Labour and birth pain compared to other types of pain

Hi everyone

I know that the pain of labour and birth is unlike any other, and I really won't know what it's like until I've gone through it myself, but...

I've experienced the pain of passing kidney stones and I suffer from IBS, which if anyone else has it too, will know it can be quite painful. I'm not saying these things are like labour ... but for anyone who has had these conditions too, are they comparable in any way?

I'm actually feeling really positive about labour and birth. I'm not scared. I'm excited and can't wait to meet this little person growing inside me, but I do wonder about how I'll handle the pain when the time comes. And I often think about how I managed these other pains in the past. Just interested in hearing other people's experiences.

Thank you!

I have chronic pain from a neuro condition and arthritis. Having had years of pain experience and experience in working through pain (mental toughness) definitely helped during labour, but as labour can also have more acute and intense pain it is also a different experience. Maybe passing kidney stones would be similar?

The good thing is that you know the pain has a purpose, and you know it will end. And then you get all the lovely hormones (and baby cuddles) to help you recover.

take care```````````

For me the pain of natural labour ie not induced was something I would rather deal with over the several tooth abcesses I have had ! Good luck !

Also depending on what your labour is like as well depends how well you deal with the pain. I found with DS1 the labour was 8.5hrs and my body had time to deal with the ramping up of the contractions where as DS2 alot quick 3.5hrs was alot more intense and my body found it hard dealing with where i was up to and the contractions alot more intense.

Hi Lee!

I've never suffered from IBS or passed kidney stones, so I can't comment on that. Labour, for me, was nowhere near as 'painful' as I expected. I think all the stories had me expecting it to be alot worse than it was!
The best way I can describe the feeling is that it is a similar pain to menstrual cramps, although obviously alot stronger! But as HotI said, the pain has a purpose so was easier for me to deal with knowing it was working towards something wonderful.

How you deal or cope with it and what it feels like are really two different things.
Like if you were to be able to understand the feeling from a description, you would wonder how you would deal with it, but when you actually experience it, you feel it, but you deal/cope with it better than what the description would have made you think... ITMS! lol

Personally, towards the very end of my (28hour) labour, I can only liken the pain to what I imagine a rotisserie chook feels like if I were a rotisserie chook on the branding hot skewer and someone was pulling my hips apart.
But then by saying that you would think it was horrible... lol But it was and it wasn't.

Clear as mud :)

Ive never had either. But my sister has two LO and has recently gone in to see if she has kidney stones (not confirmed yet), she says the kidney stones are HEAPS more painful than either birth.

For me, my contractions felt like really really bad stomach pains, like when you've had some really dodgy food and feel painfully queasy.

But like they say, each labour/birth is different, and is totally worth it.

I think that your mind set about the pain when giving birth (compared to other pain) is what makes the difference, knowing your baby is coming is a driving force, and for me, made the pain bearable. DS birth was completely drug free, I actually birthed him at home after being sent home in 'early labour', lol.

haha LS, absolutely clear as mud!

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I can only liken the pain to what I imagine a rotisserie chook feels like if I were a rotisserie chook on the branding hot skewer and someone was pulling my hips apart. But then by saying that you would think it was horrible... lol But it was and it wasn't.

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And this week's CONTRACEPTIVE ADVICE message (for women too chicken to give birth) brought to you by Lime "I'm always clucky" Slice.... :rofl:

The great thing about labour pain is that you're designed to deal with it. And when you're done, the pain is gone and you have a baby!
For me, coping is directly related to the care and support I receive. Altough DD's labour was far, far, more painful (like my pelvis being torn apart, yeah) but I coped better because I had better support.
Now, I remember it hurt, but I can't really remember the timbre of the pain, you know? I had OHSS when I fell pregnant with DS and that was painful. And I remember the pain. I remember it as being way worse (it also lasted longer and I still had to wait 9 months for the baby)

Honestly, for me, it was more uncomfortable than unbearably (sp?) painful. I had OHSS during IVF and that hurt a truck load more than labour. If you are excited and not scared, thats a pretty good place to be mentally imo. Remember the mantra that 'Fear= Tension= Pain', I think that is something that really helps get you in the right 'place'. Good luck, and I hope your labour is everything you hope for :hug:

(From someone who has yet to experience labour :) )

I think it's important to remember as well, that labour pain is not a 'sick' pain, it is not a damaging or harmful pain like when you've been injured or unwell, it's a functional, working pain if you can let it be .

