Giving birth what is it like

Even with an epidural the pushing sucks horribly. Holding your breath and pushing like your pushing the biggest poop out for 15 seconds at a time.

It's almost like an out of body thing. Like your mind and your body are completely separate things and you just let your body go and it does all the work if you can just surrender to it. A Charlie horse across your abdomen. Your sphere of attention devolves which is why they give you breathing exercises. It came in waves and at one point I would be in the middle of a contraction when a new one would start. All of my focus was on the pain.

I wasn't thinking about breathing or needing to go to the bathroom or what my husband was doing. The nurses would give me instructions on and I wouldn't hear them. When I finally went into the hospital to be checked, sure I would be sent home, I was told that I was actually in labor. Louis Park, MN. Instead I felt like I was having one long contraction that felt like the worst menstrual cramps I had ever had. It was much more intense and it was almost all in my lower back.

Every time a contraction would come, my lower back would slowly begin to seize up. It was kind of like the muscles inside were slowly twisting harder and harder until it became almost unbearable, and then it would slowly subside. This is what back labor felt like for me, and it was still much more painful than I had imagined it would be.

It would subside and come back until the beautiful epidural lady came to save me. If I fought it, the pain became worse. Once I surrendered to and accepted the pain, it was more bearable. It is like getting caught in the undertow of a wave. Being trapped underwater is scary — you can fight it and get more scared or you can just let go and wait until the wave releases you.

Also, there was an intense searing pain in my lower back, which was helped when my husband applied pressure to it. It feels like your abdomen is trying to squeeze out all its contents, not just the baby.

They come in waves and varying intensity throughout the laboring process. I would go from a pretty tolerable one to an extremely intense one the next time. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain and it is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done.

While the vast majority of our respondents found labor extremely painful, some were pleasantly surprised to find it easier than they had imagined. Keep reading to hear more about their experiences.

I went in for my 36th week visit and the midwife was checking to see if I was dilated. She got a funny look on her face and told me I was five centimeters dilated and 90 percent effaced! I went to the hospital, got an epidural, and four hours later had a baby girl virtually pain free. I was in labor for 16 hours, and it seemed to fly by. And it all got much easier once the epidural kicked in. To me, it felt like a menstrual pain that was more painful than normal but not excruciating.

Actually, the worst part was how a contraction would kick in whenever the nurse put the baby monitor on my stomach! It feels like cramping when you get your period, just a little more intense. And the pushing is a relief. Once you hold the baby you forget all about the pain you were in. A handful of women mentioned that the pain didn't escalate until their water broke.

Here are their experiences. It was more of a tightening that got worse and worse until it peaked, then dropped off. If I could have had this particular pain once an hour or even once every 15 minutes, I'd have been able to tolerate it. But the fact that just as soon as you get through one contraction another is coming, that's what wears you down.

The pain was so bad that in the middle of one contraction I imagined that I walked away from my body. I tried to picture myself walking on the beach. Of course, that didn't work and my next thought was of the epidural. It felt like someone had taken hold of my insides and were wringing them out like a wet dishrag. It appears that the majority of moms who participated in our survey opted for an epidural—and were happy they did.

After eight hours of labor pains I opted for the epidural. Each birth is equally as beautiful! We recommend twins be delivered in an operating room instead of the birth room, even if delivered vaginally.

While it may not feel as cozy as a birth room, an operating room allows for more room to meet these babies safely. In the United States, the most common reason a woman delivers by C-section is that labor does not progress.

In most cases, this is due to cephalopelvic disproportion when a baby does not fit. The second most common reason is because we see signs a baby is in distress in labor. The recommendation for C-section is made when the benefit of meeting a baby by surgery outweighs the risks.

Tip: Our primary goal in caring for you is a healthy mom and a healthy baby and we will explain our recommendations for that each step of the way. We also want you to have a vaginal birth! We only recommend C-sections if we think the benefit is greater than the risk.

An episiotomy is a rarely performed medical procedure that involves cutting the perineum to help the baby deliver. Historically, an episiotomy was thought to decrease severity of tearing with delivery. We know through research that letting tearing happen naturally is more beneficial to the mom.

Tip: Episiotomies are only performed in emergency situations, with your consent, when it will help the baby deliver more quickly a rare occurrence. Tears are graded as 1st through 4th degree, with 1st as the least amount of tearing. We recommend suturing tears to help them heal appropriately. We do this with stitches that dissolve. Tip: A new technique, called perineal massage, has been proven to decrease the amount of tearing with delivery.

Trust us, we are not paying attention to grooming! Most women will have a bowel movement in labor or with pushing. This is good!

Every woman is different in how she recovers, too. Postpartum is an awesome time, but also stressful! It is often referred to as the 4th trimester. Your sleep schedule changes, your body changes, and your interpersonal relationships change. If you choose to breastfeed, read up on our breastfeeding tips for new moms. Many moms are surprised to know there is still a recovery period. You may have cramping, tailbone pain, and pain as a tear heals. Sometimes sitting and walking are tricky! There are no true lifting restrictions after a vaginal delivery, but I recommend avoiding heavy lifting for about two weeks, especially from the ground.

This puts a lot of stress on your pelvic floor as it heals. Helpful tips for going home include sitting on soft surfaces, using a spray bottle after you void, using ice pads, taking ibuprofen and Tylenol, and keeping an area of all the things you will need most to care for you and baby in your home.

The recovery from a C-section is longer because it is a major surgery. Wait six weeks before lifting anything greater than lbs. We will teach you how to care for your incision in the hospital and will send you home with pain medication.

Home births double your risk of complications, with two times the risk of perinatal mortality and three times the risk of neonatal seizures.

If you decide to give birth at home, you should have a low-risk pregnancy, the help of a certified midwife, and be reasonably close to a hospital.

Tip: Our first priorities are the health and safety of you and your baby. We will give you information and recommendations about safety and labor so you can make informed decisions throughout the process. Getting Ready for Baby How important are birthing classes?