Did your labour go better or worse than you thought?

Question

Was the pain as bad as you thought. I'm planning to have gas and air, and pethedine. How did you cope with these?

Be as honest as you like, i'd prefer the truth

Answer 1

Honestly it was much better than I thought it would be.
After hearing all these absolute horror stories from other women I was very scared. I tried to tell myself that it was alright etc and I could deal with it. But I was really really freaked out.

I didnt want to use any drugs. But my Mum and the midwife made me have the gas. Just to calm me down during the contractions. It was great, it doesnt take the pain away but it is VERY calming. My problem was that when I'm in pain I stop breathing till the pain goes away. I dont know why but its just my reaction. So by having the gas I was forced to breathe through the contractions. At the time I thought I was dying, I think it was from lack of sleep and it was very very very hot that day and back labour really hurts. As I said I am a little bit of a drama queen lol. I finally had enough and asked for an epi, then I freaked out when they said it could paralyse me. So I didnt get it. I think I wanted it just to have the whole thing over and done with. But I knew that I really didnt want it.
And thats when my daughter decided to arrive. My labour was 9 hrs. I thought that was a long time but apperently for a first baby it was quick.

With my second it was much faster. I was alot calmer and stayed home longer. Because I wasnt panicking and knew what to expect and when I was "ready". I got to hospital and had my daughter and hour and a half later. I had the gas again to calm down, I was actually falling asleep when her I felt her head come out.

Yes it was painful and there really arent words that can describe it because it is unique to labour. But it wasnt as bad as I thought and compared to all the horror stories I heard. I was blessed to have fairly quick and easy labours. I didnt tear with either whcih I am grateful for.

So my advise is to relax (I know its hard) but be aware that your body can handle it. Its what it was designed for after all. Dont have any expectations on the pain or your pain threshhold. Because there is no way to predict how your labour goes or how you'll be able to bear the pain.
Be aware what you want and what you dont want in regards to drugs. But also be open that in labour you may change your mind. Do whatever makes you more comfortable, whether its walking, shower,bath, rocking on all fours etc.

I wish you luck, and a fast, painfree labour. :)

Answer 2

Mine was ok, though longer than I thought it would be!! I went in on the Saturday and had my son on the Monday! For the first few hours I was given paracetemol (useless!) then I had pethidine which I found ok but it did slow down my labour.

I got the birthing ball and was put in the birthing pool to ease my pain, which was too warm and I nearly fainted!! I then finally got given the gift that was gas and air!! Brilliant stuff!

By the time Monday morning came my waters still hadnt broken and I was stuck at 3cm dilated so they decide to break my waters for me and give me an epidural.

I got down tho the private room, my waters got broken (painful!!) then the contractions doubled in pain!!! My labour suddenly speeded up and by the time the epidural was ready for me, I was too far gone. Which I am glad abou tnow to be honest. I was given another dose of pethidine and then lost myself in the gas and air until it was time to push.

For me this was the easiest and calmest part of the whole labour! I didnt scream, just focused on my breathing, the gas and air and my pushing with the contractions. And out he came, no tearing. and the feeling when he was placed on my chest was unbelievable!!!

I am now 8wks pregnant with my 2nd and while I know the chances of a similar birth are slim, I really hope it is the same!! gonna just stick to the gas and air and maybe pethidine.

Good luck and make sure you tell the MW what you want and dont be bullied into taking meds you dont want!

Answer 3

I don't want to be the crazy scary lady with bad birth stories.. but with my first my labor was 21 hours.. ended with a vaccuum delivery and a broken tailbone. I went with lesser meds but did get the epidural after I was given pitocin- induction medicine is really REALLY painful.

With my second I scheduled a c-section.. both because my tailbone healed in a way that it is nearly impossible not to break again during a vaginal delivery and because I have an AVM in my brain (could cause hemmoraging from stress). The c-section was terrible.. I was given about 5-6 spinal injections- one shot down my leg like I was electrocuted. I was strapped down and still I could feel everything. They pinched me for about an hour.. had me inverted (tipped back with my feet in the air) on the table... then they proceeded despite the fact that the anestesia didn't work. I screamed during what can only be described as hot.. burning hell.

From what I hear this is totally uncommon.. which is unfortunate since I went to John Hopkins University for the labor and delivery. The recovery sucked and my subsequent pregnancy was stillborn- half over the stress of being pregnant as I know I had post-traumatic stress disorder from the c-section) and other factors.