I'm 99% sure I have Endo, I was about to have a lap to diagnose when I fell pregnant. But I would experience attacks where I can only describe the things I was experiencing as contraction like. It was the most painful thing I've experienced, those attacks. Definitely not a good or functional pain there :(

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(From someone who has yet to experience labour :) )

I think it's important to remember as well, that labour pain is not a 'sick' pain, it is not a damaging or harmful pain like when you've been injured or unwell, it's a functional, working pain.

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:rofl: Again, your state of mind will determine how "functional" that is at the time.

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:rofl: Again, your state of mind will determine how "functional" that is at the time.

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Hey don't laugh at me! I may well come back in a few months time screaming "FARK THAT!" but I don't think I'm being overly idealistic or anything:nahnah: Maybe I should have said, speaking more as a trainee doula.

Having said that...true that! As a PP said before, fear = tension = pain, if you're going into it with a different mindset I can see how that can all change.

ETA I added a bit to my OP ;)

i know a woman that has had two children and kidney stones. she said they were equally as painful but the births were far better because there was breaks between the contractions - plus you get a better prize at the end :) she said the stones was a constant pain which made it more unbearable.

:hide: I have had gallstones. The drugs are better during childbirth (sorry no-drug advocates!)

I didn't think labour pain was too bad. I think it would have been easier to cope if I had been giving birth to a live baby instead of a full term stillborn DD.
Since I was a teenager I have had a knee that dislocates. This is more painful IMHO particularly if it takes time to "reset" than labour pain was.
I have also broken both my wrists and have broken three ribs including havinf a "floating rib".
Bone pain generally is worse than labour pain.
Many people here have said it's worth it because you get a baby in the end. Even if all you get to do is say good-bye to your baby the pain isn't too bad.
I am pg again and I hope I will greet a breathing baby this time. I am only scared of something going wrong again I am not scared of being in labour again.

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 ;)

A lot of how you will experience labour will depend upon bubs position. For the first 5 hours of my labour DS was in the LOT position and I was coping very well. The contractions were powerful but I wouldn't call them painful. It was a bit like when you lift something heavy ITMS. When contractions were 3 minutes apart lasting for over a minute we decided we better get to the hospital (so not far from the end). Bub decided to turn posterior on the drive there. The difference was huge - and it sucked BIG time. For me it changed everything, contractions slowed down and became less efficient because I simply couldn't relax through them because now there was pain, all in my back as bub pressed on my nerve endings there. It took a lot to encourage him back into a good position, and it seemed that every time we did, the hospital staff would insist on using the heart rate monitors (because I was a VBAC which is akin to a chemical bomb apparently) which he hated and would turn back to get away from them - Gah!. It took me another 29 hours of posterior labour (and hiding from nursing staff in the shower so they couldn't use the monitors or harass me about not using them) before I got to 10cm and could start pushing. Bub's position makes a huge difference as to how easy (or hard) you both labour.

Totally! DD came down my pelvis with her head sideways (thus the feeling that my pelvis was being torn apart).
Well done hiding from them that long

Yep! My DD was posterior and arrived that way (induction didn't help) Still got through it just using gas. Check out the Spinning Babies website for ways you can sit etc to get bub in the optimal position for birth, just 2 try 2 make it easier on both of you.

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Totally! DD came down my pelvis with her head sideways (thus the feeling that my pelvis was being torn apart).

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Had the same thing with DD2...refer pulled apart chook comment above :rofl:

I reckon its fine, so long as things are progressing nicely. For me, that pain was totally bearable (with gas LOL) right up to 10 cms and that was with a posterior baby. But it progressed nice and quickly (4am, 5cm -9am, 10cm)
Then bubs got wedged and for 2 hrs I pushed. The pain wasnt any worse, but OMG the feeling of doing all that work and not getting anywhere, that was painful LOL.
So I caved, got the epi and then they pulled him out.
But hell, if he had come out in a more timely fashion, then it would have been totally bearable, just like the worst period pain ever,but bearable KWIM?

Hmm... I found posterior labour to be quite a sharp pain all in my lower back and I normally have a very high pain thresh hold. Granted he was my first vaginal birth, 4.5kgs and had a big head, so his size on top of his position most probably had a lot to do with it. I think the pain or pressure or whatever is all very relative, and there are so many contributing factors that can change your experience. As they say every labour is different, even for the same woman. I think the important thing is that you are educated and empowered to make the decisions you feel you need to make, whether that be doing it drug free, using alternative therapies, or using pain-relief, and be willing to change your mind. I know I had planned on going drug free and only take gas if I absolutely had to, but the gas did nothing for me but make me feel sick.

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".

Hi Lee,

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!