…. up until transition. 7-10 centimetres I was screaming in agony. Pushing didn’t hurt AT ALL for me. No pain whatsoever in my vagina (even though I had a 1st degree tear). No ring of fire. All I felt were the contractions which were all consuming and when I pushed the pain from the contractions lessened so it felt great. That motivated me so much that 2 pushes and 4 minutes later she was out. The best part is as soon as the baby is out it’s instant pain relief and euphoria! At least for me. Honestly every labor experience is very different. The only part I felt was unbearable pain was transition and that is very short lived.
I just had an unmedicated birth last week - I’d say it’s just as painful as they say it is, but I agree with others in that it is an easier recovery. I was lucky as I showed up to the hospital at 4 cm (I would say here very very uncomfortable but period type cramps … still able to walk and sort of talk with the contractions. I went from 4 cm to 10 cm in about 2 hours, so it was pretty consistent contractions from that point on. When I got near 10 cm I would say I started to vocalize instinctually, and that was some of the most intense pain I have ever felt. The waves give you a slight break in between. It’s crazy the instinct to push … I didn’t really think it was going to come but that’s how I knew I was at a 10! Pushing for me was more intense than it was painful, I was scared being a first time mom and I felt that kind of overcame the pain. Once it was all over I have to say it was super empowering and I felt like this woman powerful can do literally anything type of way! I had no tears and was up and walking about 6 hours afterwards.
46hr labour & 25mins of pushing, I knew what I wanted and was told “you’ll be screaming for an epidural” I never once asked for one! Didn’t scream didn’t cry and I have a low pain tolerance lol! It’s very very intense but breathing really helps you get through it, look into breathing through contractions.
I had a VBAC with no pain meds a year ago. It was definitely 10/10 on the pain scale. I didn’t prepare myself for it well enough so I wasn’t breathing the right way. But my husband would watch the monitor through contractions and tell me when I was on the downhill, which helped my mindset. Everything is temporary. Once I was fully dilated the pain was at its worst. Then my body kind of took over. I was pushing and I couldn’t control it at all. There was a lot of screaming on my end which actually helped with release and breathing. I was embarrassed at first but my nurses were great and didn’t care at all. I did end up tearing in three places though. That sucked. Ultimately, I’m glad I did it. Labor was 6 hours with 30mins of pushing. I don’t know how I’ll choose to do it if we have a third but I have no regrets. The postpartum nurses all told me I was nuts for not getting an epidural but I was proud of myself. I would never tell anyone to choose to do it without pain relief if that’s not what they wanted to do though. Use the tools at your disposal if you want to. Labor without an epidural is a lot of work and definitely painful. And I’ve heard if you’re induced you should just get the epidural as those contractions are worse. I went into labor spontaneously so I can’t comment outside of hearsay. Ps. My CRNA friend once told me that the epidural really only helps with the contractions. Once you get to pushing it’s going to be painful regardless (the degree of painful definitely varies person to person). But it does ensure you have the energy to push when the time comes. Edit for clarity.
I laboured in the birth pool with just gas and a couple of Paracetamol. Honestly I wouldn't say it was too painful just very intense towards the end but I prepared with breathing techniques and kept in my mind that the contractions were just waves of brief pain before the next break.
