Erin - posted on 03/28/2011 ( 66 moms have responded )
6,569
25
If you had to describe the sensations of contractions, rupture of membranes, pushing and crowning to a pregnant first time mumma, what would you say?
Here is how some other women describe it..
The closest I can come to describing what a contraction feels like is: a sharp, knifelike menstrual cramp that I feel right above my pubic bone, from hipbone to hipbone. It's funny that I use menstrual cramps as my analogy, because for me cramps are a dull, constant ache, whereas contractions are strong, sharp, and intermittent. But that's the closest sensation I can compare it to.
I had about an hour of "throwing down": abdominal pushiness/heaving that felt just like throwing up, only it was in a downward direction. No rectal pressure, very mild. I skipped this stage with Dio's labor. Next, I felt intense rectal pressure as the baby moved down, like my butt was going to split in two. I really didn't like this sensation. And finally, the rectal pressure subsided as the baby began crowning. In its place I felt intense stretching and stinging as the baby's head emerged more and more
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My contractions were always very low. I felt a distinct tightening and raising of my uterus. There was lots of pulling. My midwife manually dilated me the last two centimeters and that was the worst. It felt like muscles were being stretched beyond their capacity. By the time I began pushing I was in "labor land." It was very out of body. I could feel the baby moving down but I didn't feel much else. The contractions still hurt but I don't recall "the ring of fire" when she crowned. I had to be told to slow down when she was crowning because I was ready to blast that baby (and her nuchal hand) out! Pushing and the moment of birth were relatively pain-free compared to the contractions, but I had a definate feeling of wanting to get it over with.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for how did labor feel, it felt like my stomach got hard, like cramps, but not painful. That was early labor. When I got to active labor, they hurt like pretty bad menstrual cramps (although I also agree with a previous responder who compared them to stomach/bowel cramping. They come in waves and kinda make your toes curl a bit and your face break out in a sweat. But not running to the bathroom yet.)
Then transition is completely different. The pain level goes up, and the contractions spread from just the abdomen area to what feels like your neck to your knees. Well, it did for me anyway. You start feeling trapped and beat upon, like the rocks against a high tide. The contractions come faster than you feel like you can deal with, then you start thinking the craziest thoughts, like "Where's my epidural??" or "I could totally walk down to the hospital right now" or "Can I be unpregnant? I changed my mind, I don't want a baby anymore."
are going to die from the intensity, and you think there can't possibly be a way you will live through it, it changes again. All the force, rather than radiating throughout your whole body, all moves DOWN. Like Rixa was saying, "throwing down." It's like all the contractions gather their forces and start shimmying the baby down from your ribs to your butt. I think this part scares a lot of women because it is SO STRONG. And if you don't have a million people hovering over you, it will take you over.
You start heaving in reverse, like your body is ejecting something (it is!). And all you can do is hold on while it does its thing. You may or may not feel the baby actually moving down, but at some point, your vagina starts to feel stretched and burn-y. You might naturally feel the urge to grab your vagina to keep it from tearing. Then you just push until the baby is out.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So what did birth feel like for you?
66 Comments
View replies by