Pregnacy/Labor pain!!!

[soontobewed07]

I had a really bad experience.
I was induced and the pain was so bad for my body it forced tears out of my eyes. I don't cry I just have never been a crier. Well after 16 hours I decided to get and epidural well that hurts just as bad as a contraction if not worse. I had a problem and was only numbed on one side of my body so after 16 yes you red that right 16 attempts they finally got the epidural to work and that brings me to 20 hours of labor 2 hours later they decided something was wrong DS hadn't moved past 2 cent. they decided to move me to the OR and he was out in 10 mins. I don't think I have ever been happier in my life. He is the most Amazing person and I wouldn't change that day at all. He was worth the all of it. Do I forget it - NOT A MINUTE do I want another YES. It will be the most amazing feeling when you hold that new little person in your arms.

Him 1 day old

Him Now

 

[PrincessParty]

I had my first with an epidural and the 2nd natural. I will tell you, I felt better after delivery of the natural birth. Now, honestly, my first took 26 1/2 hours of labor. The 2nd one was 2 hours and she hasn't slowed down yet! You will know what you can handle and either way you choose will be right for you.

 

[luna99]

wow, it's amazing the spectrum of responses that are here!

"it feels like you are dying!"
"I'd rather go through labor than go to the dentist"
"It wasn't that bad"

wow, just wow.

so it sounds like Pitocin is a scary though though huh? I've heard of it and don't know if this is true but I heard that it was actually made with pig semen? ugh. maybe that's a myth or something but that's just 1) gross and 2) not something I think I would want.

anyway.. thanks so much for all of your responses so far.. this thread is so great! I told my husband last night that I'm pretty sure I want to have a natural water birth with no drugs.... he said he will support me no matter what I want, but then went on to say if it was him... he would take the drugs. LOL.

Also, about 2 years ago I had a kidney stone come on one night unexpectedly while at the movies.. my husband drove me to the emergency room and when I described to him how I felt he knew right away what it was... I remember I was breathing like a pregnant woman in the car (he who he who).... I don't remember the pain exactly but it did hurt pretty bad.. and my husband swears that I said after "if pregnancy is anything like that I'll take drugs".... but I don't remember saying that now. LOL.

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

My due date came & went, no sign of Jake making his arrival. They FINALLY set an induction date of September 24th (he was due on the 13th). Lo & behold, I went into labor on the 22nd and he was born the 23rd.

The contractions weren't painful at first, but definitely noticable and something I hadn't really felt before. But OH MY GOSH! Once they started coming on strong, OUCH!!! As soon as I got situated in that hospital bed, I got the epidural.

It was like liquid heaven. So awesomeeee!

 

[nessz79]

wow, it's amazing the spectrum of responses that are here!

"it feels like you are dying!"
"I'd rather go through labor than go to the dentist"
"It wasn't that bad"

wow, just wow.

so it sounds like Pitocin is a scary though though huh? I've heard of it and don't know if this is true but I heard that it was actually made with pig semen? ugh. maybe that's a myth or something but that's just 1) gross and 2) not something I think I would want.

anyway.. thanks so much for all of your responses so far.. this thread is so great! I told my husband last night that I'm pretty sure I want to have a natural water birth with no drugs.... he said he will support me no matter what I want, but then went on to say if it was him... he would take the drugs. LOL.

Also, about 2 years ago I had a kidney stone come on one night unexpectedly while at the movies.. my husband drove me to the emergency room and when I described to him how I felt he knew right away what it was... I remember I was breathing like a pregnant woman in the car (he who he who).... I don't remember the pain exactly but it did hurt pretty bad.. and my husband swears that I said after "if pregnancy is anything like that I'll take drugs".... but I don't remember saying that now. LOL.

I have actually heard that kidney stones can be worse than labor, so that may be true for you

Yes, you will get a very wide spectrum of responses. I have known people who say it's no big deal. They had easy births.

I had 2 boys. The first was truly horrendous as far as pain. I had back labor and it was 19 hours. Epidurals aren't fool-proof and if you're in a lot of pain, some of that pain is still going to come through unless they give you A LOT. My epidural started wearing off when I was pushing, but I wasn't really aware of it as I was in the pushing zone. It was a very painful situation- I needed some stitches and as she started stitching I realized that I probably shouldn't be feeling so much pain. The doctor practically freaked when I told her I could feel it. She figured I was still feeling the epidural in full force. So make sure you communicate with the people if it starts wearing off (assuming you have one, which I highly recommend!).

