How is your pain tolerance, did it change during labor?
ByI am usually pretty good with pain and want to have an all natural childbirth. But I am just wondering if anyone else had good tolerance for pain but then labor came you couldn’t tolerate it and had to get drugs.
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18 Comments
March 11th, 2010 at 5:06 am
i went up to 7 cm dilated then i got epidural it was unbearable!!!!=[
March 11th, 2010 at 5:48 am
I labored for 5 of the 10 hours of labor with no meds, but I got my epidural when I dilated to 6 cm cause the pain was intense and I admit I am not good with pain. I am impressed with those that do it all natural cause I was too scared.
Good luck!!
March 11th, 2010 at 6:41 am
I was actually surprised by how well I was able to tolerate the pain, I was doing good ( labored 7 hours on my own ) until I had to have the epidural, but it wasnt because of the pain, I coulda easily kept going ( I meditated and used a birthing ball and got into different positions ) but they were thinking they were going to have to rush me in for an emergency c section so I had to have the epidural, I was actually really happy I got it because after I got it, I slept the whole day until it was time to push.. I was very well rested and got to enjoy my lil one when he came out.
Just keep this in mind, if you need it… its there for you… ( most of the time like cept for right at the end where the meds wouldnt help you much ect )
The Jacuzzi at the HP I delivered in was nice too.
Good Luck
March 11th, 2010 at 7:16 am
im really good with pain. i got an epidural because its impossible to sleep during contractions. i needed my rest for the pushing part. labor isn’t that bad though i expected worse it does hurt but god wouldn’t give us anything we couldn’t handle.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:57 am
I laboured for 6 hours three at home (woke up in hard labour and that’s how long it took to get me down the stairs and out into the car!), and three at the hospital. We had a Doula who helped me to not get the drugs and I delivered naturally. I normally have a pretty high pain tolerance, but labour was so awfully painful. Having the Doula and my husband around helped with the pain, but if the Doula hadn’t been there and if the labour had gone any longer I would have definitely caved and got an epidural.
March 11th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Cross you legs ladies and be ready to feel pain!
I had a 10 lb 5 oz baby, naturally with no drugs and he had a 2nd water sac (called a veil) still unbroken and filled with water over his head when he came out.
Drugs? I don’t need no stinking drugs! Actually I just didn’t get there in time to have any.
March 11th, 2010 at 9:23 am
i have a high pain tolerance andi labored for 9 days before i got meds. but it was cuz i was so exhausted after that long that i needed to sleep, though the epidural didn’t work on me (apparently i’m one of the few it just doesn’t work on) but still got a cat nap in while pushing. I was that tired!!!!
March 11th, 2010 at 9:58 am
I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, and gave birth both times without any pain medication. Don’t get me wrong, it hurt a lot. But I guess I had a lot of willpower to get me through it. If you stay focused, and think of the postive outcome, I’m sure you can get through it naturally!
March 11th, 2010 at 10:22 am
I am pretty okay with pain and tolerate almost any type of pain but labor pain hit me and i didn’t know what to do.I wanted an epidural immediately.
March 11th, 2010 at 11:01 am
I had a home water birth with a midwife and doula assisting.
I used the “hypnobirthing” program and I think it helped with my anxiety and pain control greatly.
Its a weird kinda of pain.It is tolerable if you think positive…the pain is to help bring the baby out and not just pointless feeling like menstral cramps.
The worst part is the last few minutes of labor but it is over before you know it.
Here are the links if you want to check it out:
Hypno birthing:
http://www.hypnobirthing.com/
Water birth:
http://www.waterbirth.org/mc/page.do
Good luck!
