How much does it hurt having a baby?

Question

I just wandered what it was like having a baby, i am quite scared but excited aswell just wandered if anyone can explain what its like and what you think the best pain relief is

Answer 1

The most painful thing ever!!!!!! But so worth it :)

Answer 2

Yes it hurts and everyone will tell you to have all the painn relief you can but with my first I had a tens machine then an epidural and it didn't work properly and because I had an epidural, I had to have a forcep delivery and was cut so had to have stitches which is common but with my 16 day old I had a 36 minute labour start to finish so I didn't have time for pain relief and I found it less painful then my first but what woman don't tell you with their horror stories is that as soon as the baby is born the pain stops and your body releases a hormone that makes you forget the pain. Don't worry you'll know what you want when you go into labour and don't listen to all the horror stories. Good luck

Answer 3

In labour, you get cramps in your tummy. They build up, and have breaks inbetween, so they are okay. You will probably get hot cheeks as your temperature rises a bit. You may get back ache, which might be constant, but warm baths and someone to rub it helps.
When you are giving birth, you feel like you are doing a big poo. It stings - literally stings, and the cramps are worst here as you are pushing a baby out. I also got a strange sensation when the baby came out - it was like a balloon popping in my tummy which made my tummy hurt for a few seconds. However, the pain immediately disappears except for some stinging underneath.
I managed my last two without any pain relief. Be strong in your mind and it's fine. It's not like breaking a bone or anything, as the pain is all intermittent. I had pethidine with my first one and that was good. I had control, but felt far away.

You'll be fine. Women do it all over the world with and without pain relief. If you are a whimp and cry if you cut yourself then have epidural. If you're strong and controlled, you'll be fine without and can always ask for gas and air at any time.

Answer 4

I don't know if I can explain how it feels, but it does hurt-the good thing is the baby is SO worth it! I am pregnant with #4 and I'm not a bit scared, although I know how painful it can be. I have had 3 epidurals, all very successful and will have another this time. There are so many options for you regarding pain relief-you can also try going natural and taking a Lamaze class to help with breathing techniques. Good Luck :)

Answer 5

Right firstly it does hurt im not going to lie, but it is a nice pain i think and it goes really quickly with my first, my daughter i was in a labour for 22 hours- the quickest 22 hours of my life- and i had an epidural, they take the pain away completely but make it harder to push- i was pushing for 2 hours and ended up being cut and having 7 stitches which hurt after delivery for about 2-3 weeks but they are not really painfull just a bit sore. With an epidural you are more likely to push for longer and have an assisited birth like ventouse or forceps- maybe even go on to have a c-section as your urge to push goes and you cant feel the contractions as you are numb. Your more likely to be cut like myself also.
With my son i was in labour for 2 and 3/4 hours- also went very quickly. I had no time for pain relief, no epidural, pethidine or gas and air- i didnt even have a paracetomol to ease the pain and it did hurt alot but i coped and it was so nice that i did it naturally and felt it all. I was only pushing for 10 minutes and felt all the sensations you hear about like the urge to push and feeling the head crown/ coming out- which you dont feel with an epidural! It was a nice experience and very quick but it did hurt but you forget all that when you see your little baby.

It cant be that bad coz i have done it twice but still want another 2.

