Labour and period pain, are they similar

[satya]

I haven't got to labour just yet, but the braxton hicks I've had so far have been way worse than any period pain I've had (even really bad cycles). Last night I was either having BH every hour or it could have been pre labour (won't know unless I go into actual labour soon) and it was very painful so I know there's no way I'll be going drug free through this birth. Some women get BH for months before giving birth, others don't feel them at all. It's luck of the draw. I've probably had 3 or 4 episodes of them in the third tri (so far). As for an epidural your hospital may have rules about that like mine does - they will only give it to you after you've tried the other drugs first and they feel you really need it. Epidurals can affect your ability to push and can actually prolong labour and they don't work for all women (pretty rare apparently, but I was shocked to learn this one as I was relying on it).

[Mum0809]

I don't think you can really compare it to anything. I was begging for a c-section, I wanted to die to get rid of the pain it was so bad, I didn't think I was going to get though it, but I did and so can you. Just remember the pain will past, it is just a few hours of your life and when you see your little baby you will know it was worth it. I think one of the most important things is to stay relax, not panic, and just know you CAN do it. Good luck. Believe in yourself. I know you can do it. By the way the gas is great .

[Lolli]

Hi,
I had gas and pethidine for my labor, which was pretty quick. i was determined not to have an epidural, and I didn't (despite my dh begging the midwife for one halfway through!)
Early labor did feel like really bad period pain for me. I usually get period pain in my back and that's where I felt it during labor. My best friend get cramps in the front and that's where she felt it.
As AshleaJayne said, prepare yourself by education. And find a good antenatal class. Talk to as many people as you can but don't let them scare you or belittle you and do that smirking thing where they say 'oh you won't get through labor without drugs!' In the end though, if you need drugs, you need drugs. It's not the end of the world. Don't get so set on the idea that you feel like a failure if you take them.
The female body is an amazing thing and can cope with tremendous amounts of pain and pressure. Yes, labor hurts but the end result is so worth it. And the pain is just your body doing what it's supposed the do.

[bubNo.2]

I haven't got to labour just yet, but the braxton hicks I've had so far have been way worse than any period pain I've had (even really bad cycles). Last night I was either having BH every hour or it could have been pre labour (won't know unless I go into actual labour soon) and it was very painful so I know there's no way I'll be going drug free through this birth. Some women get BH for months before giving birth, others don't feel them at all. It's luck of the draw. I've probably had 3 or 4 episodes of them in the third tri (so far). As for an epidural your hospital may have rules about that like mine does - they will only give it to you after you've tried the other drugs first and they feel you really need it. Epidurals can affect your ability to push and can actually prolong labour and they don't work for all women (pretty rare apparently, but I was shocked to learn this one as I was relying on it).

Hi

Satya: Where are you booked to have your bub? As i know that if a pt wants pain relief or a pain free birth they should be able to recieve that no matter what!!! Epidurals can be tailored to suit the situation and most of them .... you can feel the pressure still but no pain and you can even still feel the bub move into the birth canal. (i know that one as i had an epi with my first son and i felt him move into the birthcanal with the epi drugs on board. The only thing i can think of and i would be apalled at my health care colleagues if this was the case..... if pts having an epidural means that the pt need to be more closely monitored more so than with giving a pt an IM pethidine injection, meaning the midwifes have to do more obs on you as well as checking the fetus heart rate etc etc. But if i were you Satya if you want a epidural just demand one and/or tell you OB before hand.

