I know this is going to sound ridiculous because us women dont have a choice, but i am really nervous about delivering a baby. As many other women, i have a very low tolerance to pain...what im wondering is if you can share your delivery experiance with me (vaginally or c-section). Where in your body do you feel contractions? What do they feel like?, does having an epidural done hurt really bad?, and does it really help? Is there anything you can compare the pain of giving birth to?, or explain what it feels like? If you knew how much it was going to hurt to deliver a baby would you have thought twice about having children? Im probably going to kick myself for asking this, hopefully you all wont scare me off but i love children and cannot wait to start a family with my husband and i am just trying to prepare myself so i dont have many surprises. Thanks for all your help, also because we are so new to all of this, any help or advise would be appreciated!!
2006-11-17 05:29:43 · 27 answers · asked by emg2528 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Other - Pregnancy & Parenting
You won't be thinking about it when labor hits. The contractions are like a huge tightness in your belly. Or you can have back labor, where your back CONSTANTLY hurts. You can watch the monitor, to know when a contraction is going to hit, and when it peaks, so that you can concentrate on when the contraction is letting go. When you see that the contraction has peaked, you feel relief, because you know it's going away. The epidural doesn't hurt. They numb your back really well before putting it in. And once it's in, you won't hurt a bit. I have had those with all 3 of my pregnancies and I wouldn't have dreamed of turning them down. If you are too uncomfortable, let the nurse know, and they will do what they can to help make you comfortable.
2006-11-17 05:40:45 · answer #1 · answered by Jessie P 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
awww sweetie I was the same way even my second I was so scared since it was a planned c-section. First off its not bad really but I havent had a normal birth I had two c-sections. I do remember the contractions they do hurt they are like stomach cramps but much more. The epidural does not hurt at all like some say I had the normal epidural and the spinal epidural. All you will feel is alot of cold ness thats b/c they are putting on this stuff I forgot what its called then they will numb your back 3 times with a shot which feels like nothing and then it's over in 10 seconds half your body is numb and it will make you feel alot better. Also if you have a c-section you will not feel a thing just alot of tugging and lightness out of your belly when the baby is out. Well I would do it over again 2 more times b/c its all worth it I know have two beautiful babies.
2006-11-17 05:39:40 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is not ridiculous for having these questions, I have a 6 yr old son and I remember his birth like it was yesterday (delivered vaginally). I was nervous too and my pain tolerance is not very high as well. Contractions too me felt like really bad menstrual cramps...x10, there is alot of pressure in the lower abdominal and rectal area when contractions begin. I decided to have an epidural which is injected in the lower base of your spine the doctors who do this are extremely qualified and very detailed, by this time in the labor process you are ready to receive the epidural so this part does not matter if it hurts or not.
Every delivery is different for women, they say no two are alike. So my pain may feel different from yours but thinking back it wasn't so bad and when I held my baby for the first time after delivering that was the greatest moment ever and I believe you will feel the same! Enjoy your new bundle of joy!!
2006-11-17 05:45:47 · answer #3 · answered by LadyNaomi 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hello. I am 24 years old and have had the opertunity to give birth to both of my two daughters. They were both vaginaly, both with an epidural. I love epidurals. I am very scared of needles, and cry everytime I have to get blood drawn. I garantee that you will love yours as much as I loved mine. They have you either bend forward, or lay on your side in a bent over position. This way you are relaxed and you will NOT be able to see the needle. There is pressure and you may feel like a banging, or pounding on your back. That is the only thing that made me jump. But compaired to the pain of contractions, the epidural needle.... I begged for it. Then it made my whole lower body go numb. You can't move your own legs, or anything below the waist, but you can still feel contractions. I felt the on come before my nurses saw it on the monitors. It was a great experience becasue I was able to relax between each contraction and I even actually watched "wheel of fortune" and "Price is right" while I gave birth to both of my girls. I did tear with both of them, and did not feel it, due to epidurals. "Thank goodness" I am a huge fan of epidurals and will always recomend them. I am now 30 weeks pregnant with a boy, and will be having an epidural. But just so you know. No matter what type of pain killer you use, as soon as that baby is put on your stomach and you see your first site of that beautiful creation you wil forget about all the pain you could possible have. It is great and well worth it.
2006-11-17 05:40:13 · answer #4 · answered by sr22racing 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi, i had my first child just over 2 years ago now. I was the same absolutely terrifed, but please dont be. Its an amazing experience. I am now 5 weeks pregnant so it cant be that bad if im gonna do it again. I didnt have a birth plan with my son as i was worried it could go wrong so i went with the flow. When the contractions did start i wont lie it was uncomfortable. I just took deep breaths and spent alot of time in a deep bath. I then had an epidural which didnt hurt one bit. I didnt feel anything after. It went on for 20 hours but with my mum and husbands encouragement i did it and had a beatiful 8lb 9oz baby boy. With the right love and support you will do just fine. Having a birthing partner who has done it themself does help. Good luck, Im sure you will do well and be a wonderful mummy.
