What did labor feel like for you? Did you go medicated or natural?

Question

Did it feel like a major charley horse in your stomach? Menstral cramps? Undescrible, excruciating pain?

Were you able to go through L/D without any pain meds? What helped you to deal with the pain?

If you had an epidural, was it scary? Did you feel anything during the needle insertion? Do you regret using the med, or was it Heaven sent?

I'm due in June. I'm scared about L/D. I pray that I can be tough enough to do it without an epidural. I'm petrified of the needle in my back!

Answer 1

I have two kids. The first I had in the hospital with meds, the second was with a midwife at home (planned it that way).

The best advice I'd give you is to learn all you can about labor because fear of the unknown was the worst thing about childbirth for me.

What did it feel like? Have you had braxton hicks contractions yet? They just feel like a tightening. Labor is like that but very tight and you can wind up feeling pretty tired if it goes on for a time. You might have honey with you so you can take a spoonful when you're feeling exhausted. Ask your doctor or midwife.

What helped? My midwife used acupressure on the calf of my leg which really helped and what helped most of all was being in the tub with water being poured over my belly.

During transition you get really shaky. Don't let that scare you. It's totally normal.

You'll do just fine! Focus on the fact that your baby is being born and it's just about the most amazing, miraculous, incredible thing in the world. Enjoy every minute of it.

For me, the home birth was about a million times better than the hospital birth.

Answer 2

It felt like really bad menstrual cramps combined with bowel cramps and a really bad backache. At the hospital I received Nubane, which dulled the pain and then before delivery, an epidural, which was a blessing. Birth was a breeze after the epidural. Receiving the epidural was a bit scary but it's over quickly and instantly a relief. There wasn't that bad of a pain during insertion - just a sharp sting like receiving a shot.

Though many say labor pain is like nothing else on earth, I've had toothache pain and gallstone pain and labor was easy for me compared to those.

Don't be scared - women have been giving birth since the dawn of time and you'll do great.

Answer 3

My first child was natural all the way. I never felt the contractions untill I was about 6cm dialated, and then within 20 minutes I was complete in so much pain I was crying. The nurses tried to get me to calm down but it really hurt. I felt the urge to push and no one would let me until the doctor got there. It took her about 10 minutes or so to arrive. When she finally did get there and I was able to begin pushing the pain got worse, but 4 pushes later and the doctor telling me to hold off on the pushing "which I did she just came on her own", all the pain that was there was replaced with joy, and happiness. I am now pregnant with my second, and know what pain to expect. Even though they say each dilivery is different, and if so that is still fine. I am going all natural with this one as well. I recomended my cousin to try it and she did for as long as she could, and then gave in. She recieved the epidural which didnt take right away and 15 minutes later dilivered the baby. She felt all the pain, but still said after that the pain was gone instantly. After the baby was taken to the nursey though the meds began to kick in and she went numb, and had no use of her body when the baby was finally able to come into the room.. She plains on going with nothing next time around. LoL Sorry the story took so long, but I love to tell it. If you are scared of the needle then I suggest going natural at first and see if you can deal with the pain, but if not dont wait to long to recieve any meds because after a certain point the option is taken away. Best of Luck

Answer 4

Hi, I am 38 weeks pregnant with my second child, and have thought about not having an epideral. I had the epideral with my first child, and it caused problems. I can't really remember the pain of the actual needle going in my back, so it must not have been that bad, although that was 5 years ago. I'm sure there will be some discomfort.

I am not wanting the epideral this time, just because I do not want to go through the same thing again as the last time. My daughter ended up getting "stuck", and the nurses and doctor had to push her out for me. That resulted in my daughter having breathing problems, and ended up in NICU for a week.

With an epideral, you will still feel some pain while your in labour, but not as much as you would without it, i'm sure. My personal opinion is, going through labour natural is the best way to avoid any problems, then again, if you are afraid of the pain you will feel, maybe an epideral is the way you should go.

I felt contractions for a couple of hours before my epideral with my first child, and it felt like severe menstral cramps, although, having had kidney stones before, was nothing as painful as that. I would rather be in labour with 10 children than to experience the severe pain as I did with kidney stones.

I'm sure the pain you will feel will just be up to you. Everyone's pain tolerance is different. Breathing helps out a lot, although it isn't something you are concentrating on at the time, but it is something that I have decided to do just to help things along.

As someone said above, women have been giving birth since the beginning of time, do not worry too much, it is something that has to happen eventually, and you don't want to be under any stress when the time comes. Just talk with your doctor about what he thinks would be the best pain reliever for you.

Good Luck with everything!!!

