what's it like giving birth?

Question

i'm 15 and pregnant, baby is due in 7 months

Answer 1

Everyone is different. I had my little boy last december. i was 2 weeks overdue and they induced me, so i had to be put on a drip to start my contractions as nothing was happening naturally. I was lucky in that, even though it was my first baby, i was only in labour for 6 hours, which is pretty short for a first baby. they say the average is around 12 hours, but everyone has different experiences. the weird thing was, the pain wasn't actually as bad as i expected. and it was all round my back, wheras i thought it would be round my stomach! it's kind of like a real bad period pain and a "pulling down" pain at the same time. very hard to explain, but the best way of managing it is to keep as relaxed as possible in between contractions. I had an epidural, but i was 8cm dilated when i had it, so it was effective with the pain but i could still feel when to push. overall, my labour went very well, and obviously you get your fantastic, beautiful baby at the end of it, and all the pain just disappears... Also, you have loads of time to read up on it, and discuss all your options. I was so nervous about the birth all the way through my pregnancy, and panicking so much, but on the day, all i could think of was seeing my baby, and i was so excited that the pain didn't matter. having a baby is the best thing in the world. when you are holding your baby, you will wonder how you ever lived before that moment... Good Luck

Answer 2

It's different for everyone. You have to expect some pain, but thank your lucky stars you will give birth in modern times with all these pain relief options. I liked gas and air. The midwives are supportive and everything will be done to make things as comfortable for you as possible. Don't be alarmed when you hear stories of long long labours. Labours are never as long as they seem. If someone says they were in labour for 24 hours, a lot of that would be pre-labour, which isn't really very painful. Established labour starts when the cervix is 3 cm dilated, and from that point, if it goes on too long, they would intervene. They wouldn't leave you labouring indefinitely. If your labour has to be induced, the contractions are harder to bear because they start suddenly. A spontaneous labour builds up gradually and you can take a lot more pain. But you will be advised to have stronger pain relief if you are going to be induced. A certain amount is pysychological, too. The thing is that it's not just the level of pain that's significant, but also the KIND of pain. It bears no resemblance to any kind of pain you experience at other times. The second time is easier because you know what to expect. But in both of my labours, I stopped using gas and air at the most painful point, when I was pushing, because I found pushing easier without it, and it didn't seem too painful, even without pain relief, because I was concentrating so much. I think you should go to parentcraft classes. You will feel more in control because you will learn all about what happens and visit the delivery room in advance too. They tend to make up classes of similar ages of mothers, so you will probably meet some other young mothers to be. However your labour turns out, remember that women are designed for childbirth, and that whether you have a relatively easy time, or a more difficult time, it will be worth it. You will be well looked after.

Answer 3

Everyone has a different birth story with different levels of pain. The one thing that they all have in common is that they all have pain. I had 3 epidurals because the first two did not take and I thought I was going to die from the pain. I didnt dialate at all until I got that last epidural because my body finally relaxed. I went from 2-10 in a half an hour. When it was time to push I was pretty numb still and I didnt feel anything. Thank god for that because I pushed him out in 10 min. and tore very badly!! All of my tears were internal. I am still in pain and it has been 2 1/2 weeks. Once I saw my baby, that was it, I was in heaven. It was all worth it. Good luck!!

Answer 4

it depends on how you do it. You can have an epidural and experience no pain at all...or you can do it naturally (no drugs) and feel everything. It is painful, but you can take Lamaze classes that will help you to focus on other things so that the pain doesn't consume you. You can watch a live birth on Birth Day on Discovery Health if you want to see one. But to experience it is so different from what people will tell you.

I wish you luck...and remember labor is only a short time anyone can deal with that. And you get something that's nothing short of a miracle.

Happy and healthy 9 months

Answer 5

Being 15 it may not be as "fun" as when you are 24 and thrilled to be pregnant. I am making assumptions. The more you can accept just being pregnant and having the baby, your mental attitude helps. And with the epidurals they have today, you should be able to avoid much of the pain. DO NOT LISTEN TO EVERYONE'S HORROR STORIES, for you will only hear the bad birth stories not the good ones. Just tune them out !!!!!!! I had a rough labor and then c-section and the next 3 gals that came in popped theirs out. ????

Answer 6

Like you are a giant tube of tooth paste and you are being squeezed!
Couple that with passing a grapefruit out of your bottom and I think that sums it up.
It hurts a lot, but why do people have more than one baby if it really is that awful?
I have three, good luck you will be fine, when I had my last one, the girl in the next bed was 15 like you, she was fine too!
:0) PS I am 32!

Answer 7

Go to birthstories.com... it's a great site that has stories about people giving birth in all different kinds of situations... like a complicated pregnancy, no pain medication, epidurals...anything you can think of, someone has already been through it and on this site, someone has already written about it!

Answer 8

Imagine trying to push 3 bags of sugar = 6lb through a neck of a jam jar or:
When your really constipated 5 times worse........
Will it hurt you bet but as soon as that babies born you forget about the pain and think how lucky you are........
Worried about the birth you should have thought about that and kept your legs shut.......

Answer 9

I know this sounds nasty!! lol And I didn't believe the people that told me when i was going to have my 1st baby at the age of 18. But It's like being constipated and trying to go, really bad!

Answer 10

hia hun its not as bad as the horror strories you here about; but it is painfull and a pain that you soon forget. try not to worry about it to much enjoy your pregnancy as what you get at the end of it is worth all the pain in the world. good look and enjoy it.