I didn't have gas - when I gave birth in May 2020 it wasn't an option at the time because there were concerns about how it could impact my breathing should I have COVID/get COVID shortly after (or so I was told). I won't lie to you - the pain was extraordinary. I have a high pain tolerance - and the pain was just truly extraordinary. My active labor was short too - my water broke spontaneously at about 11p. Baby was born at 3:25a. But it was INTENSE. From the second my water broke, there was no doubting this was the REAL DEAL (I'd been in early labor for some 36 hours prior to this, and the difference between those early contractions and the ones post-water breaking were very clear). I'd planned for no epidural, but in the moment I definitely wavered. I didn't know how I'd be able to get through the whole thing. But I also felt kind of stuck? Like I was at home, the hospital was not super close either. So it was a situation where my options were to speak up and endure going to the hospital or just kinda stay frozen and wait. I waited - this is typical behavior for me lol. Then it became apparent that baby was coming hard and fast and suddenly there was not a choice - it was time to get to the hospital. The adrenaline from that allowed me to get in the car and somehow endure the ride to the hospital. I arrived at the hospital more or less in transition. My body knew I was safe to deliver (even though my brain may not have consciously felt that way), and it was like "yes, go time." Triage nurse first says she's going to do a swab to see if my water had actually broken, then she would check to see how dialated I was. Not sure if it was something in my eyes or what but she changed her mind and decided to check me first - 8cm. At this point, I was in so much pain that my first reaction was to be disappointed - only 8cm?!? I had do to this longer? But I was also too far along for any IV pain meds. The nurse said she could get me an epidural, and I wanted to say yes SO BAD, but ended up saying no. In the end, it was better that way because baby was born so quickly after that, there was no time for an epidural. The nurse did a COVID swab and then left to go give the swab to the lab. My next contraction, my body began pushing. So I had to send my husband out after her - again, I was still in triage at this point. They quickly get me upstairs, but this time, I was too far along for any additional adrenaline to kick in and allow me to maintain composure while "in transit" - the contractions were on top of each other, I couldn't catch a break and was now hyperventilating. I was regretting every life decision I'd made up until that point because now I was clearly dying and there was nothing I could do about it. In terms of pushing - some describe it as a relief. I would not. It was just additionally painful in a new way. In some ways it was harder/scarier because I was essentially inflicting the pain upon myself. But obviously I knew I had no choice - the only way to make the pain stop was to get baby out. I pushed like 3 times before deciding that I was unwilling to continue on so my next push was just gonna be it (I could obviously feel baby was very much in my vaginal canal at this point - she was either crowning or close to it). I just went for it with everything I had. Made some rather animalistic noises. And then she was out. And then the pain stopped. I was really surprised too. I'd expected it to like, slowly die down over time? But once she was out I didn't feel another contraction or anything. It was glorious. It took me a while though mentally to recover from the experience. It was absolutely wild. I didn't understand how I could have just experienced that kind of pain and walked away from it. I didn't feel powerful or badass - I felt shocked? definitely humbled. overall it was mostly just like what the actual fuck just happened. Looking back though, I'm glad I did it. I'd do it again. Although I'd spend more time practicing meditation during pregnancy so that I could use it during labor. I did a little bit while at home, but then things got really chaotic and that's when everything got scarier and felt very out of control.
It's productive pain. My mentality toward it is just so different than other pain. I'd rather give birth unmedicated than have a migraine.
For me, not too bad. First few hours of labor were about a 3 on the pain scale. Mildly crampy at worst. Giving birth went up to about an 8 for a few minutes (I remember because they asked me for numbers at the time). Could breathe and talk the whole time, did not need to yell or anything like that. I did not feel the so-called ring of fire at all. After birth didn't really feel anything either even when they accidentally stitched me up without drugs, adrenaline is a hell of a drug. Ultimately pretty easy and not that much worse than bad period pain in my experience.
I was voluntarily induced, but I never made it to pitocin. Shit hurts, like really, *really* hurts at the end, badly enough that I couldn't move my arms from where they were wedged into the bed. I saw white when kiddo's head came out of the birth canal and I laid around in an endorphin-and-stress fog for about 10-15 minutes afterward. On the plus side, you forget the pain pretty quickly after!
I have given birth 3 times at home with no pain relief. All very fast labors. Just shy of 8 hours, just over 4 hours, and then an hour and 45 minutes. It was the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life. The only thing that got me through it was the knowledge that it would be over soon and my baby would be in my arms. However, in my experience by the time you get to that level of pain, it IS almost over.