Answer 5

I have had 3 babys natural. Im pregnant with my 4th and am going to have her natural too. The pain is bad, but when it gets really bad, its already towards the end and almost over with. I was scared with my first, but it was fine. You will be ok and you can try and do it natural, but if you cant then get some meds. My friend had an epidural when she delivered in November and she wished she never had. She said it was the worst thing ever. She had 2 babys before that naturally and she said never again will she get the epidural. It took the lady 3 times to get it in, she hated not being able to feel her legs and her but hurt because she couldnt move around, and she still to this day gets headaches and back pains from the epidural. Everyone is different, but that is just one experience I have heard of from someone close to me.

Answer 6

Congrats and you will be fine either way...

I can not begin to describe labor to you..contractions are painful..undescribable, sorry.

I have had two children..

With my first, whos 11 now, I went el naturel..I planned on having pain meds, epidural, whatever they would give me, but it didn't work out that way...I did most my labor in the tub, and laying down on my left side..

With my second child, who is 7 1/2 weeks, I had a planned induction, got an epidural which was totally fine..I didn't feel too much pain as they injected the tubing, no worries there and I am glad I got in. I was terrified and expected the worse, but it wasn't bad at all...that induction ended with an emergency c-section, not so good...That was more terrifying than the labor of my first and the epidural...

Good Luck Hun!!

Answer 7

i had an epidural. i only felt 2 or 3 bad contractions before i was medicated, and they felt like menstrual cramps but 100 times worse. i had them put in the epidural catheter (the part where they use the needle) long before i felt any pain. i wanted to be able to walk around as long as i could, but i didn't want to be in severe pain while they were sticking me with needles. so they put the tube in place, but didn't give me any medicine until i was ready for it. this worked out SO well for me. as far as the needles go, the only painful part was when they stuck me with the numbing medicine BEFORE the great big epidural needle went in. and this wasn't that bad at all. i did feel the epidural needle a little... but it was not pain... more of a "threading" sensation. (if that makes any sense) I'm a BIG fan of the epidural, and i plan on having another in September. don't worry, you'll be fine.

Answer 8

My first child it hurt really bad. Pain everywhere. Pain meds didnt work.
With my second child it was like intense menstral cramps. Totally different than my first baby. I got a spinal w/ the second pg and it was fine. Just a little bit of pressure when the needle goes in. Doesnt hurt at all compared to the contractions.
You will be tough enough. When you are in labor your concentration moves solely to you and the baby. You wont even know what is going on around you.

Answer 9

It feel like cramps when you are on your period but they come more than when you are on your period.When my water broke the nurse ask me did I want medication for the pain? I told her no but, after like 6 hours I got on the medication and the medicine make you go to sleep after the medicine wear off that when i really felt the pain and they wouldn't give me an epidural until I got like 7mm. But getting the epidural wasn't no problem you really don't feel the needle going into your back i didn't think about the needle going into my back so that's probably why i didn't feel anything. Its depends on if you can take the pain or not I am not a person that like pain so that why I go the needle. And after they gave me that needle I didn't feel no pain.

Answer 10

Here's what I had:
I've decided to go natural up to the point when I couldn't take it anymore.
My contractions started at 6am in the morning and for couple of hours were not too bad.Just like lower back pain.
Then it started to be pretty uncomfortable and that's when I decided to go check with doctor.
I wasn't even 1cm dilated so they sent me home. Contractions were becoming more painful and at about 6pm I was about to go crazy so I went back into hospital ( I live 10 min from there so i could travel back and forth ) I was still about 1cm dilated. They wanted to send me back home but I refused to leave :)) So they gave me a strong painkiller and left me there overnight. The pain really is all in the lower back and it's not like anything else.
In the morning I was still about 2 cm dilated and could not wait for 4cm to get an epidural. So by the time I did open to 4cm - I of course felt the epidural was a gift from heaven. I do not remember feeling of the needle at all, I guess by that time from all the pain I had I would not feel 100 needles :))
Epidural numbed my right side completely and I could still feel a little on my left side. I mentioned it to nurse and the doc decided that the needle needs to be reinserted. This I did not feel either, but getting more medication made me shaking .
They had to turn off the epidural when it was time to push though - because I did not feel any contractions anymore. But the pain of labor itself was not that bad, even though I dead tear a lot outside AND inside. They had to repair me under general anesthesia afterwards.
My labor lasted 36 hours in total and I'm very glad I was able to get epidural. I was not able to sit or walk straight for weeks.
My baby rated 9.9 APGAR and is a precious gift :)

Here's what my friend had a week after me:
She went out to eat with her husband and felt that her water broke and was leaking a little. So they finished up a dinner and went into hospital. She was 8cm dilated and taken into delivery.
She had a baby 2 hours later. And was ready to go to work and do anything after a few days.
Of course no epidural and almost no pain.
Her baby is now 105% above average in height and weight :))
So no two births are alike, just wait for yours and be sure you'll forget all the pain right after you get your baby on your time the very first time :)))