How does giving birth feel

You also feel like you want to escape your own body — like this fight-or-flight instinct that keeps telling you to look for a way out because it's so intense — but you can't. Actually pushing my child out felt like someone was ripping my vagina apart using long, sharp nails that are also on fire. I actually yelled at my midwife to stop using her nails to pull my vagina apart and she told me she wasn't even touching me! It was one of the most amazing times with my husband and we were given the incredible gift of life.

No matter how different it went than we wanted it to, it was awesome! My husband would like to add that he imagines it to feel like 'sliding down a joy rainbow into a cloud of kittens.

They really jerk you back and forth to get the baby out. My son's head was stuck, but eventually he came out. They rushed him off to clean him so I did not get to see him right away, but instead I got to see him for the first time through my husband's eyes, and you could see the pride in his face, and it also helped me realize our baby was healthy, beautiful, and things would be fine.

Honestly it was so much easier to push this baby out than going through these 10 months of pregnancy. They say you don't feel pain, but I almost think your body can't tell the difference when it's intense at the end. And afterward, the biggest relief ever. Once that baby is out, phew. You can breathe. I read all the books and thought I was so prepared, but it was way different than what I expected.

It was much easier than I expected in some ways, but also a lot harder in other ways like delivering the placenta afterward. I was dying. We have been trained that it is all pain, but coming at it with a different vantage point and desire changed everything. The word 'pain' never even crossed my mind.

Pressure yes, pain no. When I broke my tailbone, that's how I knew it was broken, because it felt the same as when I felt the urge to push. There's no clear answer to how painful being in labor is either.

For some BabyCenter moms, the pain was bearable, while others recall giving birth as being excruciating and all-encompassing. There were some similarities, though.

Many moms said that contractions feel like lots of pressure paired with cramping and tightening. And the bright side: Despite the pain, many still said that labor was beautiful and amazing. Photo credit: iStock. How painful is childbirth? What do contractions feel like? Do contractions make you feel like you have to poop? What does pushing feel like? Feeling back pain during labor Feeling other pain during labor Feeling exhausted during labor Feeling connected and disconnected during labor What was the best part of labor?

Then I just waited. It saved my life! Sources BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. Darienne Hosley Stewart. Featured video. Signs of labor. Membrane stripping: How it's done and what it's like. Water breaking: What it feels like. Cervical dilation and effacement. The Lamaze philosophy teaches that birth is a normal, natural, and healthy process and that women should be empowered to approach it with confidence.

Lamaze classes educate women about the ways they can decrease their perception of pain, such as through relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, distraction, or massage by a supportive coach. Lamaze takes a neutral position toward pain medicine, encouraging women to make an informed decision about whether it's right for them.

The Bradley method also called Husband-Coached Birth emphasizes a natural approach to birth and the active participation of the baby's father as birth coach. A major goal of this method is the avoidance of medicines unless absolutely necessary. The Bradley method also focuses on good nutrition and exercise during pregnancy and relaxation and deep-breathing techniques as a method of coping with labor. Although the Bradley method advocates a medicine-free birth experience, the classes do discuss unexpected complications or situations, like emergency cesarean sections.

A variety of pain medicines can be used during labor and delivery, depending on the situation. Many women rely on such medicines, and it can be a huge relief when pain is quickly eased and energy can be focused on getting through the contractions. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of each type of medicine.

Analgesics ease pain, but don't numb it completely. They can be given many ways. If they are given intravenously through an IV into a vein or through a shot into a muscle, they can affect the whole body. These medicines can cause side effects in the mother, including drowsiness and nausea.

They also can have effects on the baby. Regional anesthesia. The pain was very intense, but it was a clean pain almost like a sports injury. Pushing was more difficult.

It felt like my whole pelvis was made of breaking glass, but this passed very quickly and I felt terrific almost immediately after delivery. The good news is that in between contractions there is no pain, and the contractions only last about a minute. I had four children with no pain medication. I kept my eyes closed and concentrated on my husband's voice and hummed through the contractions.

It was the most empowering thing I've ever done. I would do labor over again in a heartbeat; the nine months preceding it is the hard part. Most moms said that by the time they got to the pushing stage, the worst was over.

Some, though, really didn't like to push and initially had a hard time figuring out how to push effectively. It was mostly vaginal pressure that was so painful. But once you get to the pushing stage and have that feeling that is similar to having a bowel movement, you are almost done.

And you know that if you can just make it through the last little part, you will meet this wonderful little person you have dreamed about for so long! And it felt good to push! The only real pain I remember was when my son's head crowned. That burned! I didn't understand what to do until my nurse told me to push like I was pooping.

I thought she was crazy but once I recognized the right push, and where it felt like it was coming from, I delivered my daughter within a few minutes! That's the only way I can describe it! It also felt as if something was going to burst through my back; I had excruciating back pain. I think I felt everything in my back rather than in my pelvis. Even though most of the moms felt that giving birth was the hardest thing they'd ever done, they'd still do it all over again. That's what keeps the human race going!

I could feel every stretch, pull, and tear. The burning was like no other. I remember feeling there was no way I could push the baby out, it won't fit.

But once all was done, I was so happy to hold our precious baby. It was all worth it. During the crests, it was hard to remember to breathe, as it felt like my body was one big leg cramp, kind of like I was a towel being twisted and curled in half.

But when it's all said and done and you're looking at your little joy, you know you'd go through it all again.