im 38 weeks pregnent and i want to know what labour anf birth is like?

Question

what are contractions like and how do they feel. What kind of pain do you feel during labor what does it feel like. Also what is pushing like what does it feel like when your pushing the baby how does it feel.Also what does it feel like when the baby comes out the vigina does it burn?

Answer 1

My early contractions felt like I had painful intestinal gas coupled with braxton hicks. It was sharp pain, low on my abdomen, and happened every 10 or 15 minutes. I took me HOURS before I figured out what it was (even though I was a week overdue!).

Active labor for me was the same pain, but MUCH more painful and seemed to cover a little larger area. Some women have pain in their backs, some all over their stomachs.

When I reached 7 cm, my water broke and my body imediately started pushing on it's own during the contractions. My nurses said not to push, but I couldn't help it! It's all I could do to not, but it felt very natural and my body knew what to do. They say push like you're trying to poop, but my body just knew what muscles to use to push my son out. I pushed and pushed and finally asked the doctor if I was making any progress because I couldn't feel the baby moving down or anything. My doc said I was making lots of progress even though I couldn't feel it.

I pushed for about 45 minutes, and during this time, my doctor was stretching and massaging the skin around my vagina to prevent tearing. I did not get an episiotomy, and I did not tear! I didn't feel the head come out, I never felt burning (although I hear this is common), but I did feel his body come out. It felt like a large, slippery thing coming out, and was a very odd sensation. Not painful at all, just pressure. As soon as the baby was out, all the contractions stopped imediately and there was no more pain. Just joy and amazement!!

Answer 2

With my first baby I had to be induced, the second time I wasn't sure if I was in labor. Everyone kept telling me I would know.

Contractions really feel like bad cramping. It isn't that bad at first- When you are almost fully dialated it does get painful, I won't lie.

If you are planning on having drugs or an epidural don't wait too long to get to the hospital. I did and ended up having a completely natural childbirth. I was already 8 centimeters when I got to the hospital. But the good part is I remember it all.

It sounds disgusting but push using the same muscles as you would to go to the bathroom. When I had the epidural I couldn't feel to push, but without it I felt everything- it was much easier.

When the baby comes out it does burn a little- nothing you won't survive.

It is so worth it in the end! Even after having a natural birth I will definitly have more kids (next time I will get to the hospital at the first contraction though!!!!)

Answer 3

Well, the epidural is your friend. When I first went into labor I didn't even know it. My water never broke and I experienced back pain and vomiting, but didn't recognize until my sister timed it. My ob had to break my water at the hospital. The contractions are like bad cramps, not anything that couldn't be beared but uncomfortable. Believe me, I have a very short tolerance for pain and I did it. When it came to push they had to turn down my epidural meds since I couldn't feel a thing from the waist down. Basically, you are using your pelvic floor muscles to push. I felt discomfort and a little burning, but honestly I think I only pushed for 20 to 30 minutes if that. Best of luck!

Answer 4

I see a lot of women here being "politically correct" and only one who seems to be telling the whole truth albeit way too much brutal information. Yes, labor is terrible. It certainly is not and will not be a wonderful experience. The only thing I take issue with, and agree with the "honesty" woman about is the misinformation about "forgetting" the pain. That's not true. As you can see from all the women responding here - they ALL remember it very vividly.

One other thing I'd like to add is; there is a very serious lack of sympathy for the extreme agony we women are in while we are in labor. For example: when I was in labor for the first time, I asked for an epidural. I expected it to be treated urgently, but the anethesiologist took his time attending to me. I had to ask 3 times before anyone did anything. Up to that point, every time I had a contraction - everyone would react like "oh, isn't that cute - every contraction brings your baby closer to being in the world". You know what..... - that is NOT OK to say that. Don't you look at me, smile and tell me that I'm doing "great". If I was doing great I wouldn't be screaming bloody murder at the top of my lungs. Don't you ever tell a woman in labor she's doing great - even if you are refer to her progress. That not only doesn't help - it aggrivating. Labor pain is SERIOUS! It's not "cute" or "sweet" and I don't appreciate people who act like it's no big deal because it's not going to kill you.

I don't care if women have been doing it for thousands of years - you know what else people have been doing for thousands of years: Having heart attacks and having their appendix burst. Don't see anyone patronizing them, do you? So, don't patronize a laboring woman who is in agony.

