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Someone asked why you should lay on your left side during pregnancy. Well I'm 40 weeks pregnant and I don't know if anyone can agree but i just want to ask, Have you tried laying on your left side to see how you feel?? well I've been told that laying on your left side takes preasure off your uterus found that I could sleep alot better when I layed on my left side. also I read someoine saying that they don't know what a doula is. Its basiclly someone who has been trained to work with you and talk to you through your pregnancy and labor. My mom's best friend is my doula and she is also a registered nurse so she has been one of the most helpfull people in my life besides my mom and my midwife. But since I have her I didnt have to spend 80 dollars to take some stupid breathing class that my hospital wanted me to go through. but good luck on all you future mommies. This is my first kid but I know with all the love and support of my mother and doula and my sweetie and strength from whatever diety you believe there to be. I'm looking to the virgin mother and mother earth for strength any body can get through childbirth with or without med's.

The reason that you're supposed to lay on your left side when you have pre-eclampsia is that it takes the weight of the uterus off of the major veins in your abdomen. Then your blood can circulate better, and your kidneys are able to get enough blood, and so they stop making you retain water. A pregnant woman with pre-eclampsia and severe swelling can sometimes lose 15 lbs of retained water with several days of bedrest on the left side.

labor pains feel like menstral cramps but 100 times worse

starts out (0-4cm) like really bad menstral cramps + braxtin hicks then intensifies from there. Urge to push at the end is strong but it most cases the urge comes before you or your doctor is ready for the pushing. I had three babies (not at the same time) two with an episiotomy (sp?) one without, healed and felt much better with the delivery without one...all eight pounders. good luck and don't worry, you'll forget all about the pain and get pregnant again!

First time pregnant so I can't say what it feels like. But I hear that if you hold an ice cube really tight and have someone tie a bandana around your fist so you don't let go, that's how a contraction feels. I don't know if this is a good example or not since I've never been there! :)

it kinda feels like a painful burning after eating habeneros/really bad menstral cramp. that's how it felt with my two children. with my first, I had no idea I had gone into early labor because it had felt like I ate something too spicy. Well, I am Thai and we tend to eat much spicier foods anyway. So I just thought it was from that. If I had know how contractions felt at that time, we would have been able to stop my daughter from being delivered 8 weeks before her due date. Luckily for me, I slept during the first phase. I usually sleep when in pain. when I got to the second phase 10 hours later, I knew she wanted out and went to the hospital right away. At first I was in denial because she wasn't supposed to be born for another 2 months. It all worked out for the best. She was perfectly healthy and didn't have to stay in the hospital for any extra days. We both left the hospital in two day. I also got the epidural with her. I didn't know much about it back then and the side effects. After I got the epidural, I just had the feeling of being really super constipated and pushing and having nothing happen. It took me 20 minutes to deliver after pushing. I am certain that with baby number 3 I will try au natural. If our bodies are made to endure child birth, than I'm sure I can handle the pain. It's all worth it. After you have the baby on your chest after delivery, you will feel no more pain and see how it is all worth it and much more. The thing that upsets me right now is my OB telling me that my denying an epidural is like me turning down a Jaguar. what gives?

All around Menstrual Cramping, only about a thousand times worse. That's how I would describe them. Going natural during labor would be nice, but I just cannot tolerate pain, I've had two daughters, both with an epidural. It worked wonders for me.

The worst cramps in your whole life, and the pushing feels like your whole body is being crushed by pressure, and it burns!

Just to let you know... not everyone poos and pees, I didn't. They had to insert a catheter in me because I was"scared" to relax, just incase I did lose control of my bodily functions! The 2nd question after "Is the baby okay?" was, "did I shit or piss?"

For me labor pain felt like a horrible pms cramps. I was always told take the worst set of cramps you've ever had and times it by 10. I personally thought it was a little worse than that. I was going to have an epidural but progressed to quickly. Since I already had a IV in they gave me(what I call) a form of liquid morphine. It works instantly and really takes the edge off. As far as pushing the baby out for me it didn't hurt. By this point I think I was just running off pure adrenalin. When the crowning of the head started that burned really really bad. I hope this helps somewhat. Pretty much everyone has a different experience and different tollerance to pain. Hope this helps!!

i had my first baby at 27 weeks 2lb 1oz it happend so quick my second was awfull i had gas and air and at the end i had nothing couldent even take gas and air cause oi was all over the bed in pain it was awfull i was pushing her out for over a hour ime pregnant again and having more than gas and air lol

I'm pregnant with my 7th. I had Stadol (spelling? Pronounced stay-doll) with my first, which was not so much for pain relief as to allow me to rest between contractions. It worked great. I immediately fell asleep between contractions and woke up just enough to breathe through the contractions. My husband said I talked in my sleep and said some funny things, though ("rabbits don't make noise!") I really needed the rest because I went into labor somewhat sleep-deprived, and was exhausted. They gave it to me in 2-hour doses (via I.V.) and when my contractions got strong enough that I needed to be awake and participating, they stopped giving it to me. I was awake and unmedicated for the delivery. I had no meds at all for babies 2, 3, 4, or 6. I had fairly fast labors with each. On my 5th, which at the time we thought was probably the last, I decided to try an epidural. I had heard so many good things from other moms about pain-free delivery. I did not like the epidural at all. First of all, I saw the needle - it was huge! I wish they had not let me see it at all. Second, I'm really uncomfortable about messing with the spinal column - I was afraid the whole time that I would be injured, even though I know it's a slim chance. Third, it was physically uncomfortable to me to have that thing in my back the whole time - I couldn't feel where it actually went in, but I had a tube and tape and everything running down my back. I was afraid to shift around, and since most of my labor I'm lying on my back, I was constantly thinking about the epidural and not able to fucus on the baby and my body. I still felt contractions - not the pain, but the pressure. And I was less able to control my muscles and assist when the time came to push. Also, I was numb all the way down my legs for a while after the baby ws born. With all the others, the immediate relief after that last push and the baby's out, I almost felt I was myself. With the epidural, I wasn't myself again for hours. That delivery, too, took the longest (even longer than my first!). Though every preganancy and delivery is different, I can't help but attribute the slowness to the epidural. So I decided to go drugless with number 6, and am planning on doing the same with this one.

It is different for everyone I think. I couldnt even feel the early contractions even though they were registering pretty high on the monitor. When I did start feeling them I could only feel them in my back. It felt like someone was pulling my spine out. As horrible as that sounds, they honestly werent as bad as everyone had made them out to be. It isnt fun but dont let horror stories from other moms scare you. My labor wasnt all that bad. I am 36 weeks pregnant with my second now. I hope I can say the same in a few weeks :)

the feeling of contractions when the baby is coming, feels like a "charlie-horse" in your crotch. epidurals work great, i had it with my son, and you cant feel a thing, its all numb. with the general anesthesia you still feel quite a bit.

I was just wondering... I heard when you get an epidural you also have to have a catheter put in, is that true, and does a catheter AND an epidural really hurt?

I have 3 children. One just born a little over a month ago. The birth was different with each. My 1st I was induced and I had an epidural which kicked out about 8 hours later, right before I started pushing. I pushed for 2 hours before the doctor had to use forceps to pull him out. My second I was also induced, and I had demerol as a pain killer which didn't take away the pain, but made me feeling to messed up to think about them. I could not get it after 8cm. When it came time to push, pushing during the contractions actually relieved the pain of the contraction. After only 15 minutes of pushing, out he came. My 3rd baby came naturally. Oh boy was that a tough labor! I couldn't get any pain medication because of the baby's heart hate, and the pushing hurt like hell.