Cheers Ainsley

I hope that helps

[Lolli]

Ainsley- I was actually told the same thing as Satya... you have to 'walk' rather than 'run' through pain relief options- midwives won't concede to giving an epidural unless you have had a hot bath, then gas, then pethidine, and given each a 'reasonable' amount of time to work. I had a friend who was told for a good 45 minutes that there was no pethidine they could give her as she was in the birth centre not the delivery rooms of my local hospital... they finally gave it to her when she screamed 'bull****!' and called them a whole bunch of very unladylike names

[bubNo.2]

hi :
LoriRae:
Of course it is a different story again if a women is in a Birthing Suite rather than a delivery room !
Well personally i wouldnt be very happy with that outcome and i would be like that women
your friend and yes the midwives wonder why they get abused.
LoriRae: me being an Rn div 1 i dont understand how any nurse/midwife can justify refusing giving pts pain relief in private or public hospitals. But as i said earlier the BIrthing Suites are different again as they usually push the new mum out after a certain time (dont know much about them). With 'refusing' i mean telling mums labouring, to walk rather than run through the labour. Each pt knows what they can handle pain wise so ideally the nurses/midwives should go by that and advocate the pts wishes rather than push their own ideas on to mum to be.

Oh and im not directing any negativity towards nurses reading this who do advocated for the pt/mum to be and that do assist mums/pts with their labour.

I had some wonderful midwives 8 years ago at a public teaching hospital here in Melb. I was induced as my labour ceased naturally and they tried to break my waters . I asked for an epidural after they had three goes at breaking my waters and my midwife said 'of course you can darling'. BUt even the night before with all the gels etc i was in the antenatal ward and i was in pain and i was extremely exhausted and then too i asked for pain relief as in IM peth 100mg and i got not one but two injection over 4 hours as my body was so stressed the first inject. didnt do a damn thing. I had a beautiful nights rest and i woke up ready and rearing to labour my beautiful Tom out ... he finally came out that night at 8 24pm with help with the suction cap!

cheers Ainsley

[Mad Scientist]

I didn't find the pain to be as bad as I expected (I really did expect the worst). My little girl was posterior presentation and I managed to push her out without any drugs. I found that the hardest thing to get through was the exhaustion of dealing with the contractions and finding a comfortable position. My labour was quite intense as posterior births have constant back pain, so you don't get that "break" between contractions. But it really wasn't as bad as I imagined. Contractions do get bad. I had to move all the time and walk around the room to try to coax my little one down the birth canal. The pain did get bad towards the end where I couldn't walk and just had to hold onto my hubby but I breathed through it. Your body will tell you what it can and can't handle and there is no shame in having drugs during labour! I was totally open to it but managed to get through it without it. My midwife forced me to have some gas when they were stitching me up though (I needed an episiotomy). If someone had offered me a shot of energy though I would have taken it for sure. All I wanted was to have a five minute nap!!! Good luck. You will be fine. It was one of the most amazing experiences and such an achievement for me. I loved every minute of labour because it meant I was so close to meeting my baby.

[jenjams]

I too had a loooonnnnnngggggg labour. I was so exhausted that when I asked for an epi they let me have it so I can get some rest before pushing. (I ended up being induced) I didnt like the sensation of the gas. I didnt want pethadine. I reckon if I had have had some sleep before having DD (instead of 4 days of none) I would have been able to cope with the pain for longer than I did. Even still DD had to have the vacuum cap to bring her out... and 3rd degree tearing but thats another story.

[catherinemoses]

It felt like period pain for me. It was kinda just achey pains not too long and not very often. It started in the morning about 9 o'clock. It got more intense and closer together but still manageable by 5pm. By 8 pm I decided to take some Panadine. I threw up at about 8:30 (was probably from the codeine) was at hospital by 10 and was in pretty bad pain was having 2min contractions and was 7cm dilated. They gave me the gas which I had heard terrible stories about but found quite good. It doesn't make the pain go away but certainly takes the edge off. The pain comes in waves. Starts slowly, peaks and is quite painful then fades, as labour progresses this pain gets longer. It is certainly a painful experience but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It was very manageable until about an 1hr before I got to hospital. Then I had 4 hrs of more intense pain managed by the gas and the last hr was very intense/severe but still just had the gas. I can remember the pain but it really fades very quickly and I was not worried about it at all once I was holding my beautiful new baby! Try not to doubt yourself too much, and definately do as others have already suggested and be as educated as you can be
HTH
I found what I wanted most (more than pain relief) was to go to sleep!!!