[blparent] Tracey, about labor pains

[Jo Elizabeth Pinto]

Hi, Tracey.  I was thinking about one of the posts you wrote, in which you said that from what you had heard, labor and delivery would be quite painful.  I didn’t feel that it was appropriate to write to you privately since you’re new to the list, even if this is really beyond the scope of blind parenting.  But I wanted to reassure you a bit.  Labor is uncomfortable, definitely, but especially if you take your focus off the pain and do your controlled breathing during contractions, like you’ll learn about in birthing classes, it isn’t excruciating or anything.  If you’ve ever had a migraine or some sort of other chronic pain, labor isn’t like that, what I would call negative pain.  It’s more like hard work, or pain with a purpose.  Every time you get through a contraction, you’re that much closer to the prize, and that’s enough to get you ready for the next wave.  I was worried before I went into labor that I wouldn’t stand the pain well, but I didn’t need any drugs for most of the way along because the contractions weren’t as awful as I thought they would be.  When I did take some Fentinol in my IV, it was more because I was really tired from being up for too many hours straight, and I wanted to have energy left for pushing.  Also, if you find positions that work for you, that helps immensely.  I couldn’t stand to lie on my back in bed, but when I sat up in a laboring chair, which had a very bouncy back on it so I could rock freely and still be supported, I did a lot better.  So try not to psych yourself up for a terribly difficult experience ahead of time because labor and delivery may be easier than you expect, and the real challenge comes after you get that baby out.

Best of luck,
Jo Elizabeth

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening.--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.