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bloody painful....do not know which is worse a natural birth or surgical. Both have good points and bad ones.

I agree with the last comment,both have good and bad points,although I would prefer surgical,you can go at your own pace during recovery.

it herts like hell

yes, it does hurt like hell. The worst pain in my entire life,and when it was over, apart from being very sore for a long time was also the happiest day of my life.

In a year I am looking to be a first time mom to be. My mom had me and my sister and we were both "NO LIE" BIG babies. My sis 10 lbs 9 oz me 10 lbs 11 oz. If she can do it TWICE I am sure I can. She explained the same thing to me it is like bad menstural cramps, I asked her if it was like a charlie horse in your stomach. I am 25 she had me at 27 so she can't remember ALL of it of coursen so she couldn't answer that. Someone help me. I am so nervous, am I close to how labor pains might feel? I hate to say this part, doesn't seem relevant at first, but I was bound up for 3 days. Couldn't go poo. IT HURT! And had to have an enema. When I went I was all numb in my feet or waist and below, felt like my bottom was going to rip because it stretched so far, and when I pushed I thought this is nt meant to come out it F***ING HURTS!!!!, I was sick to my stomachas well, and I seriously did NOT think I was gonna get through it. After reading all these it seems like what I felt is "KINDA" like labor right? Even tho it was poo It hurt and I thought I was going to hurt my self the way it was coming out. Only with birth you will savor and love after labor Lol. Well anyways is that a pretty close feeling to what I might expect during labor? That similar crampy, numb, sick, stretching, burning feeling? I appoligize for getting graphic but I figured it was the only way to get a solid answer. My appoligizes :(

Stuffers- I've had three c-sections and only had labor with the first (24 hours worth-lol). To me it hurt like a LOT of pressure. Like my entire insides were being forced downward and out- you know where!!! Except I never dilated past 1/2 cm. so everything WAS being forced downward, but had nowhere to go. I just remember the pressure being so bad that I was sure the whole lower half of my body was going to rupture and I was going to die!! I later found out that I have scarring of the cervix that won't allow me to dilate, so maybe a normal labor doesn't feel like that. Wow! Your mom had some biggies! My first was 9 5, second was 8 3, third was 10 6- but I was asleep for his c-section, so don't feel too bad for me for birthing one that big- hehe. Good luck!

It does depend on the woman. Some feel it more than others, or maybe their pain threshold is higher. For me, it's pure excruciating agony. I can't walk, can't talk, my DH says I don't even know myown name when in labour. I have fast, very ahrd labours with no breaks between contractions to recover at all. Last one was 45 minutes long - one big contraction basically. This time around with my fourth will be interesting - I'm due in 2 weeks. I had pethedine and gas a bit with the first two babies - which did nothing. Natural the thrid time because there was no time and natural again this time. Go with the flow as to how you feel at the time. Don't set anything in concrete...

I have a question about contractions. Has anyone ever had a back spasm? Do contractions feel similar to that only all over?

contractions to me felt like really bad menstrual cramps and my stomach becoming really hard......I've never had a back spasm so I don't know what to tell you about that.

Well mine felt like attacs of bad back pain after my water broke and with epidural it went away. I expected something more like cramps, but mine contractions were not even close to cramps.

the contractions feel like someone sqeezing the heck out of your middle area and lets see how to describe the feeling of the baby coming out ok put a ping pong ball in your mouth and try to blow it out w/o opening your mouth and then after your really tired open your mouth a liitle and then try to blow it out the relief from actually being able to blow it out is what it feels like when the baby is actually out but like a million times more relief as for pain med stateall (spelling) works very well i've used both an epi and stateall (spelling) and if you dont want an epi then i recommend that

To me the contractions felt like REALLY strong period cramps getting more and more intense until I felt I would burst, then easing off again until the next contraction. At the peak it felt unbearable, then when it wore off again I thought to myself I can do this! Then when it got more intsense again I though to myself no I can't! I kept getting told off for gulping the gas and air in between the contractions as apparently it is less effective if you do but I couldn't let go of the tube loL! Right at the start of my labour I didn't even feel the contractions - my waters broke at home and when we got the hospital they strapped me and my bump to a monitor and was told I was contracting but I didn't feel them until a few hours later when they gradually got stronger and stronger. The pain was like an extreme form of period cramps, right across my back sides and tummy. The gas and air is very good but it doesn't really take away the pain just take you away so you are less aware of it if that makes sense? I did find it helped a bit though xxx

P.s) I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the worst physical pain I've ever experienced (and I've had 3 miscarriages) I kept saying " I can't do this!" while I was pushing as I found the pushing really painful,but us women can do amazing things and I did it YAY! :-) And my beautiful DD is here and is wonderful :-) xxx

Labor pain feels more like cramping and tightening that kinda radiates from the back to the front sometimes. When the baby's head crowns, it feels like your behind is on fire. If you take your fingers and pretend you are stretching the sides of your mouth outward, that's what it feels like when the head crowns. I used Stadol without the epidural. It just makes you feel drunk. And I waited seven hours before asking for it. But I had already slept through the hardest contractions and was totally alert when my daughter was born.

I think it's interesting (and frustrating) that some describe contractions as being stabbed or ripped in two - as if most women are supposed to know what that feels like?!
I appreciated the women who described it as unimaginable menstrual cramps and gas pains - at least one can relate to those symptoms.

well i went to 10 cm without epidual because it was my first pregnancy and i didnt know when to go to the hospital. But the contractions gets worse as time goes on. Near the end it feels like really really really bad cramping. I also had bad back labor where your lower back hurts really bad during the contraction. I was laying in bed and the labor was putting me in a trance where all i could do was say Ow Ow Ow over and over (i was trying to relax with breathing but its kind of hard to do) When my water finally broke during a contraction i went to the hospital. I was 10 cm dilated. So i went through all the labor pain. It was a lot of pain but i am proud of myself for being strong and getting through it alone.