The 2nd was induced and I found it to be much less painful. Still painful, but totally doable. I was also able to get the epidural before things became too painful. No stitches with that one and I can't remember any huge pain.

With my 2nd I would say that a kidney stone probably would be worse. With my 1st, I'm not so sure. Totally different situations, same woman . So it doesn't just have to do with pain tolerance as some will try to tell you.

 

[littleteapot]

My then 78 year old Grandma (now 90) told me, "If it was so horrible, women would only ever have one".

My first labor was 38 hours and I still couldn't wait to try for the next one. Babies are awesome!

 

[RMulieri]

Pitocin is HELLL ..as you can see by my prior post.Honestly had I made progess without the Pitocin I probably would say labor was not that bad.It wasn't pain free, but the pain was measurable and tolerable and there was time to catch my breath before the next contraction.Pitocin pretty much forces your body to contract harder,longer, faster, and more forcefully.If you wind up in a hospital delivery situation and they say they are going to start pitocin,i mmediately demand your epidural.Much easier toget it in and started before you are twisted over like a pretzel in pain.

 

[Camno's Mama]

wow, it's amazing the spectrum of responses that are here!

"it feels like you are dying!"
"I'd rather go through labor than go to the dentist"
"It wasn't that bad"

wow, just wow.

so it sounds like Pitocin is a scary though though huh? I've heard of it and don't know if this is true but I heard that it was actually made with pig semen? ugh. maybe that's a myth or something but that's just 1) gross and 2) not something I think I would want.

anyway.. thanks so much for all of your responses so far.. this thread is so great! I told my husband last night that I'm pretty sure I want to have a natural water birth with no drugs.... he said he will support me no matter what I want, but then went on to say if it was him... he would take the drugs. LOL.

Also, about 2 years ago I had a kidney stone come on one night unexpectedly while at the movies.. my husband drove me to the emergency room and when I described to him how I felt he knew right away what it was... I remember I was breathing like a pregnant woman in the car (he who he who).... I don't remember the pain exactly but it did hurt pretty bad.. and my husband swears that I said after "if pregnancy is anything like that I'll take drugs".... but I don't remember saying that now. LOL.

Pitocin does bring on your labor fast and strong. It makes the contractions come fast and hard. It's no walk in the park, but you can be induced in other ways and leave that as a last resort.

I will say that doing your labor while on pitocin without an epidural is not common...at least that's what my ob's nurse told me. It's not a natural way to start labor, and your body has trouble handling it naturally. And I, personally, wasn't in the mood for a nightmare!

Look, it's all in the eye of the beholder. I am someone who always thinks things are going to be worse than they are for the most part. Some people don't think things will ever be bad. They just don't like to see the world that way. So, labor will not only be different from person to person, but that perception will be different from person to person.

I think sometimes it's great to hear other people's stories after having a baby. But before you take that journey yourself, it can be a little daunting! I won't usually go into a lot of detail with someone who hasn't gone through it because I don't want to scare them. Maybe you'll be the "I was in labor for four hours, without an epidural, didn't tear, and everything was fine" person! Just cross your fingers and enjoy trying for that baby!

 

[MaleficentFan]

Also, about 2 years ago I had a kidney stone come on one night unexpectedly while at the movies.. my husband drove me to the emergency room and when I described to him how I felt he knew right away what it was... I remember I was breathing like a pregnant woman in the car (he who he who).... I don't remember the pain exactly but it did hurt pretty bad.. and my husband swears that I said after "if pregnancy is anything like that I'll take drugs".... but I don't remember saying that now. LOL.

My mother went through natural childbirth twice. She had a kidney stone the year I graduated from college... she actually had to miss my graduation because of it. She said the kidney stone was MUCH WORSE than childbirth!

 

[brandylouwho]

I love sharing my labor story as much as the next gal...
It was the worst pain ( I had back labor with both kids) but because I knew the end prodcut was my baby, I could handle it. I could not imagine getting an epidural, nor lying still for one, so I opted to not get one. With both kids when the pushing pains started I had wished I had tried the epidural, but after it was all over I was glad I had not. I think it was a very similar feeling to when I had a very infected gall bladder.

