Labor Pain

[samanda99]

Hi there,
I m new here. Listening to all of you here and all the stories that I have heard about child labor I've got this terrible fear of it.
Is it that bad isn't there anyways of making it less painful???
Some thing natural so that it does not hurt the baby or me????
We are trying for a baby but the pain is making me tensed.
help....

[the_queen]

The pain is not a constant pain - it comes in waves and you get a break in between. Please research "Natural Birth" and look into books by Kitzinger, Dr Sarah Buckley, Ina May Gaskin, and Jeanine Parvati Baker. The more informed you are, the better prepared you will be and the more confident you will be in your body's ability to birth your baby.

[monkeytoes]

My first labour was painful, even though I had pethadine and gas. I thought I had done my research, but I am now older and wiser and looking back, I didn't really know anything then. I am pregnant with #2 at the moment and I have done alot of research and I am now more aware of how the body works and what happens during the birthing process.

There are alot of hormones that a women produces when she is in labour. These hormones are a natural form of pain relief. I believe you need to be in comfortable surroundings and have trust in your body to do what it was meant to do.

Good luck to you, and I think it's really great that you're starting to research. Knowledge is power.

[AM]

To that list of books i would add Childbirth without fear - Grantley D!ck- Reid, Birthing From Within - Pam England, And The Art Of Breathing - Frederick LeBoyer.

All the best :)

[*Chels*]

I think too many people focus on the birth.Having a child is 9 months of being pregnant,probaly 1 day of labour,and a lifetime of being a mum!
Giving birth is honestly THE most powerful thing you will EVER do!!So research it well and stress less:hugs:

[miss b]

Honestly...yes it hurts but it's a pain that you can control. I spent most of my labour with both my babes in the shower bobbing up and down on an exercise ball sucking gas, and the rest of the time I spent laughing at my partner who kept taking the gas!!!!:laughing:
If you take pethadine it can make you sleepy and an epidural means you have to stay on the bed with a cathider in, as it numbs the lower half of your body.

Your nurses will let you know if they think you will need the extra pain killers during your labour. My first I went with an epidural, my second was on pethadine and gas. Yes DD2 was a much more painful birth once I had fully dialated (I begged for an epidural come time to push). But to be totally honest I recovered much quicker and felt so much better after her birth than with my first.

good luck:sunshine:

[0BleSseD0]

The pain is not a constant pain - it comes in waves and you get a break in between. Please research "Natural Birth" and look into books by Kitzinger, Dr Sarah Buckley, Ina May Gaskin, and Jeanine Parvati Baker. The more informed you are, the better prepared you will be and the more confident you will be in your body's ability to birth your baby.
:iagree: That is good advice.
I read a really good Kitzinger book. It is centred around natural birth and birthing centres and homebirths. I enjoyed it. :yes:


About your concerns..

1. Labour is different for everyone, some women do have it tough.
Most of us have the ability to cope, but the deciding factor is if we research and learn coping strategies and be as informed as possible.

2. Just because you have heard horror stories doesnt mean that your birth will be one. I've had two beautiful natural births, and I attribute the fact that they went so well to the hours and hours of reading I did.

babycentre.com is a good resource.

If you would like to know anything else.. Feel free to PM me.

:hugs: Women are strong, their bodies are made to give birth. Don't stress about it.

[0BleSseD0]

Your nurses will let you know if they think you will need the extra pain killers during your labour.
:confused: :no: Is it not entirely up to the woman birthing? Surely it is up to the woman in labour as to whether she would like to have the drugs or not. Having been someone who was 'told' to have an epidural when 3cms dilated with my son and refused, I don't think that whether the hospital staff want you to or not is a deciding factor at all.

There are risks and benefits to ALL of the pain killin drugs. EG.
Epidural: Risk of paralysis if they dont put the needle in EXACTLY right. It keeps you tied to the bed.
Pethidine: Has been shown to have not-so-positive effects on the baby in question.

So far I have not heard of the gas having any negative effects, but I didnt trust that either. It is a form of narcotic.. That cant be good.

Again, it is up to you what you choose.

But please be sure to be informed about your choices before you make them.

[stellarella]

Honestly it is not as bad as everyone makes out.
There is this thing we do as women where we feel the need to declare our labour was the worst, most painful thing ever and we like to tell horror stories, its just some weird sadistic thing...dunno.

Anyway I had a pretty awful labour if you get everyones labour and put them on a scale, 1 being relatively fast, anterior, easy, no tearing etc. and 10 being and extremely long labour, absolutely everything going wrong, serious complications, birth trauma etc, mine is about a 6-7 I guess.

But guess what I would do it 100 times over and I cannot wait to do it again.

Your experience of labour has a GREAT deal to do with your outlook. Go into it thinking it will be agonising and a horrible experience, guess what? its likely to be like that, go into with a positive and confident outlook and get lemons, you make lemonade. :p

[samanda99]

Thanx for all your replies. But cant say anything about it till I experience it my self.

[erinjacob]

i think the pain is there to tell you that your bodies working an that you need to work with it to open your cervix an birth your baby. if you think of the pain as a help it will make it easier. when i had a contraction i would drop my shoulders roll my head and think about what others were doin to take my mind of things. but you need to work with ur body an relax if you fight the pain it will take longer.

[Herchy]

I would do t all again a billion times just to have my little man.
I had a drug free labour... all 36+hours of it.
Seriously, your body just shuts everything it needs to off.
Dont be scared of it. Your body is meant to birth a baby. It is the best thing your body can ever do.
I can't wait to do it again:)