Hey, I've always believed I've had a low pain tolerance and still think I do. I knew labour would be very painful and thought I most likely wouldn't cope and would end up asking for an epidural. Because I thought this, when I was in actual full blown labour I didn't believe it, I just thought I was being a wuss and that I had hours to go! Turns out I almost had my baby at home - by the time I got to the hossy and into my room I was pushing. I had my own midwife and she told me I was 7cm dialated before we left my house for the hospital. Oh I might add, DS is my first and he was 2 weeks early so I really wasn't expecting it so that also made my belief that I wasn't really in labour stronger! Point is, labour is a really DIFFERENT pain and I don't think you can measure your pain threshold in this circumstance - I went from thinking I'd have an epi, to having no time for one even if I wanted it.
I guess believing I have a low pain threshold worked for me and might for you I just kept saying to myself "no this can't be it, I've got hours to go, stop being a wuss" and "if I can't manage now, I'm going to crumble by the end of it!" LOL
You will seriously suprise yourself. I know this sounds really cliched, but trust your body - it knows what to do! And if you do need some relief or help to push things along, so be it, your body will let you know.
I'm another who sooks a lot when I have any sort of pain, I can have a man-cold better than most guys I think. But I was surprised at how effective my body was at labouring - all the hormones meant I was focussed, able to breathe through contractions, used warm water as pain relief, had great support. I always thought I'd be resisting the temptation for drugs (I really didn't want any except for maybe gas, since I'd researched the effects of these drugs and decided they weren't for me), but it never once occurred to me to ask for drugs in my first labour. Honestly!
So I wouldn't judge your ability to birth confidently and well on your every day pain threshold, because when you stub your toe you don't have all those amazing hormones running through your body, or a good support team.
I have a very low pain tolerance too, and i've attempted 2 natura births but had morphine both times. I tried to use hypnobirthing techniques the first time, they didn't work for me. I'm not one for relaxing and visualisation. And while it is a productive pain, it still damn hurts. I found it uncomfortable and unpleasant. And to be totally honest, having gone through it feeling absolutely everything, if i ever had a third i wouldn't want to feel it again. I didn't enjoy either birth, particularly because they were so painful, and it created a very negative mindset, and particularly the second birth i believe a factor in my PND. So if there was ever a third labour for me i would go all the pain relief i could get. I realise this isn't a popular choice, but i'm just being honest!
I have a very low pain tolerance too, and i've attempted 2 natural births but had morphine both times. I tried to use hypnobirthing techniques the first time, they didn't work for me. I'm not one for relaxing and visualisation. And while it is a productive pain, it still damn hurts. I found it uncomfortable and unpleasant. And to be totally honest, having gone through it feeling absolutely everything, if i ever had a third i wouldn't want to feel it again. I didn't enjoy either birth, particularly because they were so painful, and it created a very negative mindset, and particularly the second birth i believe a factor in my PND. So if there was ever a third labour for me i would go all the pain relief i could get. I realise this isn't a popular choice, but i'm just being honest!
I don't really think pain tolerance has much to do with it. It's really about how you labour. If you are active and find good positions, and use your breathing to help you focus, then it's much easier. And afterwards it's the best feeling to know that you've done it - it's something you can't understand until you've experienced it. I highly recommend the book New Active Birth by Janet Balaskas. It is a fantastic way to prepare for birth and help achieve a natural labour.
It is almost impossible to imagine how you will cope in labour. I wouldn't even let a nurse drain my bruised thumb nail because I couldn't imagine it not hurting. It doesn't hurt but my mind just couldn't wrap its head around the concept. The thought of labour was much the same -- how could I possibly do this? The thing with it, though, is that you have to. There really is no way out, you can't run away from it. The baby has to come out, one way or another. I never thought I would be able to do it but when you are in the heat of the moment, you just have to! It is hard to explain but you can do it, you know? I went in with the mindset that I would just "see how I go". In the end, I didn't have any drugs. I also didn't do much research into it all because I am one of those people who tend to overthink things. Sometimes you just gotta trust your body and let it do its thing.
I think the most important thing is to think about how YOU handle things. Are you better when you are aware of all the possible scenarios or do you cope better when thrown in the deep end and working it out as you go? No one way works for everyone so take the time to really think.
I think some people just don't cope with pain. New Active Birth was my bible with DS1, i practiced the positions, i had a plan, i surrounded my self with women who'd had natural births. I also spent the entire labour having showers, being on all fours, birthing ball, (17 hours of alternating), listening to hypnobirthing cd, music, being massaged. And ended up 2 hours pushing sitting on a birthing stool (supposedly great position as gravity works in your favour). Well it still hurt like hell! and is not something i enjoyed or ever want to experience again.
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and i thought that my second labour would be more tolerable as i'd been through it before. I repeated all the same things, and it was equally painful. I guess i just don't do pain.
Last edited by Matryoshka; May 18th, 2009 at 01:36 PM.
Have you read the info sheet on CS from RANZCOG? A CS is major abdominal surgery. I have had 2 VBs and am planning a CS for this baby as I physically cannot do a VB this time. There are usually less risks with a VB and recovery from a VB is much faster. If you are really concerned about the pain factor then drugs would be more beneficial in terms of pain than a CS because the pain of recovery after Abdo sugery is more constant than a contraction. As soon as labour is over in a VB, the pain stops. You may have some contractions while BFing to get your uterus down to normal size, but you would get those with a CS too.
Some Ob's dont have the same level of faith in the ability of a womans body as others. Some men in general can't handle not being in control of the situation (some women too ). Seeing as your dad does have a special interest in your pain levels I would very stongly recommend that you see a different Ob because I would be concerned that he would be too emotionally involved to make the best clinical judgement.
Labour is different for everyone. Only you will know at the time how much you can handle.
Your Dad is a specialist Ob, so being a specialist he would see more high risk women, and less of the normal straightforward pregnancies. There is nothing saying you will be high risk, so if your dad is doing a quick AN check on you and says you are perfectly fine, low risk ect, then there is no reason to believe that you will need a CS or induction until you are 42 weeks pg. It is normal to go to 42 weeks too
You may be surprised at what you can handle hun, If it gets too bad you can always get more intervention, but if you start wth the max intervention you cant reduce it as easily.
I just kept saying to myself "no this can't be it, I've got hours to go, stop being a wuss" and "if I can't manage now, I'm going to crumble by the end of it!" LOL
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). Seeing as your dad does have a special interest in your pain levels I would very stongly recommend that you see a different Ob because I would be concerned that he would be too emotionally involved to make the best clinical judgement.
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