Is there actually a way to describe what childbirth feels like?
I think we can all agree it hurts – a hell of a lot – but everyone’s pain threshold is different, and every woman’s birthing experience is different.
Well, one brave woman trying for a baby asked a Mumsnet forum just “how painful labour is”, and we’re going to go out on a limb here and guess she’s now wishing she’d never brought it up.
A lot of mums said the pain is indescribable.
“It was a pain I’ve never felt before and I can’t describe it to anyone,” wrote one mum.
“I can remember the pain but I can’t explain it really,” added another.
Others couldn’t understand why the woman would even want to know – especially before she’s even fallen pregnant.
“Best to be blissfully unaware,” commented another mother.
And then there were others who were rather, um, graphic with their descriptions.
“It felt like being crushed to death,” wrote one mum matter-of-factly.
Way to not mess around.
Top Comments
I have gone through childbirth twice and that was enough. My second labor was longer than my first, and I decided then and there I was not going to go through it again. I even told my husband, very sincerely, that if he wanted any more children, he could divorce me and marry someone else, because I was NOT going to go through THAT ever again, and I was dead-on serious. The saying that "afterwards you forget" is just a bunch of baloney. How could anyone forget the WORST pain she has ever experienced? Don't get me wrong. I love my children so very much and am so grateful for the treasures I have been entrusted with by the Almighty, but I could NEVER have gone through another labor.
I think it’s worse for some people depending on the size of the baby, their body shape etc. My two babies were small (but full term) and my labours were short (12 hours and 3 hours) so it wasn’t bad. I didn’t need any pain killers or gas or anything. Only hurt right in the end when the baby crowned, the actual contractions were fine. My second birth was one of the best experiences of my life because I knew what to do. Total labour from start to birth was 3 hours.