I have always wondered this, and with the prospect of myself being pregnant, this topic scares me even more so. I was wondering how painful labor really is...I mean on television you see women that are screaming in brutal agony and then other women who calmly and quietly give birth...I have had answers that range from menstrual cramp pains to a pain associated with having a long needle shoved up their spine...I am just wondering...thanks.

Labor pain is very individualized. I think mosst of the television episodes are a bit far fetched. There are safe medications you can receive during labor, if you choose to go that route. Just focus on the little blessing at the end.
I'm praying for you, Lauren
CJ

well....I guess it's different for everyone. One suggestion I would make is to get an epidural. I was late with my first child. I went into the hospital to be induced but my water actually broke before they induced me. They still gave me the petosin (sp?) to speed it up though. I decided to get an epidural at about 3 cenimeters when I was getting kind of uncomfortable. I had it done and they increased the petosin which made my contractions really strong. Unfortunatley the epidoural stopped working on the left side of my body....so that hour until they re did it was pretty bad....but i was also still on the petosin at that point. They came in and redid it for me and after that I didn't feel a single thing. As long as you are pushing effectively they should leave it on until everything is over. I didn't feel the baby come out or being stitched up....I actually had no idea when i delivered the afterbirth. The epidural is great. I was terrified the first time because i am absolutely terrified of needles. It did hurt a little but nothing in comparison to how it felt when it wore off. The second time around I didnt' even care...i just wanted the labor pains to go away.. but after that I was very comfortable....piece of cake...so don't be nervous....I guess it's not the most fun experience, but after you have your baby you forget all about the pain.....ovbiously, or no woman would ever consider having another child again! Hope this helps!

Dearie-
I have given birth to two beautiful, huge babies, the first one with an epidural (he was 10 lb., 2 oz.) and the second one totally natural with zero pain meds (she was 9, 2). I am not a big girl, either- I weigh 140 normally and am 5'10\". It is not a stroll in the park, exactly, but at least for me, it was nowhere close to the -oh-please-stop-the-pain-because-it-feels-like-I'm-going-to-die sort of thing that you see in the movies and hear some people talking about. For the first, the pain was actually worse than for the second, but maybe that was more the emotional circumstances than anything else. With my daughter, I wouldn't even say that it was painful, exactly, just really uncomfortable. It's like your body takes over and it knows what to do to have that child, whether you're along for the ride or not! Now, pregnant with my third child, I'm planning on again going naturally- not that that matters, because the lasting thing is your baby. Birthing: one way or another, you get it over and done with, your body knows what to do, women have been doing this without medical support for hundreds, thousands of years.
One more thing that really gives me solace: millions of women world-over have gone through what you're going to go through... and decide to do it all over again.
Best of luck and best wishes,
Kathryn

Honestly I think it is different for everyone. My friend has two kids and ended up having C-sections with both. She says she preferred it that way. I on the other hand didn't even know I was in labor. I had been in premature labor three times and those times it was like cramps. Then on March 13, 2005 I was scheduled for an induction so i had to go for a Non-Stress Test to make sure everything was okay. The nurse told me I was having contractions and checked me. I was 3 centimeters with no pain. I went back home and walked around all night and took baths to help things along. The next morning at around 11 am I went back in because I figured something had to be happening. I was 5 centimeters but not going any further. Pitocin (which I've heard some people say is awful) was administered but nothing happened. I figured it would be forever until I had my baby because things were so slow and there was no pain. The doctor came in and broke my water. After that I could feel my cervix opening. Every muscle from my ribs to my thighs was so tight I thought I would break. i was given Stadol but all it did was make me loopy. Finally the anesthesiologist came in and gave me an epidural (which for me was the only time I thought a needle was heaven). After that I laid there for about an hour chatting with my mom and boyfriend and waving for the camera. Soon i felt something, I don't know how else to describe it because I really couldn't feel anything except for this tiny sensation down there. The nurse checked and said I was 9! I thought, \"okay, one more hour till I can push.\" Nope, within 5 minutes I was like, \"that sensation is really strong!\" The nurse checked again and said, \"Go ahead and push\". I wasn't sure if I was pushing or not because of the epidural but the nurse said I was doing it right. I didn't feel when her head came out, or when the doctor cut me to get her shoulders out, but I did feel when her butt was pulled free. (she has a huge butt!) After only 5 hours of labor and only 30 minutes or so of pain I had a HUGE 8 lb. 10 oz. baby girl. And I would do it a again a million times. So don't worry because you seriously wont' even care about the pain when you see that baby.

These women are all right.....labor pain is different for every person. I have had 3 daughters, all completely natural. My oldest was born a week after my 18th birthday, and she was 7lbs. even, 3 1/2 wks. early. The doctor told me that I wouldn't be able to deliver anything larger than a 6 lb. baby. I showed him, huh?!? The other 2 did require pitosin, because I tend to have VERY long labors and the risk of infection increases with time once the water has broken. (1st child...40 hrs., 2nd...26, 3rd....29) The pitosin made me sick to my stomach. Otherwise, yes, there is a lot of pain involved, but by the time that you think you can't take anymore...you get to push. The worst part is lying there & having no control over what's happening to your body.....once you take control back, it's SO much better. And then, you have this beautiful baby lying on your chest & you never even feel the Dr. stitching your episiotomy back up. Within 2 hrs. of giving birth, I was up, in the shower & walking down to the nursery with all three of my girls. I would recommend natural births to anyone, anytime.....it's the most exhilarating experience to feel every bit of your child coming into this world! Best luck!