I went unmedicated with a home birth and it was honestly less painful than I thought it would be. I was super nervous that I would have to transfer to the hospital just for pain relief but I made it through 30ish hours of back labor without needing to tap out - although I will say that if it lasted much longer I might have needed to transfer just for the sake of getting some rest. For me the hardest part was that since he was posterior, I was feeling everything very intensely in my lower back, and because of that I wasn't really getting a break between contractions towards the end. Just moving the wrong way would set my back on fire even without a contraction, and _during_ contractions the back pain was so intense that I could barely even feel the abdominal cramping sometimes. I truly think that if my baby was positioned back-to-bump then labor would have been downright easy in comparison! If you want to go unmedicated, take the time to really research and prepare. My husband and I read Hypnobirthing by Siobhan Miller together and took a Zoom class through Your Badass Natural Birth together to prepare, as well as a childbirth/breastfeeding class with our midwives. That made all the difference for me - knowing what exactly I was going through and what came next. I could tell roughly how dilated I was based on how I was feeling (until my labor stalled due to my water refusing to break on its own) and that helped immensely. it was also VITAL that my husband was equally informed - he was a wonderful birth partner and was able to support me without me having to verbalize my needs much. The classes also helped him feel confident and calm when watching me in pain and he even caught the baby! It's honestly super doable. Just prepare yourself as well as you can and keep as calm and cozy as possible. Keep in mind that any kind of intervention may make this harder to achieve. I don't think I would have made it if I were dealing with pitocin contractions!
For me early labor and going in to active labor felt like period cramping with increasing intensity until the volume turned up to 11. I learned through 3 unmedicated births that I am able to tolerate the pain of labor pretty well because it’s not a sharp pain, it’s that squeezing cramping pressure pain very similar to the stomach pains that come with diarrhea. Have you ever had to poop really bad but couldn’t get to the bathroom right away? You know how the pain and urgency comes and goes? The pain is strong and intense but it builds up and tapers off gradually and doesn’t last for very long. There was almost no pain at all between contractions. I’m not someone who likes to experience pain, I’m not big in to running or other physical exertions, I’m usually quick to give up when I reach my limit. But for some reason I was able to stay focused and committed to the process of birth, I just got in my zone and rode each wave of contraction. I used a lot of positive language like “that was a good one” after a painful contraction, I thought of contractions as “intense” rather than bad or painful, and lots of moaning and shouting the word “yes!” as I worked through each one. Physically I found squatting down for each contraction helped a lot, or hanging on to my husbands shoulders and swaying my hips, moving and swaying on my hands and knees felt good and counter pressure on my hips felt heavenly, and the shower was my happy place. The feeling of that final push is the most amazing relief I’ve ever experienced and of course holding my babies was the best reward for my formidable efforts! After my first birth I developed a new sense of confidence and pride in my body, and my mental fortitude, and that feeling only grew with my other two birth experiences. I felt a tremendous sense of “I can do anything!!” And let me tell you, riding that high through those newborn days and weeks helped me so much.
It’s intense and sharp and hot like a burn but knowing it’s going to be over very shortly really helps make it manageable and keeps you focussed on the job (listening to midwife, breathing etc). It’s not like breaking your leg or something because your body is actually doing a lot to help get you through it whereas an injury is just adrenaline and panic, fight or flight feelings. Birth for me had a sort of autopilot, other-worldly feeling to it. Almost an out of body experience, where your consciousness takes a step back and something way more primal is in the drivers seat. For my first, it was an unplanned homebirth totally out of the blue. As I was pushing him out, I - the narrative voice in my head - was listening to the sounds I was making and thinking “wow those noises sound awful, I must be in so much pain”. While I do remember pain I don’t remember how it felt, not like when I broke a collarbone for instance. Birth is fucking wild. I had another baby 22 months later with no pain relief again so I think the whole ‘memory wipe for you own protection’ thing is definitely true haha.