2006-11-17 05:44:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, its hard to tell you to relax because being nervous is normal. Yes it hurts, it'll be the worst abdominal cramping you'll ever feel, but it's not the end of the world. And the joy of having a baby in your life supercedes any pain you might feel. And besides, this is exactly why anaesthetics were developed. Getting the epidural is peanuts compared to the contractions, so no worries there. Honestly, if labor were so bad women wouldn't go on to have other children after their first.
Instead of concentrating on the labor part of having kids (which you have little control over and is very short-term in the overall picture), try concentrating on learning how to be a great mom.
2006-11-17 05:42:24 · answer #6 · answered by chicchick 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Labor and delivery is very very painful. no, i wouldn't have thought twice about doing it because it is well worth it. I didn't have any medications not even the epidural because i don't believe in taking pain medications well giving birth because god intended for a women to go through a lot of pain while having a baby. And i really don't believe in the epidural. I will never ever ever ever ever get that thing. I do not want a long needle going in my spine, back. If you make one wrong move it can paralize you. It's very dangerous. If a women don't wont the pain they should have thought about that before they got pregnant.
2006-11-17 06:24:01 · answer #7 · answered by Qt PIE 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't sound ridiculous. It's good that you're thinking about all of your options.
I cannot handle pain either and I was nervous when I was pregnant with my first child. All of my pain was felt in my stomach (no lower back, hip, or leg pain). It felt like really bad menstrual cramps or really bad indigestion (ever had bad gas pain???). I know it's TMI, but the kind of gas pain where you know that you'll feel better once you go to the bathroom but the food/gas is still in your stomach so you have to just wait it out.
One thing I learned in childbirth education class was that if you're nervous, your muscles will tighten and the pain is that much worse. That is true. But it's hard to relax when the pain hits. I tried to stay calm but I did get kind of tense and the pain worsened.
I was in labor for about 12 hours before I got the epidural. The first few hours of labor were not too bad. After 4-5 hours, the pain came every few minutes, and lasted for about 1 minute each time it hit. I knew I wanted the epidural, but I had to wait until I was 4cm dilated. That's what took 12 hours. In the meantime, I was given demerol. That didn't take away the pain, it just knocked me out. The absolute worst part of the pain I felt was the 1 hour before I got the epidural. That's when I just about lost it.
The epidural itself didn't hurt AT ALL. Once you're already feeling the pain of contractions, there is no needle that makes it worse. You're already feeling the maximum level of pain you can handle. I was however a little hysterical because I didn't think the doctor was doing it fast enough.
The epidural took about 10 minutes to kick in and I felt WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My whole mood changed and I was finally able to enjoy the fact that I was going to have a baby. About 5 hours later, I was ready to push. That's a little difficult the first time since you're numb from the waist down. But the doctors and nurses are there to help you figure out what to do.
I knew that it would be really painful (at least until the epidural) but I figured, a few hours (sometimes a few days) of pain is totally worth it to have that little bundle of joy for the rest of your life.
Hope that helps and good luck to you!
regards,
Mari
2006-11-17 05:48:15 · answer #8 · answered by mari m 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Everyone says to a pregnant woman that it is not that bad,... of course they are lying.
For the entire 9 months the delivery was in the back of my mind. When we set a date to be induced, i didnt sleep for that whole week.
It lasted 12 hours, I had an epidural and that needle wasnt really that bad. After the epidural I could hardly feel the contractions, I did feel nautious and threw up and shivered for an hour.
Because of the bad reaction to the epidural they would not give me any more after it wore off and I had to push.
She was 9lbs, 7oz, delivered vaginally with minimal epidural.
It was the most painful thing in my life but it was only a few hours of real pain which is nothing in comparison to a lifetime of happiness that my daughter is going to give me.
I said that I was never going to do that again moments after, but a few weeks later I wanted to do it again. They say it is a pain you forget and they are right.
My mother was the same way you are, she never pierced her ears, but she had 3 kids and one without an epidural.
Remember that in the end of the pregnancy you are so uncomfortable that you are so looking forward to having the baby pain or not!!!! Right pregnant ladies?!
The point is, dont let the fear of a few hours of pain, cost you a lifetime of happiness.
We are all afraid, but we are WOMEN and we can handle this!
2006-11-17 05:43:14 · answer #9 · answered by Pro_Dog_Trainer 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I went through 48 hours of labor, 2 hours of pushing and ended up having a c-section because she got stuck. I personally felt the contractions in my back, (i had back labor) Most women feel them in there stomach. It pretty much feels like period cramps x 1000. And no nothing can compare to the pain that i can think of. The epidural didnt hurt me,but that doesnt mean it wont hurt you. And oh yeah the epidural helps ALOT, i didnt feel anything after that it was awsome. And yes i would still have a baby if i knew the pain before, its the best thing in the world, and you forget about all the pain after you see that precious babys face....there is nothing in the world like it. I would watch all those baby shows they play on tlc and discovery health. "Birth Day" on discovery health was my Favorite, it takes you through the whole labor and delivery process and they show everything. Good Luck!!!
2006-11-17 05:40:06 · answer #10 · answered by ANDREA 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