I think breathing techniques did not take away the pain for me, but helped me change my mind, concentrate on something else for awhile. I also ended up taking nubain with each kid. My labor pains were on top of each other and the drug helped me rest between pains. The 1st labor lasted approx 9 hours, but pushing took far too long. The 2nd labor was off and on (mildly) for about a day, but was true-head to the hospital labor for only about 3 hours, pushing maybe 10 minutes of that.

Ways I coped included a steamin hot shower, and having my hubby push on the small of my back with all his might and sort of crouching on all fours and stretching. I also hurt my arm (nothing major) from gripping the sides of the hospital bed so tight.

Labor is funny. It could be happening and you don't really even feel it, then it is noticable but tolerable, then not so tolerable but you manage, and by the time you are pushing you are thinking WTH? Then once baby's head pops out it is such a relief! (Also feel sort of icky, maybe like taking a big poop when you are constipated--not a pretty picture, but the best I can describe it).

It is also funny in that you know it was very painful and you sort of remember how bad it was, yet many of us choose to do it again & again!

Each labor is different even for the same woman. With baby#1 I was in the hospital almost 3 full days and felt just tired and out of sorts for a week or two. baby # 2 was born late on a Friday night and I left early on Sunday morning. I was up and about and practically normal within a few days.

 

[El&Asmom]

If you are interested in natural childbirth, I recommend the documentary from Ricki Lake called "The Business of Being Born". It discusses how labor has changed over time, and especially the increase in prevalence of pitocin, epidurals and the slippery slope that can lead to more interventions and ultimately C sections and labors that don't progress the way doctors want them to progress.
I agree with looking into Ina May Gaskins work. Satistically on her "Farm" they had about a 1% c-section need with having close to 200 births prior to anyone needing a C section. Women's bodies know what to do. That's not to say emergencies don't happen. It's just not very coincidental that the c-section rate used to be 5% in the '70s, to now where it is over 30%. There are contributing factors such as liability and opinions such as those already expressed on this thread. Women have such a fear of childbirth that they would actually rather go through major surgery rather than do what their bodies where meant to do naturally. Yes it can hurt. But because of the endorphins that your body releases during the birth process, you will likely never feel better than you will after giving birth. Pitocin and epidurals cover that sensation.
I have given birth both ways. My first I was induced b/c my water broke and they said I had to have pitocin rather than seeing if I would go into labor on my own. My second was natural. I would take the natural any day over the pitocin, epi combo.
I'm due in 12 days, (not that I'm counting), and am looking forward to the birth process once again and can't wait to meet my new dd. How often do you go through a painful process and get the greatest reward in the world after it's over.
Again, everyone is different, but don't let all of the "it was the worst experience of my life" stories scare you out of a potentially great experience.

 

[mejkjj97]

I love sharing my labor story as much as the next gal...

Same here!
I had a real fast labor and delivery so fast that I didn't have drugs.
i was induced due to high blood pressure during the last week of my pregnancy. I went in the night before for the cervidal and this for me was the worst part. I had to sleep in the delivery room- wasn't in labor, hooked up to a bunch of machines and had to pee every hour.
Finally the next morning the doctor came in and said that they would get things going. I was hooked up to pitocin and 1 hour later they broke my water- at 10:30 am. I didn't feel a single contraction until 11:00 am and by 12:00 it was starting to get bad, at which point i asked for an epidural (the doctor told me the baby would not be born until 8:00 pm) no way i would last.
The doctor checked and said I was 6cm and it was ok she got on the phone to call and have it administered. The only problem they never arrived in time. By 12:15 I was 10cm and had to push. I pushed 5 times and my DD was born.
I agree with everyone who said the recovery was fast. It was. I felt great and was in the shower 40 minutes after the birth of my daughter was up and walking around. did I forget the pain yes, do I want another yes. Just not having as much luck the 2nd time around.

For me what worked, Prenatal Yoga! The breathing is much better than what they teach you in child birth class and you practice it weekly until the birth. You learn real control over your breathing and relaxation tips.

