labor sounds scary is it?

[oopsie13]

im 26 weeks and im starting to get nervous this is my first baby and im a big baby when it comes to pain and i hate needles but i know i want a epidural ok so what do contractions feel like? and does putting in the epidural hurt be honest i want to be prepared for the worst thanks

[findinghumility]

Great book suggestions JoyRenee!  I would recommend them all as well! And I also believe very strongly that pain is very much correlated with fear.  There will be pain regardless, but in general fear makes us tense and tension increases pain.  The more you know about labor and delivery, making informed decisions, coping with pain, and just believing that you CAN do it, help with the fear.  Also just try everything you can to take things one step and one contraction at a time.  Try not to think about "how long" or "how much worse" etc or it will most definitely ramp up the fear and ramp up the pain.  That was absolutely key for me.

I've had 2 completely unmedicated births (aside from being induced with pitocin for my first...no pain meds, just pitocin) For me the bath tub is my epidural.  I labor as long as I can and when I start feeling the contractions that seem to radiate up through the back of my neck (usually the last hour of labor at most/transition) I get in the tub and it really helps me to relax as much as possible during and after the contractions.  Also my husband will remind me to take a deep breath at the end of each contraction before the next one starts and that seems to help me melt away some of the tension that is left from those really strong ones also.  I am due with our 3rd baby this Wed. so labor is really on my brain.

Good luck!!!!

[JoyRenee]

Contractions feel like someone is squeezing the living daylights out of your stomach. It can be very difficult to breathe through them, so knowing some breathing techniques can be helpful.

Also, fear DOES make them more painful. Standing/walking/rocking/swaying can lessen the pain. But laying in a hospital bed, especially on your back, can make them more intense and worse. Getting into a tub or under some jet streams in a shower can help with the pain as well.

Epidural pain- the contractions are so intense you don't feel the epidural. I'm not kidding.

Don't just prepare yourself for the worst. Prepare yourself for the best. There are many books out there to help you. Here are three books I recommend to help you prepare. You can find them on amazon or ebay inexpensively. You may be able to find them at a local library as well:

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth  by Ina May Gaskin
The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation by Pam England & Rob Horowitz

[Vic85]

I agree with riot queen. Labour hurts!!! Ive been through it twice (and looking forward to a third time!!) But its true what they say about the pain just dissolving when you hold the baby i think that by the pushing stage your mind is seperate from it and although you can feel it you are also quite detatched from it too. I had an epidural with my first and it didnt hurt at all but i'd been in labour a while by the time i had it and so compared to the contractions it was nothing!
Just remeber that your body will cope with it no matter what.
And i'll let you into a little secret.......this is my third time and i'm still a little apprehensive-i'm kinda hopin there will have been some scientific breakthrough that makes labour painless......only 14 weeks for them to do it!!!!

[Riot_Queen]

I'm not gunna tell you that it's easy or pain free either. lol
It hurts ALOT.
Epidurals can be good or bad depending on how well the doc's know what they're doing.
My docs when I had my daughter didn't know WTF they were doing and did my epidural wrong and hadda redo it and did it wrong AGAIN so the only thing it left me was paralyzed from the waist down. I felt the contractions and the pain and EVERYTHING.
But because I had the epidural, I couldn't feel my legs, therefor I couldn't move them.

MOST cases though the epidural works GREAT for them and you feel the tightening from the contractions, but you don't feel the pain that goes with them.
Kinda like a braxton hicks contraction. They feel tight but they don't usually hurt.

Some women's labor is looooooong, like mine, I was in labor for 2 days because my baby was too big and no one knew because the ultrasound said she was gunna be 8 1/2 pounds when really she was 10 pounds 13 ounces.
I stopped progressing at 7 cm and ended up having to get a c-section and even though it S.U.C.K.E.D. I'm glad because there was no way that baby was gettin through my hips!!

Other women are only in labor for a few hours and have the baby very quickly.

Some women can deal with the pain of contractions and it doesn't bother them as much.
Some women scream bloody murder because of the pain.

Every woman and pregnancy is different.
Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones to have a easy L&D!!

I'm hoping I do this time around!

Contractions to me feel like REALLY STRONG braxton hicks combined with the worst period cramps you've ever had.
But that's just me.
Some women say they just feel like period cramps.
Some women get back labor and it feels like they're back is gunna explode.
lol

As far as the epidural, I have absolutely no problem with needles. I have 14 piericings and a tattoo that takes up most of the top of my lower arm.
Pain is not really a big thing for me but I am a BIG puss when it comes to cramps! I cry like a baby!!! hahahahaha
In my opinion the preparation for the epidural hurts more than the actual needle.
Like when they press with their thumbs to find out where they gatta put the needle. That's what hurt to me.
I actually didn't know they put the needle in the first time, that's how painless it was.
The second time I felt a bit of a poke because my back was already irritated in that spot from the first one.

I've never heard of someone having to get a second epidural though so don't worry about it. My docs were retarded and most docs know what they're doing so don't get freaked out by what happened to me because what happened to me is very uncommon.

I'm scared what I went through before will happen to me again, even though I know it's probably not gunna because I'm seeing new and better docs now and I have all the proper care this time around for my pregnancy and L&D.
That's what's bothering me.
But you've nothing to worry about.
The epidural isn't as bad as it sounds, and once you get it you'll have a more comfortable L&D.

Good luck!

[Victoria01]

I won't tell you that labor is easy or painless, because it is not. Labor is different for every woman and every woman handles it differently. It is good to have a birth plan ready for what you want and what you don't want so that you are not having to come up with the answer while you're in labor. Just remember that no matter how hard it may seem at times, the result will be your precious baby and you'll do just fine. :)

[dietcola]

I sooo understand you! I am 26 weeks as well and I am scared to death of labor pain... I just figured everyone does so I’ll do it somehow too! I bought this book and it's actually pretty good. It gets a little boring toward the very end, but it gives you a true examples from both sides. It kind of helped me a little bit to get prepared to what to expect. It also gives you a very detailed explanation of all pain management option available out there with pros and cons…
"Easy Labor: Every Woman's Guide to Choosing Less Pain and More Joy During Childbirth "by William Camann  ... I would recommend you read it!