Hope i helped

Answer 6

I think it is best to be prepared for the happy event and so I asked everyone what childbirth would be like too and lots of women told me that it would be very painful of course and I thought I was prepared but to tell you the truth it is an indescribable pain and you can't possibly imagine what childbirth will be like unless you have experienced it for yourself. Yes it is very very painful and you will never experience pain like this in your whole life but believe me when I tell you that it is totally worth it and there is no amount of pain that you wouldn't endure to bring your beautiful baby into the world. As I'm sure other people have answered, it can't be that bad or else women would never have more than one child. Whilst in the throes of labour I vividly remember declaring to the midwife and my husband that I would never have another baby - the midwife laughed and said that everyone says that and I will be back there doing it all again in a couple of years, I thought she was crazy but sure enough within a week I was ready to do it all again. My son is only 9 weeks old and I am already counting down the months until we can starting trying for number 2! I had gas and air in the first stages of labour and no pain relief in the second stage (the gas and air only really took the edge of the contractions in the first stage and I had to continually suck on it for it to work - your midwife might not let you do this but give it a go lol) so I did have a particularly painful birth but I wanted to have a clear head and remember every detail of my son's birth and I know pethidine and the epidural can slow things down, as a result my labour was only 3 1/2 hours long which is great for a first labour! Someone said that it is like pooing a pumpkin and that's a pretty good description, it totally feels like the baby is coming out of your bum, when you get to the pushing stage just push like you would if you was going to the toilet as these are the muscles you need to get your baby out, I actually found the contractions worse than when the baby was coming out which I had heard before but I never really believed it. It's true though, yes it stings when the baby is coming out but at the same time it is a very welcome pain because you know that you are nearly there and the baby is nearly out so don't be terrified about the pain of the baby coming out as it really isn't that bad, I found this part of the labour completely manageable. Lastly it is very tempting to scream (I screamed very loudly) but someone told me (after the event) that if you can, try to swallow that scream and concentrate all your energy on pushing the baby out. The first stages are manageable and when you feel like you need to do a poo then you know you are coming into the second stage, it really does feel like you need a poo and the contractions are like stabbing pains in your bum, this should hopefully only last an hour at the most and then you will have your baby :-) Good luck, hope I haven't scared you at all and remember you are a woman and you were born to do this so don't be scared - you can do it xxx

Oh and try not to forget that all the pain is for a reason, it sounds mad but I actually forgot that I was having a baby as all I could focus on was the pain, just keep it in your mind that at the end of all that pain you get to meet the baby you have carried for 9 months :-)

Answer 7

I've had 3 babies ,1st was Cesarean 2nd was forceps and 3rd was natural with NO pain relief and I'm being totally honest the worst part is the labour pain is the contractions ,the giving birth itself was painless and i was up and about taking a shower 20 min after giving birth.
Of course its scary but listen to your midwife and have the confidence to know that she is on your side and wants whats best for you and your child. Think of that darling little child in your arms at the end of it all and the pain will be a distant memory.

Answer 8

at the time it was hell but the drugs did take off the edge lol. but i would do it all over again...............!

and if i did do it again that would make it 4 times and the 3 i already had were born naturally no c/sections for me so it cant be all that bad can it lol.

it all depends on your own pain threshold really whats bad for some is nothing to others so just prepare to be open minded about the pain and pain relief. An epidural for me didn't work it just sent my right leg numb from the hip down so it was useless for me and i wouldn't have another unless it was really necessary. just wait untill you go into hospital and then decide.

Answer 9

I just had my first baby 5 months ago...I have to honestly say that is wasnt bad at all..I did mine all natural( no drugs)...Not by choice i just went into labor fast and there wasnt enough time to have anything...the worst part for me was the contractions and not being able to push at first but when i was able to push through those contractions it was a relief (more of a distraction with the counting, breathing and pushing i didnt have time to think of the pain)..I had a horrible idea of what i thought it would be like cause i watched a stupid video and it scared the crap out me..Every childbirth is going to be different..mine just happened to be real easy i had him in about 3 hours with no complications...Dont freak out....I cant recommmend any pain medication but i can say that when i have my second child i am going to do it without any..I did it the first time i can do it again and i wouldnt trade a moment of it for anything...good luck!

Answer 10

It's different for every person and every pregnancy. My best friend had to have a lot more pain relief than me - but her baby was half the size of mine. My son was 9lb 5oz, but to be honest, it really didn't hurt that much. I was 9cm dilated before I had any pain relief, and all I had was gas and air, for the last cm of dilation. After that, for the actual birth bit I had nothing. It didn't hurt so much, as sting when he was born, but that might have been to do with having local anaesthetic for the episiotomy. I had more pain relief with my stitches after than the actual labour or birth though.
I do think it's right that it has a lot to do with your mental state before hand, if you think it'll hurt loads it will - if you don't it won't as mucjh. Congrats and Good Luck xxx

Answer 11

Ive had 5 and yes at the time it is the worst pain first it like someone pulling the bottom of your belly apart then u get a reel bad pain in ur bum and an uncontrollable urge to push and u cant stop from then feels like u got real bad tummy ache but as soon as the heads out the majority of the pain is gone i done my first 4 on gas and air and pethidine but my last i done natural and i felt more in control and was able to enjoy the birth more but yes it does hurt just a bit lol