 

[tzolkin]

I've had three unmedicated births and for me the faster they go the more intense they are. My longest birth was my easiest. The only one I considered intervention with was my shortest. I would describe the contractions (once they get productive) as really bad period/diarrhea cramps. I will admit that when it gets to a certain point I do not remain calm. Instead of using breathing techniques I'm muttering a series of expletives. If I were the type of person who could calmly breathe or meditate, that would have been wonderful, but that's just not my personality. However, I would describe it as very intense, but not painful.

My first was a 47 hour labor (with pitocin). I did not have any pain. We were joking and talking until the doctor broke my water. It was much more intense for about two hours and then she was born. No pain during the pushing (and I did tear enough to get a few stitches), it felt more like a relief and I didn't notice the contractions anymore either.

My second was a 3 hour drive to the hospital during a ridiculous winter storm. I had her about two hours after I got to the hospital (7 total hours of labor). The transition period was much more intense than my first (I went from 7 to pushing in one contraction). For her the pushing was very painful (although I did not tear). She was posterior (face up) which was the cause of the increased pain and difficulty pushing. (This is the position where people talk about "back labor".)

My third was "induced". They only gave me the suppository and I didn't need anything else to kick me into labor, so I wouldn't compare it to someone who was induced for hours/days. It got intense fast and when the nurse checked me and told me I was only at 4 and would probably have another 6+ hours, I was to a point where I thought medication was necessary. I could not have stayed in control of myself with that intensity of contractions for several hours. The doctor was standing outside the door and wanted to check before he gave me anything. He freaked out because the baby's head was already half out. I did not push at all. I basically went from being less than half dialated to holding a baby in less than five minutes. That was the most intense part of any of my labors, but didn't last long enough to need anything for the pain. This was the only labor that I thought was intense enough for any intervention, but it was only about 2.5 hours long.

I would suggest that you do some research and figure out what you want your birth experience to be like, but be prepared that your actual experience may vary from that depending on your body. You certainly can't know what your first birth will be like (mine were all completely different and I'm the same person). Your birth may go exactly as planned, but you don't want to set yourself up to be disappointed or feel inadequate if it doesn't. My sister had a great labor, but then wound up with a c-section after pushing for hours. She was expecting her birth to be like mine and was very upset for months afterwards. I was there with her and there was no way I could have gone through pushing like that, so I certainly didn't think she was a failure. But she had an idea of what she "should" be able to do that led to her being disappointed.

 

[Chelley00]

My then 78 year old Grandma (now 90) told me, "If it was so horrible, women would only ever have one".!

Same thing my grandma always said. My first labor was HORRIBLE. I thought I was going to die. He was coming out from his ear, no epidural and 50 stitches later, I swore I would never do it again.



Now we're at 3 kids later............................... (2 naturals, one epidural, one c-section)

 

[fletchers5]

Childbirth........

first one: Total labor 3 hours, hard labor 1 hour, NO Pain Med ( and not because I didn't want it....it was never offered) Did it hurt-- YES----do you forget-----YES

Second One: Total labor 3 hours, hard labor 1/2 hour, NO pain med ( and not because I didn't want it....NO TIME FOR IT) Did it hurt---YES----do you forget-----YES ( if I would have remember from the first one I would NEVER of had a second. LOL

Third one: Total labor 1 hour, Hard labor THREE PAINS, NO pain med....NO TIME FOR IT. I was put in a doctors lounge, Nurse checked me out and said " you are in hard labor" I actually walked to the delivery room. Having a contraction and all. LOL Nurse said.....people would give their right arm to have labor like you. LOL


Yes it hurts, but you do forget. I did lamaze for the first. Never used it during labor. It helped to scream. LOL Didn't do classes for the next two.

