Why is childbirth painful

But this is not pain in the traditional sense. It is not a warning of impending danger or a nudge to seek medical advice. This time of your life is an awakening and, like being roused from sleep your body takes on a new meaning. It has grown and nourished a baby ready to be born and now is working to help you to give birth. This is not an illness or a warning of disease or something you need to be saved from. This is a journey and the contractions that your body is having should be seen as that.

But labour and birth are so much more refined than that and to talk of the process of your baby being born in such simplistic medical terms is to do it an injustice. Contractions themselves are not painful. The act of the muscles in your uterus contracting and shortening to push your baby out is the same as any muscle when worked hard and it causes pain until you stop using that muscle because of the build-up of lactic acid. When we exercise or train hard our muscles will become sore due to a lack of oxygen.

If necessary, we can stop and allow that pain to settle or we can push ourselves knowing that there is a benefit to this short lived pain. This is pain like any other muscle that is working hard but because it is exercise we accept that we can stop and recover if we need to. That is the natural effect of exercise. We do not decide beforehand to take pain relief in order to train harder, we embrace it. We embrace the good that it does, the way it makes us feel but most of all, we do not fear it.

Why then do we treat labour so differently? They will push their bodies for over 24 hours, how do they manage it? The answer is that they are mentally prepared. They accept that there will be pain that they will cope with it and find a way of ignoring it but they do not fear it. That is how you should approach labour. The pain that you may have is just the muscles of your uterus contracting and they do this for 60 seconds on average. With each contraction you will focus on your breathing, aware that when the contraction stops the pain will cease.

You are in control, this is your body and you are not a passenger. Like exercise you are asking your body to work hard for one minute and then rest, there is nothing to fear. And essentially that is it, your body will very rarely have you in more pain than you can cope with otherwise you would be incapable of exercise or functioning through your period.

You may find that you would like something to ease it and that is usually due to society and the medical profession making us believe that we need pain relief for child birth. If we are told something often enough we tend to believe it. I found this labor to be much easier to cope with. The pain was very intense, but it was a clean pain almost like a sports injury.

Pushing was more difficult. It felt like my whole pelvis was made of breaking glass, but this passed very quickly and I felt terrific almost immediately after delivery.

The good news is that in between contractions there is no pain, and the contractions only last about a minute. I had four children with no pain medication. I kept my eyes closed and concentrated on my husband's voice and hummed through the contractions.

It was the most empowering thing I've ever done. I would do labor over again in a heartbeat; the nine months preceding it is the hard part. Most moms said that by the time they got to the pushing stage, the worst was over. Some, though, really didn't like to push and initially had a hard time figuring out how to push effectively.

It was mostly vaginal pressure that was so painful. But once you get to the pushing stage and have that feeling that is similar to having a bowel movement, you are almost done. And you know that if you can just make it through the last little part, you will meet this wonderful little person you have dreamed about for so long! And it felt good to push! The only real pain I remember was when my son's head crowned.

That burned! I didn't understand what to do until my nurse told me to push like I was pooping. I thought she was crazy but once I recognized the right push, and where it felt like it was coming from, I delivered my daughter within a few minutes!

That's the only way I can describe it! It also felt as if something was going to burst through my back; I had excruciating back pain. I think I felt everything in my back rather than in my pelvis. Even though most of the moms felt that giving birth was the hardest thing they'd ever done, they'd still do it all over again.

That's what keeps the human race going! I could feel every stretch, pull, and tear. The burning was like no other. I remember feeling there was no way I could push the baby out, it won't fit. But once all was done, I was so happy to hold our precious baby. It was all worth it. During the crests, it was hard to remember to breathe, as it felt like my body was one big leg cramp, kind of like I was a towel being twisted and curled in half.

But when it's all said and done and you're looking at your little joy, you know you'd go through it all again. The miracle of what it means to be a woman is that all that agony is worth the 8 pounds, 1 ounce of pure beauty and joy that you hold in your arms for the first moment.

What Does Labor Feel Like? By Kate Kelly Updated July 16, Save Pin FB More. By Kate Kelly. Comments 1. Sort by: Newest. Newest Oldest. Where is all the information on first time labor and delivery? Typically, mild-to-moderate contractions last 30 to 60 seconds and occur every five to 20 minutes, becoming stronger and occurring more frequently.

What's happening : Contractions continue to become longer, stronger, and closer together, and your cervix dilates to 7 centimeters. This is when most women request pain medication , though sometimes it's given earlier. What's happening : Pain tends to be strongest as your cervix finishes dilating to 10 centimeters. In addition to intense, closely spaced contractions, you may feel pain in your back, groin, even your sides or thighs, as well as nausea. What's happening : Intense pain is eclipsed by major pressure as you feel a great urge to bear down and push your baby out—some women describe it as "like pooping a watermelon or bowling ball.

When the baby's head crowns , or becomes visible, you may experience a burning, stinging sensation around the vaginal opening as it stretches. What's happening : This stage tends to be relatively easy, as mild, crampy contractions ease the placenta out. At this point you're focused on your newborn anyway. Some women feel guilty if they opt for labor pain medication, as though they've somehow failed or put their babies' or their own well-being at risk. In fact, epidurals and other pain-relief drugs are quite safe, says William Camann, M.

What's more, the benefits of epidural may last long after your baby is born. According to Gilbert Grant, M. Even if you opt for an epidural or other medication, using relaxation techniques can boost your ability to handle the pain, says Leslie Ludka, C. Rhythmic breathing, visualization, meditation, self-hypnosis, and other relaxation strategies taught in classes such as Lamaze , Bradley Method, or HypnoBirthing may help keep your mind calm and your muscles loose.

Other effective techniques include massage, walking, taking a bath or shower, and applying ice or heat. Whether you plan to use labor pain medication or go natural , try to be flexible.