Sometimes I think that it's all a lie and babies don't actually come out of vaginas

[Indadhanu]

Yep. Sometimes I think that it's all a lie and babies don't actually come out of vaginas. It's silly. I've seen birth montages and pictures and videos. Women pushing babies out of their vaginas. But there we go.

Sometimes I think that it's all a lie and babies don't actually come out of vaginas.

I just cannot imagine these babies coming out of a place that is really not all that roomy. Seriously, I couldn't put something that big UP there, how on Earth is it supposed to come OUT of there?

I have so many questions, I feel like a 5yo finding out about birth! Even though I laboured to 10cm and pushed for a few hours, I did have the epidural, so it was sort of bizarre, i had pain in my hip, they said I'd be able to feel the baby moving down still, but I couldn't, except for the excruciating pain in my hip when I pushed, that was it.

And then theres this whole "head is the hardest bit to get out". Really? Because every time I look at babies I think... the shoulders are quite wide... Surely that would be the hardest bit? I'd have thought tearing is more likely birthing shoulders. Do babies seriously slide out after the head? What dos the placenta feel like? What does it feel like when you're birthing the placenta? What does it feel like in your pelvis when the baby passes through? What is tearing really like? Are the contractions a lot different pushing vs labouring? How do you know when to birth the placenta? How do you feel? Can you get up straight afterwards? What is the pain/tenderness like afterwards? What is it like sitting down afterwards, does it hurt a lot? What are stitches like?

Um... so many questions. I just want to know. Do babies seriously fit out there?

[nothing2lose]

That's okay. Sometimes I think it's all a lie that you can get pregnant by having sex with a man or that IVF works.

I cant personally verify that babies come out of vaginas but that's what my mum told me when I was a little girl and she would never lie to me.

I hope we both get to have a baby come out of our respective vaginas one day

[skybie]

lol yes they do!!!
is the head the hardest part- Defintely!!!

Yes my babies have slid out after their heads were born

Birthing the placenta feels like a rock hard ball coming out, maybe someone else can explain it better

baby passing through your pelvis?-for me it felt like i need to take a giant poo, its not pleasant

pushing contraction dont hurt,alot different to the pain and the intensity of labouring contractions, pushing contraction are kind of like when you vomit, you cant control the heaving, just like you cant control the need to push.

my placentas have been taken out by cord contraction so i didnt actually know when to birth it, it was just pulled out essentially

i got up about an hour after each of my births, feelng mostly lght headed and very weak

no pain and tenderness for me afterward, just weakness.

Sitting down, too easy, i only had stitches with DD2's birth and that was more uncomfortable than painful

[~me~]

Yep they sure do

The head is probably initially the hardest then a really really big push for the shoulders, they sort of just slide out after that. The strangest sensation was the cord coming out, it would by like trying to pull a soft rope sensation is the best way I can explain it.
The placenta coming out was a relief, like a big piece massive piece of liver sliding out. I had the injection in the thigh for the placenta, it just came out.
I have had epidurals with all three of mine, still felt them coming out and the placenta coming out. I loved the epidural, it was my friend. I could still feel contractions too with my epidural, it's not for everyone. I had the epidural that I could control, push a button every 15mins if I wanted to, or if I felt I was going ok, I didn't push the button.
I got up an hour or so after birth to shower and get dressed. I have had stitches with all three. That's probably the worst part for me. I was quite tender for a good 7-10days. The best thing for relief of the stitches was ice in the pads, it was great. With stitches the biggest hurdle I had to overcome was the first bowl motion. It took some time and patience and Fibregel. Otherwise everything was fine.
I have vomitted once after each birth, not sure why, after I feel so much better.
I took it easy sitting down, just to make sure I sat on the right spot. A doughnut pillow would be helpful.
I know of women who birth, have no pain relief, no stitches, baby comes out and they up walking around almost straight away. A GF had this with her 3rd. She said it was fantastic to feel that way.
When I was in labour, the contractions for me were quite painful, hence the epidural each time for me. During the time to push, the MW would feel my stomach and tell me when to push.

[Ambersky]

I promise they do - Its not something i will forget in hurry and i have photos to remind me.

Yep the head is the hard part, after that DD1 sort of slithered on to the table, and DD1 there was a proper foetal ejection reflex and she torpedo'd across the birth pool and DH caught her between my knees.
The placenta is a bit more malleable, sort of plops out

I remember DD2 birth in much more detail, i felt her descending, my pelvis opening, but it was very methodical the feeling changes with each contraction as she came down.

I tore badly with DD1 (fast birth and coached pushing) the tear started as she crowned, and i remember dreading the next contraction as i knew the tear wound get worse, but at the same time wanting to get it over.

