How painful is childbirth?

I once heard that for a man to experience the equivalent of it he would have to pull his scrotum over his head. owww.

ok, one why on earth do you want to hear horror stories?

my first went on for 28 hours, I had an epidural at 17 hours, he was back to back (meaning his back was pushing and rubbing on my actual spine, so you want to push from the first contraction) this meant that I dd try and push (you get the urge - very powerful!) and it made my canal swell, which delayed the birth, vicious circle. he was 9lb 8oz and the second he slid out, I didn’t care about all the pain.

second one, only lasted 26 hours and he was only 9lb 6oz (see they get shorter lol!) and he too was back to back again, partial epidural at 16 hours this time. complete agony, think the worst toothache that you would be prepared to rip your own tooth out for in a massive area like your pelvic cavity…

regardless of the pain, mother nature has this wonderful ablity to make you ‘forget’. think about a toothache you had, where you were in absolute agony, or an earache, and try and feel that pain again. pain isn’t like love where you ‘feel’ it, once pain has gone, it’s gone, and you know it was ‘painful’ but you can re-create that feeling.

don’t worry about it, women often have more than one child, so it can’t be that bad, can it?

and don’t have a ceasarian if you can avoid it, they are bad for the babies respiratory system, going through the birth canal pushes all the mucus from their lungs, and thats why they ‘cry’ when they’re born. although many babies are born, natural (as in gas and air and epidural) is better for baby. yes I know epidural isn’t natural, but it is for the baby, since nothing travels through the umbillical cord to the baby, as apose to pethdine, which can make baby sluggish with breathing…

ok sex and pregnancy are two different things… you dont need to be a virgin your whole life, you can have sex without getting pregnant… and there’s always the option of a c-section (lots of drugs, no pain, well the recovery is painful, but atleast you can take drugs while you’re healing)

I never had any kids am to young but I haveto brothers and sisters they dont have kids ethier but my mom says it hurts a lot but it hurts less when get a epodarl she said in the end its all worth it because in the end up with an gorduse baby

And… don’t freak out! Stay focused and try your best to just breath easy. It’s easier said than done but I was given that advice on my first and it helped A LOT!

I ripped and needed stitches also.

Yes - it is painful - but having 2 children myself - I can give 2 different accounts. Giving birth to my first child was traumatic - I had every drug on offer and needed stitches after the birth which was more painful than the actual birth itself for me! Second time around and an age gap of 6 years between my daughters - (Clearly I didn’t forget the pain straight away!) was a different outcome. I knew what to expect - trusted my body - had no drugs except gas and air. It was a very calm experience in contrast. I had faith in what was happening to my body and trusted the midwife. My advice is KNOWLEDGE, It is easy to say - but harder to practise! My practise was my first child - after this I knew exactly how to handle the pain. You will know too.

I don’t think it’s the birth that is all that painful, ya it hurts, but the contractions during labor are what hurt the most. I really can’t compare it to anything. Your big tummy gets really tight during a contraction and mine hurt real bad in my lower back. The whole labor and birth process seem like nothing right after the baby is born. All the pain just disappears when you see your little one!

its like getting your bottom lip and rapping it around your head