I do however have a positive outlook on pregnancy. I am ttc #3 and plan to have a midwife and take hypnobirthing. I want to go as natural as possible. In my opinion I would have been find both times if it hadn't been for medical intervention.

Answer 4

with my first, I was all psyched up for a horrible, painful experience, because every female who ever gave birth thought it was the perfect opportunity to share their horror stories. like it was a badge of honour or something! When it came my time, I opted for the epidural (well, truly I opted for it sometime shortly after conception!! ) I arrived at the hospital nearly three centimetres, and stayed that way for hours, I was having mild contractions (at least thats what the nurses called them) and I got a shot of demerol, but the nurses were not checking me frequently enough and I went from 3 cm to 9 and a half in just over an hour. There was a shift change of nurses and a new 'senior' nurse came in to check me, thats when I was 9+ cms and she told me there was no time for the epidural, I was out of my mind in fear, I thought there is no way I can do it without it, I was screaming at them, calling them horrible names and threatened them all with a lawsuit ! (normally I am a nice, level headed person, but things change when you are in labour !) WEll I guess I caused such a fuss because the anithesiologist entered the room in seconds, I got the epidural (and by the way, it didnt hurt at all !!) I got my sense of humour back and apoligized to all my nurses! it worked right away, and within 10 minutes I was pushing out my little son!
With my second, she was induced (three times actually, but thats another story) and because the whole labour was controlled and monitored, I got the epidural nice and early, at 3 cms, this time the needle did hurt.. a lot..but not as bad as you would expect..and besides, its totally worth it. The entire labour was pain free and relaxed, I was actually doing a crossword puzzle when they told me its time to push. 15 minutes later, there was my daughter.
So, in short, I really recommend the epidural for those who can have it.
Good luck to you. Relax and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!

Answer 5

well at the time i thought it was pretty bad but it was my first time, now i look back on it i think well i could have coped with just gas n air on contractions n then towards the pushin stage poss pethadine. for my labour altogether i used a tens machine right up to the pushing stage (i was reluctant to use this b4 went into labour thought it might electicute me or something but worked wonders) then it got irritating, i went through 2 n half canisters of gas n air and had 2 pethadine shots, at one point was crying for an epidural but themidwife talked me round to not havin one and now glad i didnt. but i coped quite well with what i had and to be honest i dont think it was as bad as i thought it would be as my mum made it out to be this death defying pain yada yada yah. but yeah i thought that was quite good considering my baby was a whooping 10lb 12oz and just haveing gas n pethadin made me happy and will hopefully want to use that again for my next. but i would consider all options of pain relief as when ur in labour i dont think u care what u have as long as the pain goes. like i say i look back on it and the contraction pains wernt that bad but the pushin was exhaustin and felt like i was majorly constipated and the pushing burnt like vinigar on a cut but 100 x worse but that pain only lasted like 30 seconds or so and i did tear. gud luck

Answer 6

first birth you are a bit unaware of everything hun... but the pain is something that gets forgotten quickly... only the memory lasts... subsequent births are where you can be in TOTAL control. First birth I took the pethidine... was totally out of my mind... felt like I was not in control... was observing from above... but hey as i said first labour etc etc... naive.... next labour I took gas and air... bit of dizzy feeling at first ... but in control totally... It depends on the exact moment hun... don't rule anything out... trust the professionals ----some of them DO know best--- trust your own judgements... and hey.... GOOD LUCK and when you see your new arrival hey IT WAS WORTH IT !!!!...all the best hun

Answer 7

My first was getting pretty painful so I opted for the epidural, made things great. My second, I was diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder and the doc wouldn't let me have the epidural. Honestly the pain was horrible, and for all those who say you forget about I think otherwise. It was a crazy 14 hours before she was born. This time (new doctor) opting for epidural.

Answer 8

mine was good! :)
it was like a really bad period pain to be honest, it definatly took my breath away though
I only had gas and air and gave birth 1hr 27 minutes from arriving at the hospital! :) id been having contractions for 18 hours tho! :) the best thing i did was go with my body, i did what it was telling me, i got into tune with it and we worked together!
My brain said squat, i squatted, i walked, i breathed through the contractions! and i managed it on my own! and i was really proud of myself

Answer 9

Worse, I couldn't take it. I think every women is different though. After 34 hours of labor (the worst pain ever) I had a c-section. Totally the way to go. :)

Answer 10

Worse. I was induced, riped all the way, they had to spend nearly 3 hours rebuilding my rectal walls. Had toxcemia and had seziers for the last 7 hours. She was 10 lbs 9 oz........ no drugs her heart rate was too unstable. labor was 37 hours.