Contractions for me have been in my back both times, i can close my eyes, count slowly and feel it peak and recede. When pushing starts, and for me pushing has always been involuntary, no way in hell i could 'not push' or fight it i had no control, i can feel it all round, and its like pressure rather than pain.

With DD1 i was given a jab, and my belly massaged and the placenta was pulled out. With DD2 i stayed in the pool until the cord stopped pulsing (40min!) and then the cord was cut, i felt no urge to push it out so the MW asked my permission to feel just inside my vagina, she could feel the placenta right there so again she gave a gentle pull as i coughed and it came out easily.

With DD1 i was stitched then we were left for an hour, i walked back to my room from birth suite, I stayed in the arm chair most of the day. The most discomfort was peeing burning on the stitches but by the next morning i learnt how to avoid that, sitting was fine but i did sit and stand slowly for a while. After DD2s birth, i spent the evening on the couch, went to bed but was up and about doing stuff the next morning with very little discomfort if any.

[Phteven]

DS1 gave me a kick in the vagina on his way out so I'm 100% positive he came out of it.

[Shanti]

Yes they sure do!! I have pushed out two of them and yes the head hurt!!!! The body just slides on out after the head

Our bodies are amazing!!!!

Who would have thought that pushing a head out of your vagina could be so empowering and liberating but it's unreal!! Bloody hurts but I still want to do it again!!

[Phteven]

I didn't find it empowering or liberating. Other than being liberated from having to push.

TBH one of the reasons I don't want another is that I never ever wish to endure pregnancy or labour again.

[Miss.September]

Broke your post up into questions so I can answer properly

And then theres this whole "head is the hardest bit to get out". Really? Because every time I look at babies I think... the shoulders are quite wide... Surely that would be the hardest bit? I found the head to be the hardest bit because it's the first part that has to come out. I guess the easiest way to explain is that once the head is out, you're 'open' enough for the shoulders to come too. It's still painful and hard to get the shoulders out, but it took hours of pushing to get the head out for me, and then one additional push for the shoulders.

I'd have thought tearing is more likely birthing shoulders. Do babies seriously slide out after the head? I tore, just a superficial tear, and I didn't feel it but I don't know at what point I tore. Once the shoulders are out, baby slips out. Feels really quick, like a gush.

What dos the placenta feel like? What does it feel like when you're birthing the placenta? Relief. When the OB told me I'd have to push again, I freaked. But it was easy after giving birth to DD. It feels really slippery and slimy, so not really surprising that it came out quickly. It wasn't painful birthing it, but the relief came from knowing it was all over.

What does it feel like in your pelvis when the baby passes through? I had pain in my hips, that now reading up on things, I believe it was probably my pelvis opening up. I have a small pelvis and I felt like if I could somehow control that pain, the rest would have been bearable. It hurt! I couldn't get leverage with my legs because of the pain, and I felt like I really needed to use my legs to bear down.

What is tearing really like? I didn't feel it, but then it was explained to me as a superficial tear that didn't require stitches.

Are the contractions a lot different pushing vs labouring? I ended up feeling scared of the contractions. They were coming thick and fast and I felt I couldn't recover before the next one hit. Once I was told I could start pushing if I felt the need to, I felt like I was getting somewhere, something new to focus on. Once I started pushing, I made the mistake of lying on my back on the bed, and I stayed there. I started pushing at 7am and DD wasn't born until 11.49am.

How do you know when to birth the placenta? I was exhausted and ended up with an episomety and a forceps delivery, so when the OB suggested the injection to hurry the placenta, I agreed. It happened pretty fast and he just told me to give one last push. He directed me when it was time.

How do you feel? Can you get up straight afterwards? I stayed on the bed for about an hour (I think....time vanished once DD was born). I had to have stitches for the epi, so the OB did that and we just waited for DD to show signs of doing the boob crawl. I fed her and then the mw said I could get up and have a shower. I was a bit spooked, but had no problems. Had a glorious shower (the first shower...how amazing!) and was on my feet from then until bedtime.

What is the pain/tenderness like afterwards? What is it like sitting down afterwards, does it hurt a lot? What are stitches like? I was a bit tender the following day when I went to wee, but I didn't have any painkillers until late the next day and that was just panadol. After that, I didn't have any more painkillers. Sitting down didn't cause me any grief with the stitches at all, nor did going to the toilet or showering. Having stitches had no real effect on me. Twice a day one of the midwives would want to check them but otherwise they were left alone.

I hope all that helps. It's actually helped me think about the afterwards in giving birth, so thanks for asking!!!

