Yep, a lot of it comes from how you feel about it, I reckon.
Would you believe I had a better birth with Ianto (who, if you don't know and can't see my signature, died before birth) than with Amelia (perfectly healthy)? I was determined to give him the best birth I could, and I was actually happy to be giving birth to him.
I started off happy to be giving birth to Amelia, but (as PZ knows) I was very very UNhappy by the time I got to a birth suite. I was handling it pretty well until I was told they didn't have a room for me yet, and I had to labour for quite a while in a post-natal room with a new mum in it (wtf, hospital?)
On top of that, my body wasn't reacting well to the induction, and I was pretty much strapped to the bed by the heartrate monitor... I ended up in massive pain, screaming for an epidural (which btw was my one big rule in my birth plan - "do NOT let me have an epidural!") which I attribute to my poor state of mind by that point.
Sent from my iPhone so forgive the speelung misstacks
This is my take on the subject as a tried and tested hypnobirther - I'm kinda "set in my ways" about this so keep in mind it's my opinion only.
I don't think birth "pain" is comparable to injurious pain. When you birth, your body is contracting for a purpose ... your body is doing exactly what it was made to do to bring your beautiful baby into the world. If you can tune into your body and be confident in your body's ability to birth (and consciously relax as much as you can during contractions) you are probably going to be better equipped mentally and physically to deal with the very foreign sensation as a first time mum. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ... and so is "pain".
On the other hand, I'd expect that if you injure yourself to the point that the pain is almost unbearable (or have a medical condition like kidney stones), then your mental outlook is going to be very different.
I birthed confidently and felt totally on top of any "pain" I felt. To this end I had both boys without the need for pain relief. But cut off my hand and/or break my leg and my attitude to pain would probably be a completely different kettle of fish. I'd be like "GIVE ME THE DRUGS".
I suffer from IBS too, and actually thought the onset of labour was a mild episode. Realised reasonably quickly that it wasn't
I gave birth without any analgesia and found it intense, but completely bearable. If you have ever had IBS and period pain at the same time, it was never any worse than that. I said right after, "I could do that again!" It is pain with a purpose, and you know that there's an end to it, with one heck of a reward! IBS I find so draining, and usually it's punishment for bad dietary choices or for letting myself get too stressed. I feel wrecked after an episode and usually need to sleep it off. I was totally charged after my daughter's birth - energised and relaxed.
Take the time to learn about relaxation, about where you store tension and how to release that tension. I did prenatal yoga from about 23 weeks to around 35 weeks and it helped me understand my body so well - I learned that I keep my tension in my shoulders and jaw, and asked my DH to help me out during labour by reminding me to relax between contractions.
Your body is made for this... you will be amazed at what you can do Good luck!
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