How do you know if you have a high pain threshold?

Question

I'm having baby number 1 and I'm going to a midwife led unit where there are no epidurals avilable (This is a result of the local NHS hospital being a long drive away and being REALLY REALLY nasty, dirty and horrible and me being really scared of hospitals! I went round there to see what it was like and to be honest I've been in pub toilets that were cleaner) . I will feel much more relaxed and comfortable in the midwife unit - I already know all the midwives and have been there for all my ante natals etc.

The only pain releif they are able to offer is Gas and Air and Pethidine and the birth pool.

People keep saying that "might not be enough" and asking me how high my pain threshold is, but I have no idea. I'm not a person who's ever had to have operations or had any real health problems/injuries so I don't know what to compare it to.

I'm actually more scared of vomiting as I have a phobia of that.

How do you work it out?

I've been prescribed anti emetics to take in labour to try and reduce the risk of vomiting as thats scaring me more than the pain right now.

As for a "doctor" not being there - many woman have babies in a birth centre in the UK, and only a fraction of labours "go wrong" and have to be transferred to hospital. They've never lost a mother or baby yet!!! Midwives deliver all babies in the UK - doctors only attend high risk births and I'm not high risk.

If you can't hack the pain at the birth centre they will transfer you to the hospital for an epidural but I really don't want to go to that horrible hospital unless its unavoidable!

I don't take headache pills or paracetamol unless I'm literally in agony as I don't like the way they make me feel. I rarely take pain relief for everyday aches and pains. So I dunno if that means I'll cope OK with mild pain releif in labour. I would prefer not to have any if I could but I guess thats unrealistic for a first labour. I'm only planning on using TENS, water and gas and air but will use pethidine if I have to (don't want to as I've heard it makes you sick).

Also I know the length of time it takes tends to be a major factor in pain releif in birth.

louloubelle - my period pains have always been pretty bad

Answer 1

It's hard to tell where your pain threshold is. :-) It really just depends on your personality.

I had a pain-killer free birth. Unfortunately, my baby was born a month late so I had to use pitocin to induce, which generally makes it more painful. It was painful, but by the time I thought I couldn't take it anymore, it was time to push the baby out -- which, although it sounds really funny, felt great! You can't really feel anything down there during the pushing stage in a natural birth because the circulation is cut off (some women have even been known to orgasm -- dreamy huh? ;-)). The contractions are really the worst part of labor and it feels like bad pms cramping. I'm sure you already know this, but heating pads and back massages can help this a lot. :-) If it get's really bad, there is a shot of painkiller the hospital can give you, if you go in.

The best thing about natural birth is how less likely you are to tear -- which means the discomfort is short lasting. :-) I didn't think my childbirth experience, even with the pitocin, was bad at all. I even starting thinking I could do it again 10 minutes after my daughter was born. :-)

All in all, you should do what you feel most comfortable with and have a good spouse, relative or friend there to support you.

Good luck! my natural childbirth is a very wonderful experience. I can't wait to have another!

PS I didn't vomit. You are less likely to get sick with a natural birth.

Answer 2

When I became pregnant (16yrs ago now) I read every book I could on childbirth. I was determined that it wasn't going to hurt and I already thought I had a high pain threshold. You know, people take headache pills for just about everything, but I never seemed to take half the pills a lot of other people did. I think a lot of people are a bit sooky. So when it came to having the baby, I coped with it pretty fine. It felt like a bad period pain just above the pubic bone, but with breathing (that is SO important), the pain is bearable. I produced a healthy baby boy, no pain relief and NO stitches, which is what I was mostly thrilled about. Go in there with a positive attitude - afterall, it is a natural event. Good luck and I hope all goes well for you. Sorry to tell you this though, but I did vomit. Funny how the body has control over you.

Answer 3

I lol everytime a woman use child birth to claim they have higher pain threshold. Unless Men can have pus5ies, we will never know. Who knows? It might not even be pain for a Man. But, I look at the history of fought wars and the best fighters in the world. Looking at these evidences, it wouldn't be too difficult to know which gender have a higher pain threshold. women can say whatever they like, or sponsor any bogus studies proving they have a higher pain threshold, but the real truth is always there. Men.

