So what does labor feel like, exactly?

Labor feels extremely intense and powerful, Also you feel very heavy (overall and like you have a bowling ball between your hips).

I’ve had 3 babies first one in the hospital ended in epidural so I didn’t feel anything after 14 hours labor, second and third were similar, they were home births #2 was 3 hours and #3 was 2 1/2 hours.

Active labor contractions are hard to cope with they are a mental challenge, they feel like your uterus tightening(a muscle contracting extremely tight). Trying to explain it farther: A Rush of dull achy pain to a high pitched ache and then it flows out of you as a dull ache, and then relief until the next one.


Birthing is to me the best part, it is very uncomfortable having a baby stretch your Vagina but it’s rewording (to me) to get to push. I didn’t have ring of fire with #2 but did a little with #3 (which is strange since she #3 was the smallest).
The feeling of relief you get once the baby is out is great.

I’m really curious about my first birth and if I had done it at home if it would have worked out better(it probably would have) but it doesn’t matter now, it’s to late, just curious.

I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but definitely, my first two were the worst. I've had 4 in total.

The first one was a high risk pregnancy and labor was incredibly intense. I stopped dilating after the 2 cm mark and the doctors gave me Cervidel (not sure if that's how it's spelt). I ended up having hyper-contractions. Finally when I agreed to have an epidural, it wouldn't work and eventually I had to go for an emergency c-section. Definitely the scariest experience of my entire life.

During the c-section I felt nothing at all, but afterwards ended up getting a massive infection and couldn't breastfeed my baby because the infection ended up affecting my breast milk.

The second one was short, in terms of how long the labor was, but it was brutally intense. Every single one of my kids, I've had back labor, so the only place where I felt a lot of pain was in my back and hips and when I say a lot, I mean a freaking hell of a lot, more than I've ever experienced before. It literally felt like someone was punching me as hard as they could right above my hip and it just felt like that the entire contraction.

My 3rd one wasn't painful really. I mean, a little bit when I began to push and I could really feel myself open up for him, but for the most part, it was a calm experience.

My 4th was easy as pie and I would give anything to experience that type of birth over again. It all happened really fast. One minute, I started contractions, the next minute we were up at the hospital, a minute later I was freaking out about the lady screaming bloody murder next to me and the last minute, I pushed him out standing in the door of the bathroom in the delivery room. It was the best birthing experience I could've possibly ever asked for!

But every woman is different in the ways that she'll experience child birth and labor and every single time is completely different...

Good question, I look forward to reading the replies, so I'll have a better idea of what it will be like if I ever have a kid.

My sisters told me that it felt like someone lit a fire under their ass.

OMG !! I want a child of my own but these description have me scared. Ugh . I'll do it anyway but man....I don't want that pain.

Labor is intense. It's been pretty well described above, but I wanted to say that when done by a good doctor, c-sections aren't all bad.

My son was 11 pounds, 8 ounces and 25 inches long at birth. There was no way I was pushing him out of me safely. I opted for a c-section rather than run the risk of having to have an emergency c-section partway through childbirth, potentially after already being cut a little to make room.

Labor for me started out as menstrual type cramping, for about an hour after my water broke. After that, I had all back labor and irregular contractions - some of my contractions lasted 5 minutes, others 30 seconds but one after another, or not for 20 mins. It was a bizarre experience...to me, it felt like someone was trying to break my tail bone/lower back from the inside. A lot of pressure and pain, nothing like menstrual cramps (oddly, I get all my cramps in my back mostly, too, when I have my period)

The birth part...I really have no words for that. I had a forceps delivery, unmedicated. I felt like my pelvis was being broken in two. I've never felt anything like it, and I hope the "ring of fire" of an unassisted vaginal birth isn't quite so bad, because that's what I'm hoping for next time!

That said though...you just focus and get it done. Honestly, as bad as it hurt....wasn't as bad of an experience as I expected it to be. You're so in the zone and focused that you just do it. I found the anticipation and fear of labor 100x worse than the actual act of laboring and giving birth. And I had a lot of complications and scares, but still managed just fine!!

I had an epidural with each of mine so really it was mostly pressure. But when labor started it was just like cramps the only time they were ever really bad awas with my first when they gave me pitocin...

I've had three babies, all natural, vaginal births.

The pain is there, yes. But in my opinion, it's a huge mind game. If you focus on the pain, it seems to intensify. If you're focusing on how temporary the pain is and what the outcome brings, it's much easier to handle.

During the active stages when contractions are consistent, I would say that they feel sort of like having a charlie horse in your midsection. It gets really tight, really uncomfortable, but it happens in a roller coaster way. It's fine...getting harder....getting worse.....OUCH...OUCH. ..OUCH....easing up....getting easier....*phew*. Once the contraction is finished, you feel like your muscles are sore (and they are) like you've done a 1000 crunches/sit ups.

I have problems with my hips and felt a lot of my discomfort there. It felt like loads of pressure and they almost felt like they were out of place as they were preparing for birth. My best advice, get comfortable and forget about just staying on your back. Laboring on your back is the hardest! My last baby was born in a birthing tub and I started pushing her out when I was on my knees. It was SO MUCH easier than birthing my first two daughters were I felt like I had to be on my back thanks to the doctors.

It's a temporary discomfort, and one that any woman can handle, it's all about where your focus in, tuning in your breathing, and doing the best you can to relax.

Hmm. I had emergency c-sections with both of my pregnancies because my babies were just simply too big to deliver safely. I'm 4'10" - my first was 9 lb 11 oz & 22" long - my second was 10 lb 6 oz & 22" long.

I really wanted to have all natural deliveries, no medications, no inducing, no nothing ... it's what I wanted, but not what happened. So while I didn't deliver vaginally I did go into labor naturally, and it felt like sit-ups (about a 45 degree incline and hold it ... that's the feeling I experienced)

I forgot to add, too, that for me what I found most helpful while preparing for birth, was reading a hypnobirthing book. I delivered almost 4 weeks early, so I didn't really have a chance to get the methods down pat to use during labor, but the book it's self was so different from a lot of my other pregnancy books. It was a lot more positive and "you can do this!" type thing, and focused not at all on medical interventions but on how women are meant to do this, how it's natural for us, etc, etc. I appreciate the medical standpoint, but reaffirming that it doesn't NEED to be a medical procedure, and is a natural thing to do, really helped ease my fears and helped me through labor.

And, I also agree - laboring/pushing on my back was horrendous! I did most of my pushing on my sides (I was hooked up to too many things to really maneuver into any other position at that point, due to baby being in some major distress)....I delivered on my back though because of the forceps, and it was infinitely more painful the second the made me roll on to my back and stay there!

I'll say that every woman and every birth is completely different. Really, really bad cramps is pretty accurate, but how much it hurts and how difficult the labor is depends on a lot of factors. If you are terrified, not allowed to stand, or kept on your back for the duration of your labor, it will be a little harder.

Honestly, my first birth with an epidural and not being allowed to even sit up for most of it was horrendous. Worst pain ever. My second without any drugs and being allowed to move around and come and go as I pleased was much, much easier.

Also, the drug Cytotec, often used to induce labor (although the safety of doing so is hotly debated), makes labor more painful. Avoid it if possible.

Find a doctor or midwife that you trust and that listens to you and you should be fine.

Thanks for the input ladies. Sounds like it is intense, but definitely doable. I plan on having a natural water birth, so hopefully the warm water helps ease the pain.

For the most part both of mine felt like I had to take a major dump. I'd also say that the contractions were less like menstrual cramps and more like built up gas.