March 11th, 2010 at 11:24 am
i was having silent contractions (not feeling anything) all the way up until i was 5cm dilated i found out that when i went to my overdue appointment the doctor told me to go home and pack my bags and then that night i started to get horrible contractions in my back:( so i went into hospital i only had pethidine and gas through the whole labor and it turns out that the reason my contractions were so bad was because my baby was turned around the wrong way, she was still head first but her back was to mine, i was pushing for 2 hours and not getting anywhere she had to get vacuumed out because i kept passing out it has defiantly built up my pain tolerance but if i ever have another baby im getting a epidural
March 11th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
I am the opposite — I usually have a low pain tolerance so I figured I would need drugs during labor. Don’t get me wrong, labor was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. But its a different kind of pain and different for everyone. I asked for the epidural when I thought I couldn’t bear it anymore. They brought in the anesthesiologist and prepped the epidural but when they checked me, I was 9 cm so the nurse encouraged me to keep going without it and soon after, I pushed the baby out.
I will tell you what got me through it — my support people and my husband who applied a lot of pressure to my sacrum (there are a lot of pressure points in that area) during contractions.
I remind every mother-to-be that the outcome is what’s important — a healthy mom and healthy baby.
March 11th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Well yes it hurts, but you just need to take classes and have TONS of support with you!
March 11th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
I have a high tolerance for pain and did have my first naturally. It was VERY painful. I took classes on how to breath and do things to take your mind off the pain, there is no such thing. I did it and was proud but I feel it gave me a bit of post pardum depression. I couldnt sleep for weeks…really weeks. Dont know if it had anything to do with it but I think it really did something to me. When I had my second I had every intention of going natrually again. I got scared and got the epi. at the last minute. I felt every contraction and it kicked in when it was time to push, which was nice, she was big. If I ever have another, I will get the drugs, not right away but I will get them closer to the end.
I was induced with both also so the contractions are different.
It is great! you want to go natural. Talk to your husband or partner before hand, discuss what you want and have a plan. If you feel you cant handle it anymore then just get the drugs. You dont know what to expect the first time and how long the labor wil be so dont make the plan to have no drugs at all, make it I dont want to have drugs but if i need them I will have them. With my first we decided no drugs what so ever! even if i begged, bad plan! I should have gotten them, looking back that would have been best for me. It was a much better experience the second time with the drugs.
Congratulations and Good Luck with your baby!
March 11th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
I have a high tolerance for acute pain, but a low tolerance for chronic pain. Which is why I should never go for shiatsu, I don’t feel pain at the time and then the next day I suffer.
Anyway I’ve had two unmedicated births, one homebirth transfer to the hospital (a mistake I will never make again), and a homebirth. I had SPD (pelvic pain) with my second and had been on semi bedrest for the last couple of months, then went to the fair and walked for 8 hours and of course that night I went into labour. That was kind of painful, the baby was pressing right in the wrong part of my pelvis for awhile. When you hit transition you sometimes feel like “you just can’t do this” in an unmedicated birth often it can seem like its the pain you can’t handle, but really with an epidural you’d have the same feeling. With my second I had a real transition with that feeling, plus the vomiting, the whole bit *lol*.
Just imagine there were no drugs
But seriously contractions in and of themselves are not painful for many women. I didn’t even notice the contractions until an hour after my water broke with my second, and that’s because I realized they gushes of fluid were happening regularly. Then I did the whole hands on the belly check and yup “real contractions”. The only pain I had was the stupid pelvic problem.
March 11th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
It doesn’t matter how high your pain tolerance is. Being in labor is excruciating. There is no way to describe it but pure hell but when it’s all over, it’s awesome to see your sweet little baby.
March 11th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
lmao all of these answers makes me kinda scared to give birth lol!!!
But it would be all worth it once Id see my baby
I dont have a child yet but still trying! Congrats ladies on your babies!!
And Merry Xmas!!
March 11th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
i was so so so scared of labour as i’m a sook when it comes to pain. Suprisingly, while i was in labour, my pain tolerance was great!! i was in labour for 46 hours, i didnt winge or swear once, i just focused and with each contraction i just said in my head “thats one more over with!” haha after 24 hours i had sleeping tablets and pain killers so i could sleep (didnt really help) and after 38 hours i started having the gas…. then 2 hours later i had a pethedine shot… when the pain got really bad i asked for more pethadine or an epidural but it was too late!!! but i still managed to have my son naturally… and he was huge, 9 pound, and i’m a really small woman – i dont know how i didnt tear!!
overall, i coped way better than i could ever expect!