Just because people have been doing things for thousands of years doesn't make it ok. The reason people have been doing certain things for thousands of years is because they don't have any other choice. People have also been dying for thousands of years - does that mean eveything's going to be ok in that case too? If women had a choice, once you went into labor and saw how aweful it truly is - you would STOP - if you had a choice. But you don't. You're body is going to do what its going to do whether its give birth, or start the process of death and dying and you can't control it. I want to stress - when your body does involuntary things that doesn't make it ok. The pain of labor is nothing to be laughed at or minimized. You'd think by the year 2007 they could have come up with a way to eliminate all of the pain all together. It's completely unecessary. You don't need to feel pain while you are dialating and you don't need pain to know when to push. I'm so sick of hearing these excuses: "It's worth it" "you forget all about the pain when you see your baby" and "women have been doing it for thousands of years - so you'll be ok". It's such rubbish! It's agony and you're not going to be ok. You might survive and live through the experience, but you might also get hit by a car break all your ribs, have your leg torn off and survive that too. Doesn't mean while you are in the moment you are going to be "ok". Its doing women a disservice to tell them such rubbish. If people had been 100% honest with me about what I was facing I would have been better prepared instead of not wanting to even touch my newborn after giving birth because I was so traumatized. Yes, I cried when my baby was born - not because I was "sooo happy". I cried because 4 nurses pushed down on my belly so hard they broke my tailbone while I was pushing. The epidural was turned way down - so I felt that bone break! Imagine the agony of breaking a bone and giving birth at the same time.

Answer 5

Honestly:

Labor and delivery is very painful. Don't be a martyr. Get an epidural. Imagine the worst period cramps you've ever had--now times 100. Awful.

It does burn some when the baby comes out. No lie. But, it doesn't last long.

You can do this. Women have been doing it for thousands of years. Hang in there. Sending positive energy your way...

Answer 6

To be honest, very painful. You'll know when contractions, it's like nothing you've ever felt before. Yes, even in the early stages of labor. The experience, in whole, is easy for every mom to explain because you'll never forget but everyone is different. My 18hr labor was long, painful, and exhausting. Get an epidural! I remember screaming when my daughter entered the world... A scream of pure relief. I wish you the best. Don't worry, in the end seeing your baby really does make it all worth it.

Answer 7

i will never forget what the pain was like. and it was over 30 years ago. contractions feel like menstral cramps at first. you might not even know its a contraction. and when your dr tellz you your in labor you think, hey, this isn't so bad. i can handle this. it starts off as a minor nussance and slowly over a period of several hours turns from mild discomfort into pain. then from pain into raging agony as the contractions get stronger and stronger and closer together in time and more frequent. and this is long before you get to the point where you need to start pushing. just when you thought you couldn't be in anymore possible agony, its time to push and there is new and more agony you were never even told about in prenatal class. and you are abolutely exahusted. as for does it burn when you push, why do you think they call it 'the ring of fire?' sure they give you a little shot of novacaine in that area so you don't feel them cut you, but thats only a tiny, miniscule area affected by pain, it does so little i don't even know why they bother. when you push in addition to agony i can't even describe you have to find the enegy from every cell in your body to push with all your might. it's like being consitpated, when your bowl movement is as hard as marble and your can't push it out. i guess the best way to describe that is a full body contraction. i pushed so hard i was scared that i might have popped a blood vessle in my brain because my head was throbing so much. every part of my body was racked with agony at that point. even my hands were in pain from squeezing things so hard for leverage. oh, and one other thing they didn't tell me about in prenatel classes is when your are pushing, it isn't just the baby you push out..... you expell everything that is in your bladder and intestines. but we didn't talk about that back in those days because it wasn't polite. so i ended up feeling terribly embarrressed in the delivery room when that happened. needless to say, the whole experience was terrible. once was far more than enough for me. i'd rather die than do it again. as for all the women who told me 'its worth it' and 'you forget the pain' that was a lie. and no, it was NOT worth it and i NEVER forgot the pain.

Answer 8

This is something that is different for everyone. The contractions will become gradually stronger and get closer. They are not constant, they come and go. When you start feeling like you have to push, it feels like you have to go to the bathroom. Sometimes it does burn when the baby comes out of the vaginal canal.
Not everyone feels pain, some just feel mild cramping.

Congratulations and good luck!

Answer 9

It hurts. I suggest an epidural. Push like your trying to have a bowel movement ( I know that's gross but it's true). Labor is going to hurt but that baby is worth it and as soon as the baby comes out it goes away. Good Luck don't worry your body will know what to do.

Mom of four. 3 with an epidural and 1 with out.

Answer 10

okay, well...umm how can i put this...labor can be very painful! you could be in labor from 1 hours to 24 hours! i was in labor for 12 hours with my son! i had him at 206 in the morning! now giving birth umm i had a csection soo i really didnt feel anything until 2days later when i was in alot of pain from getting stitches! you really have nothing to worry about your doctors are there for any questions they will answer them good luck on having your baby i hope everything goes well for you!