Answer 4

1st off make sure they give you an anti sickness pill before either gas & air or pethidine, as for your pain threshold, how bad are your period pains? Mine used to be excrutiating so i was ready for labour pains, i would say i had a medium pain threshold, i can handle the pain but if there's an easy way of getting rid of it i'll grab it - some mothers plan to have natural birth with absolutely no pain relief i suppose these woman have a high pain threshold, then there are woman who have a low pain threshold and are petrified of the pain of labour and they plan a c-section or epidural.

Answer 5

Well, I am going to give you my birth experience.

I am also very scared of vomiting, but I gave birth without being sick, I won't lie to you, I came close a couple of times, but at point I was too focused on getting my baby out to care.

I am also a certified whimp when it comes to pain.

I got through the whole of my contractions with ONLY gas and air, and actually giving birth, I had NOTHING. That's right, nothing.
And it was fine. It doesn't matter what your pain threshold is now, because during labour, everything changes, and I basically was in too much pain to care about being in pain...sounds odd, but it is true.
I think that gas and air was enough, and it may be the same for you.

Don't worry about it, when the day comes, you will realise it doesn't matter what your comfort limits are, because this day is about your baby, not about you.

I wish you the very best of luck, and remind you once again that you can get through it with the minimal of pain relief and without being sick.
You'll be fine!

Answer 6

The reality is whether it hurts or not you're going to have to bare it. You really don't have a choice. The reality is that the only way to know whether or not you have a high threshold for pain is to have pain inflicted upon you. After this birth you'll know how high your threshold for pain is. Until then, think positively about the experience and keep telling yourself it will all be over soon. When my sister gave birth everybody kept telling her how much it was going to hurt and it was going to take so long. When the time came, she was just sitting in the hospital longer than it took her to actually give birth. We sat with her in the hospital for like over six hours, but when the doctors wanted her to start to push we left the room and about 15 minutes later she called me herself on my cell and said it was over, lol. Just think positive and it will be over before you know it.

Answer 7

You have a high pain threshhold if you make less fuss than other people when you suffer the same pain as them.

I had a great prenancy, was fit and healthy, but at the last minute my son got the cord round his neck and I required a VERY fast emergency Caesarean. I am not being a scare monger, but I believe babies should be born where there is the equipment to deal wtih such situations. I would choose (and did) a grubby hospital over a non equipped midwife unit any day.

Did they not explain to you that usually by the time you "can't hack the pain" any more its too late to have an epidural - you can only have it until a certain point in labour.

I have a vomiting phobia like you and I was sick during labour, but not until hours into it and by that time there wasnt really anything there anyway, so don't worry about it.

Answer 8

I don't think that you can work out your pain thrshold as i think that stress has a lot to do with how you handle the birth as well as actual pain.
When i was pregnant with number 1 i told everyone that i would be drugged up to the eyeballs at the first twinge etc etc. In fact i was so scared of going to hospital thinking that birth was due any second and them saying 'you are 1cm dialated - go home' that i hung on til the last minute and could barely get across the car park of the hospital. When we got to the labour ward i could barely walk! When they put me on the bed in the labour room the midwife said 'well done girl, you are fully dilated now push'. I did it naturally which really shocked me - mind you did not have much choice!!
You will surprise yourself and also i feel you will know when you need help.
ps) i wasn't quite so brave with number 2 but had scared myself for no reason!! But although i went to hospital earlier i still did the natural thing (only had gas and air for stitches!). I would recommend staying at home as long as poss cos hospital pacing around is sooooo boring. Good luck.

Answer 9

The main factor re pain threshold in pregnancy is actually the duration. If it's easy they you can put up with a lot. But our first was back to front and there were problems when the waters burst and got trapped. This led to my wife pushing for hours to no effect at all. The exhaustion meant that an epidural was the only option in the end. If it's all easy, you may well not need it. But if it isn't ...

Answer 10

With Labour you can't really know until it happens.

Suffice to say that I didn't consider that I had a particularly high threshold, but used a Tens machine in early labour,, laboured in a birth pool and found the warm water really helped and got by on gas and air.

Be open in your birth plan, don't rule anything out, put your trust in the Midwife (they do a fab jab, my Mum and friend are both Midwives) and I'm sure you'll be fine

Good Luck !!