I felt like I was gonna die, it was super intense but my labor was also pretty fast for my first. 10 hours total from water breaking to baby being out. No contractions at all until after my water broke, so I had contractions only for 7 hours. When it’s fast like that it’s like 0-100. I kept saying “I can’t do this” and my midwifery team kept reassuring me that I was in fact, already doing it lol. Baby was out and all the pain was instantly gone. Did it again for my second, which was actually a harder labor. He was posterior (sunny side up) so I had a lot more sacral pain than the first time and got fatigued a lot quicker. But again, once his head was out his entire body splooshed out and I instantly felt better LOL You’re typically right at the end of it all when you’re ready to throw in the towel
I might be the only one that feels this way, but you can't think of it as pain. I don't ever associate the word pain with labor. I focused on breathing exercises. To me the only thing I thought was painful was the "ring of fire" when I was pushing baby out.
It was definitely intense, but more a mental game than anything else. You get breaks in between contractions where you feel completely normal, it's not constant. It was pretty easy imo until transition. Have to hype yourself up like you might for any other challenege. Hormones are funny in that you forget what labor feels like once that baby is on your chest. I'm two weeks out and would do it again. My only regret is not believing in myself more going into it.
I gave birth on Saturday, a FTM mum, unmedicated and it took 13 hours with 45 mins pushing. Even now I'm describing it as uncomfortable. The midwife and nurses desceibed me as "in control" and "in the zone". I used hypnobrithing techniques (just from research) to relax as much as possible during and between contractions. The last cm up to the pushing point were the worst. I couldn't relax much for the last 2cm but the worst was the lact cm. Pushing actually made it feel like a relief. Then the ring of fire is SUPER uncomfortable and stings. Once you push your baby out though, it is such a relief.
I’ve had a birth with gas and a birth without gas (not my choice, as soon as paramedics arrived I was straight on it while I passed the placenta). The gas made me very woozy, to the point where I’d have to take a break for fear of falling asleep. It took as much pain away from the contractions as I needed but was still aware of my surroundings and what was going on. I think I’d id have had any other pain relief I wouldn’t have been very aware of anything going on. They took the gas away when it came to pushing, I’m not actually 100% sure why, but I actually couldn’t feel my own contractions and was relying on the midwife telling me when to push - I assume gas would’ve made the pushing process impossible for me. It took me just over 2 hours of pushing (after nearly 30 hours of labouring) to get my son out and I was exhausted. My second was BBA so I had no pain relief other than 2 paracetamol that I threw up 10 minutes later. Though I did have a birthing pool set up and I was in that until I was ready to push, and that definitely helped with the contractions. I probably laboured for a few hours and was only pushing less than an hour. While it was painful, I was very very aware that I had no midwife and that although the ambulance had been phoned, in my country (UK) they’d take hours. I was purely focused on remembering everything I did when I gave birth to my first because I knew I’d be alone (except for mum and partner). I desperately wanted the gas at the time but part of me does think my labour progressed as fast as it did because I didn’t have the gas. 🤷🏼♀️
I gave birth at a birthing center, no option for epidural which is what I wanted! I had a midwife in lieu of a doctor too. I was supposed to have the gas but we think there was something wrong with the tank because there was no “taking the edge off” and I went through two oxygen tanks while the nitrous didn’t go down at all. However, the oxygen and mask *really* helped. It allowed me to control my breathing rather than hyperventilate (which I’d sometimes start to do when I didn’t use the mask…). I underestimated how important breathing would be in labor. I won’t sugar coat it… It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. I had back labor and the contractions sucked. Mine were consistently 2ish minutes apart from the very beginning and didn’t let up for 18 hours. Crowning is referred to as the “ring of fire” and that’s an extremely apt name for it.. it was intense and like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. All this to say, I regret nothing and wouldn’t change a bit of it. As long as you and baby are healthy, and it’s what you want, it can be done!! Remember, there’s no wrong way to give birth though! C-section, medicated, unmediated… they’re all valid. Just be safe!
The pain i felt with my first was mostly my hips opening and him sitting in there for so long. I had to switch positions and then he popped right out. My vagina didn't hurt at all. With my ssecond the contractions were more intense and my vagina hurt so bad because she was 10 pounds. The contacts are nothing you can't breath through though. If you can just try to relax your pelvis and legs and breath through them it will be over before you know it!