Labour and period pain, are they similar

Good morning all,
I wanted to ask the experienced ones as I have not been through the process of child birth as yet.
I often hear labour described as starting like very bad period pains, would this be right, if this is fact how long usually does that very bad period type pain last before it changes?

Why am I asking, well... I hope that when I become pregnant to have something close to a drug free birth time however I already suffer terrible period pain that puts me on the edge of wanting to vomit as well as that pain in your gut that feels as if your been kicked pretty hard by someone. I try to get through it with breathing and all that business but I end up taking Naprogesic for it, just cant handle it.
If Labour is anything like this then I just cant see myself getting through it without and Epidural, thats fine is thats the case as ill just lean towards that when the time is here.
I know everyone is different with what they feel, im just trying to see how I can cope if I cant cope with monthly pains as it is.
thanks everyone, any honest words would help.

lol, someone who WANTS to hear the horror stories? :)

For me, labour was like copping 9 months worth of period pain all in one hit.

But it is different for each and everyone of us hun, if your period pain is so severe you might just find that labour isnt that bad!

HTH!!

Hi Chicken Little...

I was worried about the same thing as you - always suffered from terrible period pain and thought to myself there was no way I could get through it.
But, I ended up having a drug free birth.

If you think you won't be able to deal with it from a pain perspective do some informed reading. I read as much as I could, and used BB as a resource to educate me on the best reasons not to use any artificial drugs. Read up on the effects they can have on your baby, on your labour - it will give you some real motivation to think of those reasons when it comes down to it.

Contractions in the beginning are a lot like period pain... but towards the end, I won't lie, it bl00dy hurts! But you can get through it. You will be this new powerful woman in labour and if you can believe in yourself you will overcome the whole thing!

Maybe look into calmbirth or hypnobirthing, I hear they offer some greatly empowering techniques to help women through their labours. Read up on natural pain reliefs - using water in your labour - ways to distract yourself etc.

Another thing you might want to consider is the use of a doula or birth attendant. A non medical and non family support person to be there for you. Sometimes family members will suffer from seeing the sisters/wives/daughters in pain and encourage you to take the drugs. A doula can be a fantastic resource as support.

The most important tool is to be educated :)

Yep, my ctx were just like bad period pain. In saying that, it was bad but not unmanageable and I got through it without any drugs (just loooooots of water).

I have always thought that my previous period pain helped with my labour as I just went 'oh, ok. I've done this before just for a different reason'. So if anything, you might handle your ctx easier than someone who has never had any period pain in their life :)

Hello,
I agree education and also having a positive attitude towards labour. I only had gas so not a 100% drug free labour it didn't take the pain away it took the edge off. I never really had the period pain cramps during labour just the four days before my water broke. After my water broke holy moly it was full on but I never stressed, I concentrated on my breathing and stayed mobile.
Goodluck

Mine started out like period pain and got more intense.

For me it was like the WORST period pain of my life and then some! i always thought having bad period pain usually would get me through childbirth. unfortuneatly it didnt even compare. good luck

I haven't gone into labour yet but I can tell you that I am awake at night with period type pains and even as i type. Its not bad at the moment though.

In saying that its not bad at the moment though, my period pains actually had me in hospital last year. I could not move, get up or walk. I was put onto a high dose of codine and still could only just barely walk.

I like to think my body was getting ready for when I became pregnant, strengthening my uterus and all that, its hard but think of your period pain as practise.

Sounds all scarey to me and I just cant see myself handling any pain dished out to me. I should have asked, How long does this period like nasty pain hang around, I read that a lot of woman say it starts out like this but the feeling changes.
I really dont have much confidence in myself or my body yet I do know my body was designed for it all.

Gas sounds great!!!

I would've had 3 drug free labours if not for not knowing much.
DD1 I was too tense & had to have gas & pethidine to relax. I'm glad it worked coz I found out they were going to take me for a c/s if my MIL didn't speak up. I was fighting the contractions, & they thought things were going too slow.
DD2 was going good til she told me to push. I started then had an internal & she decided I wasn't far enough. So I had to hold off pushing for a bit - It's hard to stop once you've started, coz it gives you something to take your mind off the pain. She offered me gas but I only had one go at it. I reminded myself that I could handle it & did it.
DS I begged for pethidine, but it didn't kick in til 20 minutes after he was born. So I did it kinda drug free.
I think it's a bit like period pain, but about 100 times worse. Not to scare you, but hopefully you'll b e able to handle it a bit better coz you've already got a bit of an idea what it's like.

HA HA the gas made me act like I had waaaaaay to much to drink on a good night out. I was also under a hot shower bent over a bean bag it was great I felt the pressure of the contractions but not the serious pain. I found laying on my back when being examined and getting ready to push was the worst I almost bit DF's fingers off :cryinglaugh:

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).

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 :D .

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.

:

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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).

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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

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 ;)

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

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.

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.

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!!!