BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

I'm very curious as to what your experiences were. My sister says for much of the time, she didn't really have a clue she was going into labor, other than the fact that contractions were happening with a pattern. She said they just felt like period cramps and says it was never really 'that bad.' Unless my sis is just brilliant at tolerating pain (in comparison to me, I'm sure she is ). She honestly questioned if it was really happening!

Anyone out there had fairly 'easy' contractions? I have a feeling it had to have gotten progressively worse for my sister...especially once she was in active labor.

How was it for you? Just wondering if anyone else out there had a similar experience to my sis...I find it fascinating! I wish everyone could feel like my sister, as if giving birth is the simplest thing!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Well in the early stages of labor, you could have contractions that feel like period cramps, but then again every woman is different and has different experiences, and pain thresholds.

Some contractions are just uncomfortable, and some are downright excrutiating. Difficult to say...

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Well after my water broke it just felt like period cramps for most of the night I was laboring. But then after they gave me pitocin to speed things up then they started getting pretty painful and uncomfortable. For me they never got to the point where I couldn't tolerate them. Then I had the epi and it was heavenly from there!!!
But everyone is totally different, cause for my friend they were so completely unbearable that she had the epi at like 3 centimeters!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

I was totally fine until the pitocin...it is evil

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Mine were really easy and I was only in labor for around six hours... I wasn't sure if I was in labor until 3 hours in, so you never know! Good luck!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Mine started as cramping every couple of minutes, I could easily breathe through them. My doctor sent me home b/c I wan't dilating quickly enough. I dilated at a snail's pace, it took me 27 hours to dilate enough for an epidural. The contractions became absolutely unbearable and I had to call my OB to tell him no matter what I am going to the hospital...
Everyone is different though. Some people can have their baby out in a few pushes, some dont have it so easy.

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

The first time my water broke before contractions and I had strep B and had to go straight to the hospital. I started contracting after my water broke and it wasn't bad but I wasn't even 1cm dilated. After put on pit, it got harder but doable. I was like this isn't too horrible. I think by the time the more painful contractions started I already had my epi...I had a long, labor and pushing but was like this isn't bad at all. 2nd time - totally different experience...I had strange pains all day, had no clue what they were and they hurt but was in denial it was labor (pain went up and down not side to side like regular contractions). As they got regular, they were more painful and in a few hours - I just wanted to lay down and not move. By the time I got to the hospital, it hurt bad and I was just over 5cm. By the time they got fluids in me to get an epi - I was over 8cms....Going from 5cm to 8cm - the contractions were awful!!!!!!!! Now my whole L&D was super quick but a lot more painful!!!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

I can't say they were "easy" but they were tolerable

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

I was having mild contractions the night I went in to be induced. They were totally bearable. Actually, I didn't know I was having contractions, I just thought I was crampy. The nurse told me they were contractions.

However, I went directly into active labor as soon as they started the pitocin and broke my water. I had the epidural within 30 minutes of that happening as I couldn't imagine the contractions getting worse than they already were!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

I had back labor. In the beginning, my back felt sore then got progressively worse and I felt like my back was breaking!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

I never went into labor. I had Cervadil, which was tolerable, and Pitocin, which was unbearable!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Mine were easy! I had my ds within 7 hours from start to finish. They were like bad period cramps for me and totally tolerable.

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Mine started out "easy enough" that I was able to go to dinner and just dealt through the contractions...

Sleeping was minimal that night though-
hence the first trip to the hospital...

Then they gave me some pain meds and I was able to sleep...

Then when they sent me home, they became tougher to deal with and by late afternoon/early evening they were terribly painful...and back to the hospital where they became even worse UNTIL the wonderful miracle drug, the edpidural!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Every woman is different - everyone has a different threshold for pain, everyone's contractions are at a different intensity level, etc.

For myself, the contractions were pretty damn painful, right from the beginning. But, my daughter was in the wrong position (posterior), so I experienced back labor, which is, from what I understand, usually more painful than regular contractions.

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

At my last dr appointment, I was contracting but feeling nothing. At that point, I was already 4cm. My doctor had me induced the next day. After they broke my water and started pitocin, they were painful. I got an epidural quickly!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

My Labor started at around 6:45 PM ...I didnt even know it was contractions except it was coming every 7 minutes. It was like a bad period cramp.

It started to get worse around 9-10pm....The whole time Iw as leaking... my bag of waters was breaking slowly and I didnt know thats what it was and if your water breaks first, or whenever it does, the contractions become MUCH stronger.

From like 10pm-12am it was managable but hard.

After 12am I had to tell myself " you will get through this" to each contraction and they were pretty darn painful but I didnt want to go to the hosp . and be stuck on machines too early...so we waited till the contractions were about 4 minutes apart and went around 2:00 am to the hospital.

They lessened a bit there because the baby was transitioning down and then when they started back up , every 3 minutes It was so painful, I wont lie I couldnt think, or breathe or move....But at this point I was already fUlly ready to go, so the really bad part was at the end. Had things gone smoothly I Would say it was not a big deal, but I needed a C/S at the last min....so the bad part lasted a bit too long for me.

IT was painful yes, but all in all Nothing I would say I couldnt go through again for such a good cause

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

MINE WERE NO SO BAD...i was 9 cm and didnt even realize i was having contractions

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Message edited 4/24/2009 9:29:20 AM.

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Early stages - fine, uncomfortable but ok-I was like "I can do this"

Well once they started coming every 5 minutes, not good. It was bad. I got an epidural at 6 cm. I forgot everything I learned in class and even when the nurses were telling me to breathe or whatever I was like "WHAT??"
I would do it all again in a heartbeat, but I have never been in so much pain in my life. I still remember thinking "I want my mom!"

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

#1 it wasn't tolerable
#2 I had the epi b/c again I couldn't tolerate it
#3 I thought it was a bladder infection so by the time I got to the hospital I was 9 1/2 cm and had her 45 minute later so I was good with that one

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

I was induced, contractions were ok until the pitocin really started to kick in more. From 1-5 cm, I was ok, after that I literally cried and told DH I wanted to go home and didn't want to do this anymore. Then I got he epidural-best thing ever!!!!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

I guess my answer is bearable b/c I didn't die or opt for drugs. BUT the pain wasn't easy or comfortable. I got through it and so will you!

It's been said a million times but I can't stress it enough-
You could ask 40 women their birth/labor stories and evey single experience will be different.

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

early stages of labor pain was painful but tolerable... active labor hurt like a mofo, thank goodness for the epidural!!

Re: BTDT Moms: Your experience with contractions. Easy, tolerable or unberable?

Easy...tolerable...unbearable...exactly that order...lol.

I started having contractions thursday morning around 6am. They were easy until about 10pm. They were enough to stop me in my tracks but still not bad. I checked in to the hospital at 12:25am friday when then became tolerable. By 2-3am is when they became UNBEARABLE!!!! I didn't get the epi until 5:20 friday morning and that was after begging for it. I didn't have Rylan until 9:17 friday night. Not trying to scare anyone but for me it was pure torture. I'm hoping my next one isn't so bad.