What was your labour and birth like?

Question

Ladies, I am looking for long and detailed descriptions! I know labour and birth differs for everyone but I'm interested in how it felt for you! I want the play by play, hour by hour. I want to know if it felt like cramps, or getting kicked in the lady bits, or like someone was pulling you apart, was it pressure? Was the pain constant or was it more like waves?

I want to skip all the social niceties you normally get when someone tells you how their birth went. Let me know the nitty gritty, the story you really want to tell when someone said "labour isn't thaaaat baaaad".

Also please indicate the type of birth you had. Drug free or not, home, birthing center, or hospital, midwife or doctor.

Thanks!!

Answer

I'm so annoyed by these "it wasn't so bad posts!" HOW?! Why did mine feel like the seventh installment of the Saw movie franchise??!!

Answer

I started having cramps at 8 am Sunday morning but thought it was Braxton hicks since it wasn't that bad. They were 10 min apart. Went for a run, church, walked around the mall for 2 hours, then went to dinner. At 8 the cramps were closer together and a little more noticeable so we went home to get some rest. I was 41 weeks. By 11 pm I was breathing through the cramps that were 2 min apart. They felt like period cramps and I had to stop and couldn't talk much through them but still not so bad. Went to hospital at 11 pm when contractions were 1 minute apart. My dr had given me her private number and I called to see f I should go in. I was worried they'd tell me it was Braxton hicks and I wasn't in labor yet 😆. 
The contractions hurt but I still didn't think I was in labor because they still weren't that bad. Got checked in and I was 5 CM dilated. I walked around for a few hours bleeding all over the place then by around 3 am felt the need to poop. Dr came in and checked me said I was 10 CM and ready to push. Laying down to push was the worst because I didn't feel like I had much control over my body. I do t recommend it! Laying down closes your pelvis by 30% - I'm squating with this next one. Anyway...Contractions hurt by then to where I had to concentrate and breath. Felt like bad period cramps but still not excruciating like I thought they'd be. Baby started to crown and I pushed with every contraction. That felt good like I was finally doing something and not just waiting around. I pushed so hard I thought for sure a vessel was going to burst in my face! Baby finally came out kicking, blue and with the cord around his neck at 3:48 am Monday morning. I tore 2nd degree but when it was done I thought "wow that wasn't so bad!
I did not have an epidural or any meds.

Answer

I was standing up from the toilet at 11:30p when I was 39+1 and my water broke, although I thought I may have just peed myself. So I went and laid on the couch and about a half hour later went to the bathroom again and I was having light pink discharge. I call the on call OB and she basically yelled at me told me it wasn't my water and to call back went my contractions were close together. I barely had any contractions all night but called my obs office first thing when they opened in the morning because I was sure my water broke and lied and said my contractions were bad. I got to the hospital at 10 and they tested me and found out my water had broke. By 4:30p I still wasn't contracting so I asked to be started on a low dose of pitocin. I went from barely 4cm to almost 10 in 2.5hrs. I told the nurse I felt like I had to push and she check me and I still wasn't 10cm but they stretched me to 10 and let me push. 20 mins later I was holding my baby! No epidural, I was out of bed as soon as the shakes stopped. It was SO painful but I plan on no epidural again this time.

Answer

Well I was in labor for 20 hours, had my daughter vaginally! At first labor was going pretty smooth then once I hit 4 cm boy was those contractions starting to get painful, so I got an epidural at 4 cm, the epidural did not work at all I was having horrible contractions on my side back to back nonstop so I asked for a another dose of the epidural, after that I was relaxed and comfortable then some hours later I had my daughter and it only took 2 pushes!

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My contractions started at 8pm at night, waited for a bit and was at the hospital by 10pm. Right away the contractions were unbearable. They told me to walk around to get things moving but I couldn't. They didn't believe me until I tried and fell onto all fours vomiting non stop. They got me a room and the rest of it was like a nightmare because I was so tired. I was in agony and then would try and then would sleep for 2 minutes between contractions. It continued all night until about 7 am. They checked me and I was still not dialated completely. The nurse said she'd be back in about a half hour. As soon as she left I yelled to my hubby GET THE NURSE. My body just started pushing and I couldn't stop it. He told me to wait and I got so mad and yelled JUST  DO IT. The baby was coming, the doctor wasn't ready at all and I pushed for about 30 minutes and the baby was out! I tore and broke every blood vessel in my chest and face from pushing so hard haha. I was a wreck. But it was worth it. Yikes...still can't believe I'm allowing myself to go through the hat again!

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Ok I'm one of those "labour isn't that bad" 😅
I loved it! My 1st was 6 hours total! No pain relief....
2nd was 2.5 hours total and a water birth, again no pain relief. I was home 4 hours later eating pizza on the couch 👍both back to back labours. I can't wait to do it again 😊

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I'm commenting so I can read the stories as they're posted haha

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My first was almost 40 hrs of labor, start to finish. The first 24 hrs were alot of walking and cramping. Then I was started on pitocin and put in the bed, wow what a mistake. I my opinion it slowed my labor down and made it so much more painful. When I was around 7 cm I started having back labor. I used Nubian for relief and my husband and nurse massaged my back through the contractions. Then at around 5:45 p.m. I started to push, by this time I was so tired my husband had to help me. But after only a few pushes my son's head was out. With the next push , I swear it felt like the rest of him just oozed out.
  Two and a half years later my 2nd son was a week and a half over due. I woke up to go to the bathroom and started cramping. Since my labor was so long before I did not wake up my husband. When I went to lay back down I must have moaned because I woke him up anyway. In no major hurry to get to the hospital I got dressed, got our two year old dressed, woke up my husband's 14 yr old and was in the kitchen getting a bag of goodies together for the boys. I turned slightly and whoosh my water broke, contractions still not painful. 20 minutes later we were at the hospital. Still no real pain. I was checked and was already at 7 cm. They put me in the bed and again my labor slowed down. About 8 hrs later I had my son. 
    My youngest was born on August 9 last year. I was admitted to the hospital on August 1st. I was diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome. I was induced at 34 weeks and 6 days. After a long 10 hrs of contractions with minimal pain they added pitocin. Within about 15 min of that they had to turn the pitocin off. My contractions were super painful and one on top of the other. I ended up with an emergency c-section for a placental abruption. My son spent 20 days in the NICU. We are all happy and healthy now. Hope all goes well for you.

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Following:)

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What was your labour and birth like?

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