I had to laugh......after my first child my mother asked about the labor. After telling her she said " You were awake" I was like " YES" Back in the day my mother was put out for all 3 of us kids.

words of wisdom during pregnancy: walk alot, don't lay around if you can help it. I worked up until the day I went into the hospital. I really think that helped alot.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I have no horror story to scare you with. I had three totally natural childbirths. Painful, yes...but absolutely not the worst pain of my life. My first labor/delivery was 6 hours start to finish. The second one was one hour start to finish. My third was just under an hour. Also, my babies did not get bigger with each subsequent pregnancy, just the opposite. Considering my first was 11lbs, I had all these women lining up to tell me my next one was going to be some giant wildebeast...didn't happen. Natural childbirth classes with the breathing techniques were mostly useless to me, with exception of the shallow breathing techniques that help you not to push when your not supposed to. I also think your age and pain tolerance has a lot to do with how you fare out in labor and delivery. Each woman is different. I have friends that had one and thought the experience was so traumatic they stopped with that one child. I guess I was lucky in that I had the polar opposite experience all three times. I even sat and played cards with my husband in between contractions up until the time I had to push-although I did have periods of throwing up too, so it was not a completely joyful experience. It wasn't a day in the park, but it wasn't horrendous by any stretch. As for forgetting the pain...to a degree I guess you do...but isn't that the same with ALL types of pain? I get migraines and I forget the pain until the next one comes along.

 

[BeckyScott]

I was induced with both boys.

Oldest DS, my water broke early but no contractions so they started the pitocin. They also gave me IV meds (Stadol? something like that) but I am a total meds lightweight and was so delirious (yet still in pain) I barely remember him even being born, which did not please me afterwards. Of course that stuff was all worn off when the stomach-pushing part of the adventure began.

Youngest DS, I told the OB to NOT give me as much meds as last time, and I wanted an epidural if possible. Youngest DS went breech right at the very end, they successfully turned him, but wanted me induced before he decided to turn back around again. So here comes the pitocin again. And since it was kid #2, the labor came on like crazy. The OB was afraid to leave the room, was using my phone to cancel surgeries and watching my tv and talking to DH about cars. (which let me tell you, was really really irritating to a woman in labor) I was progressing too fast for the epidural. So the IV meds showed up again, but the doc listened and only gave me a little tiny bit, which did no good whatsoever. And what there was, had all worn off by the time I was pushing. So the second kid, I certainly do remember him being born, yep.

Pitocin being good or bad... the good thing I can say is... well it's sort of like going on a road trip. You can go from 0-60 in three minutes, or 0-60 in 30 seconds. The hurt comes on faster, but you get to your destination faster too. I knew that even though it hurt like heck, that it would be over soon. My theory was did you want to be in sort-of pain for many hours followed by bad pain for a little while, or did you just want to jump right in and bring it all on and be done with it. Youngest son I think they started the pitocin about 9 in the morning and I had him at around 2. It was a miserable 5 hours but I personally would have rather had that than the stories of women being in labor for days.

 

[mushumadness]

hiya

I had my son 4 weeks ago and already the pain doesnt seem as bad as it did then and I would readily have another

mine started as period pain, and quickly went onto back to abck contractions, now Morgan was back to back with me which is meant to be very painfull anyway, I managed 6 hours on gas and air, but then had an epidural as it was agony like someone jumping on me, I was in labor 22 hours altogether, but let me tell you there is nothing on this earth like holding your child in your arms for the first time, the pain fades away imediatly at that moment.

 

[Mic_n_Min]

Yes, labor/delivery hurts. I've given birth to 3 kids- 2 with an epidural that worked (although one was turned off way too early and was needed for some post delivery complications) and my last one was my most painful labor/delivery yet. My epidural didn't work even though they tried 3-4 times. Plus, my labor was progressing very rapidly so there just wasn't time to do anything about it at that point. Everyone else has been right though, everyone has a different experience. You might breeze right through it like some of my friends have and love every minute of it.

I will say that passing a kidney stone is much, much worse. I was lucky enough to experience this last March while on vacation away from home. ouch!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I will say that doing your labor while on pitocin without an epidural is not common...at least that's what my ob's nurse told me. It's not a natural way to start labor, and your body has trouble handling it naturally. And I, personally, wasn't in the mood for a nightmare!

I might be weird then. My first pregnancy was twins...no pitocin, no drugs. 2nd was back labor with pitocin, no drugs. 3rd was totally normal with no drugs. While I think pitocin certainly amps things up a bit, I don't think it makes it unmanageable. You are right though-the experience is in the eye of the beholder. At the end of the day there is no badge of honor that they give out for going drug free-its a personal choice. So if you need drugs, by all means, ask for them. If I were to pop another out (highly unlikely at my age now) and the pain was that bad, I wouldn't hesitate to ask for some type of relief.