Just wanted to add that during DD's birth, fear drove me. I couldn't focus and I was freaked out for much of it. I tried gas, pethadine and an epidural. Gas made me sick, pethadine made me sleep between contractions and after the fourth attempt of getting the epidural in my back, I asked them to stop. This time around I feel much more ready. I know that the pain relief options aren't really there for me, so I know I have to do this on my own. DH and I have been talking about what will help me focus and while I'm not looking forward to the pain and length of it all, I am really looking forward to seeing if I can do it

[Novella]

great questions

pretty sure mine came out my vagina or though sometimes during pushing it felt like they were coming out my butt!

pushing contractions werent as painful as the end part of labour contractions, I seemed to concentrate more on the feeling inside my vagina/pelvis

head is the hardest to push out and it burns when they crown, the shoulders take a bit of effort and once the shoulders are out my babies seem to slip straight out!

delivering the placenta I always get such an overwhelming feeling of relief, it sort of feels like it slithers/plops out ITMS weird sensation but not painful. DD1 and 2 I had syntocin and the mw gave a tug, DD3 no synto midwife checked and said it was on its way I pushed and she gave a tiny pull and it came out.

afterwards
dd1 I had a second degree tear that needed stitching so stuck on the bed for an hour then got to have a shower but felt really shaky and dizzy so got DH to help me. Visited dd in special care 4 hours after and passed out! Luckily I realised it was happening and called out, the nurse caught my dd as I was holding her at the time
dd2 no tears had skin to skin then had a shower about an hour after felt great stayed in overnight
dd 3 water birth no tears got out the bath after 15 minutes and on to the bed wrapped in warm blankets, skin to skin for about an hour then had a shower while my mw checked her over. I gave birth just before midnight and left before midday the next day so less than 12hrs, could have gone within 4 hours if she had arrived in office hours

stitches didnt cause me any pain sitting, probably because they were towards the front, I found peeing leaning forwards stopped it stinging to much and going in the shower with warm water washing the pee away helped

cramps post are worst when breast feeding, like serious period pain for the first couple of days and was lots worse with subsequent babies but nurofen and heat packs helped.

[PumpkinZulu]

These are just my own experiences:

1. And then theres this whole "head is the hardest bit to get out". Really? Because every time I look at babies I think... the shoulders are quite wide... Surely that would be the hardest bit? I'd have thought tearing is more likely birthing shoulders. Do babies seriously slide out after the head?

Yep, I had the typical 'ring of fire', felt like my vagina was burning. I also felt like I would literally split up my middle at the head. Once her head was out, she whooshed out. Best feeling ever!

2. What dos the placenta feel like? What does it feel like when you're birthing the placenta?

Placenta coming out feels like a big, jelly, gross thing. Think about the biggest clot you've passed and times it by 100. Slimy and weird after pushing out something with bones!

3. What does it feel like in your pelvis when the baby passes through?

Achy. Very spread apart. But I only remember that in hindsight to be honest. Didn't notice it hugely at the time.

4. What is tearing really like?

Don't know, I didn't tear

5. Are the contractions a lot different pushing vs labouring?

Yes!! For me, the became less painful, and there wasn't as much pain between contractions. I hardly noticed them because my body was pushing each time I contracted. Felt a million times better than labouring, I loved pushing! I pushed for an hour and 40 minutes, so nice and slow, and it felt like 5 minutes.

6. How do you know when to birth the placenta? How do you feel? Can you get up straight afterwards?

Um, the contractions sort of stopped for a while after I had DD. I got up (have birth on the bathroom floor), walked around a bit and cuddled DH and DD, jumped in bed, fed DD, and then started getting contractions again. I was so tired, I was soiling about the pain (wasn't that bad!) and asked for drugs lol! It came out in a couple of pushes. I felt great once the placenta was out. Completely empty and energised. I got up and had a shower a short while after Was a bit shakey, but that was because I'm anemoc and my iron tanked. Otherwise I felt great!

7. What is the pain/tenderness like afterwards? What is it like sitting down afterwards, does it hurt a lot? What are stitches like?

Tenderness/pain after, hardly there. A little swollen and tender for a couple of days, then totally normal. What sucked for me was after pushing for so long, and using a birth stool for a bit, I got terrible haemorrhoids. That was the hardest part of my recovery easily. Didn't have stitches so no idea.


8. Um... so many questions. I just want to know. Do babies seriously fit out there?

Yep, they fit alright All I can say is, you learn as you go. You'll do awesomely when the time comes, instinct just takes over.

[LuluHB]

Yep, they do. Having done it twice I can definitely confirm that the head is by far the worst bit, but the relief when the rest of that little body slips on out is enormous. I don't remember birthing the placenta either time. I was also lucky with tears in that mine were tiny. I had two stitches with DD1 but didn't feel them due to the epidural. Had a single stitch with DD2 and didn't have any anaesthetic so it hurt like hell. Recovery afterwards was uncomfortable with DD1 due to very swollen girl bits as well as hemarrhoids. Ouch

As for feeling the baby move down through the pelvis, I didn't with DD1 because of the epidural. There was definitely a difference in labouring as opposed to pushing - there was no way I could have not pushed but again was lucky in that my contractions never got closer than 2 minutes so I had a break between them. With DD2 I was at 3cm dilated when my forewaters broke. She then dropped and literally crowned immediately so I sure felt it. Labouring with her was honestly a walk in the park - nothing painful about contractions and I could walk and talk through them without any problem at all. Once my waters broke it was a completely different story on the pain level, but it was so fast that while enormously painful it wasn't exhausting.

