Wow, so many wise words I wish I'd heard before my first labour

It's intense, but it 'feels like' a good, warm, healthy pain - the pain of muscles working really hard, not the pain of awful damage being done
I infamously said straight afterwards that yes, I could imagine worse pain - the pain of my arm being severed at the shoulder with a chainsaw. An awful image for sure, but in a way I was getting at what JD was saying in a much nicer way. The most important thing for me was to remember that the more it hurt, the more my body was doing its job. This was not a pain that meant "danger, run away" or "OMG I am dying" but rather that my body was working harder than it ever had before in my life.

...it does hurt. But it is the most exhilarating hurt I have ever felt. After all of my births I just think "wow I can do anything now".
FC is expressing EXACTLY how I felt within a few hours of birth. I suddenly felt that my body was capable of doing anything. Now I am a real slob when it comes to exercise, but I could completely picture myself becoming the next Heather Turland and running marathons for Australia. It sounds ridiculous now (even more ridiculous if you know what a sloth I am) but I had such intense pride in what I had done it was overwhelming.

Flynn was back to back/posterior so I had a similar excruiciating back pain to Sarah. I really thing the back pain was the worst aspect for me, and like Jodie
"most of the time the nurses wanted me flat on my back on the bed all the time until I said "thats it im out of here" and then they let me go
I had a similar experience - I was told to lie on my back while the midwives disucssed the shift change handover and I went off - montiors and stuff when flying as this behemoth decided she was NOT GOING TO LIE LIKE THAT. Yes, in hindsight I think the back pain was the most memorable pain of the pain - needless to say I am doing ALL I can to avoid a posterior bub this time.

Support from a partner or doula can make all the difference. I was at home til I was 9cm gone and DH was wonderful while at home and in the hospital (though I had to KEEP asking for water - he is under strict instructions to be more proactive this time. To be fair he was probably $hit scared, for all his talk that "this is what women have done for 1000's of years, it is the most natural thing in the world". It is, but it must still be bl00dy scary to watch for the first time when you are in a hopistal and not in a birth centre or something.)

started at the bottom of my tummy, moved to my back nd then the top of my tummy - but these were more painful. I cant really compare the pain itself to anything though, well, not anything else that I have experienced before. Yes, they were quite painful and gradually got more painful. The contraction built up - they started off like an upset tummy (from eating off food) or like a cramp type feeling then went into a full on contrction. I had to stop what I was doing and couldnt think straight when I was having the contractions
I think Karina has it spot on here. My memory is getting dim, but I do remember the pain moving across and down towards my pelvis area.

I reckon the others are spot on if you can visualise what is going on and remember what you are tehre for. I was so totally over it by the time Flynn was born I looked at the nruse like she was mad when she offered me the mirror to watch the crowning like I asked. I honestly think by that stage I had forgotten why I was there (I was very tired - I had been awake for about 24 hours by that stage). But this time I really think I will have a better chance because I KNOW what is coming at the end, a darling little bub for me to love (ok, last time I got an funny looking little troll baby who realistically was only attractive by about month four, but to me he was the most beautiful thing in the world. You gotta love those hormones!!)

Oh Sirenz, you have the most amazing thing ahead of you. Needless to say I am anxiously awaiting my next BIRTH (yes birth, not just baby) because it is one of the best things I have ever had the priviledge to experience. Men might be able to life real heavy things, and save their comrades during a firefight, or withstand round after round in a boxing ring, but lil' old me, with my imperfect knee joints and pudgy thighs and unfit lungs and weak arms that can't do chin ups - I gave birth to my son.