Of course, that's just my take on it. My DD1 is still absolutely convinced that babies come out of your mouth and nothing I can say will convince her otherwise.

[onthefly]

I get where you're coming from - I feel the same as N2L about sex and babies

Did you believe it before you laboured the first time?

[Indadhanu]

Very informative! People rarely talk about this part and I've always wondered.
I did have a similar thought first time around but having not experienced labour or birth in any sense I just went with the idea that it was giong to come out of my vagina. I don't think I'll actually believe it until it happens PMSL

instinct just takes over

Gotta say that doesn't fill me with hope! Because instinct certainly didn't take over the first time!

[nothing2lose]

I get where you're coming from - I feel the same as N2L about sex and babies

Did you believe it before you laboured the first time?

It really is a conspiracy MadB. Right up there with the moon landing!

[~clover~]

Well, I think thats where they came from?

Yep, that head is nasty! By then all the stretching has happened for the shoulders, & the baby turns between head & shoulders I think...
& yes, its pretty much like a slippery feeling of relief when the body follows the head. Odd description, huh?

Contractions are different when pushing, because you have something else to focus on. The pushing eases the pain a bit. It's still intense, but in a different way. Really hard to explain.

The placenta. You know when you're about to birth it, because you have another contraction or 2. They aren't so bad though. The placenta is kinda like the body.. stretchy, yet a little relieving

I didn't feel the baby passing through my pelvis. Really didn't notice it.

Can't tell you about stitches, but I had a slight tear with DD2 & I felt it. It wasn't nice. I think its usually a bit numb from the stretching down there though, so I don't know how others feel.

Sitting can be a bit achy (remember, this is without stitches), because all your pelvic floor muscles are so weak. You might feel like you have to hold yourself in when coughing etc

I have no experience with c/s, so I'm assuming you probably felt a bit battered & bruised the next day? Prepare for that again. & weeing isn't nice for the first couple days.

I did walk from the labour ward to post natal ward, but it was a good hour before I even tried getting up after birth. I was pretty shaky the first half hour or so.


All experiences differ, but I can promise you, after 4 of them, I KNOW that babies certainly do come out of vagina's!! I've never tried to put anything up there even close to that size to compare, so I can't comment there

[luna moth]

I too have wondered about this. A baby came out of mine, apparently, but I couldn't see it, so who am I to say that there's actually not some secret trapdoor and the rest is just a giant conspiracy?

Pushing contractions are ace. I thought pushing was the best part. It felt so productive. I loved when my body just made me do that. The pooing on the floor I didn't love so much, but hey, you take the good with the bad.

Head is indeed quite difficult to get out. It's harder and less squishiable than shoulders. I took my time getting the head out. I felt that burning ring of fire, and totally had Johnny Cash in my head at the time, somehow, but just felt like I needed to take it slowly. Touching that head on the way out... Tht was the first time I really believed it was all happening.

The glorious slither after the head is out is ace. One push for the shoulders, and then whoosh! All of a sudden there's this baby thrust into my arms. My waters hadn't fully broken either (thy had, but her head formed a plug, kept a lot in) so there was this ocean of fluid to wade through while holding this giant slippery kid to my chest.

I birthed standing up, so my issue was actually getting horizontal for some skin time with my bundle. Then after all that, getting back up was sooooo weird. Feeling my lungs slurp back into place was the strangest sensation ever.

The placenta I kind of liken to birthing a cane toad... Ugly, slippery, weird. Easy enough though.

I have an enormous pelvis, maybe that's why I cannot describe pushing baby through. No idea.

Tearing... I didnt have much. I didn't feel it at the time. I had three stitches, two in one spot, one in another. Didnt cause much drama. I had ice pack undies for two days then I was ok. Sitting down afterwards was OK, but I couldn't do it for too big a portion of the day. Lying down was the best for it, so I did lots of that and healed really quickly.

But, yeah, I'm one of those nutcases who can't wait to do it again.

[nothing2lose]

Ya know...This thread has me thinking I would actually like to experience vaginal birth.

I always wanted another child but I have never been fussed about the method of delivery. Call me a sicko but reading all these responses has me thinking, yeah, I wouldnt mind trying that....

But then, for some of us, giving birth is the easy bit It's the stuff leading up to it I have to master