What Does Labor Feel Like at the Start?

Learning more about the technical elements of childbirth is certainly important, but even the thickest medical book will not respond to the concern that burns brightest in lots of expectant moms’ minds: What does labor feel like when it first starts?

What do you feel when labor starts?

The only method to genuinely find out, naturally, is to experience it– a little bit of a dilemma for first-timers who want to know what they’re in for! No one can forecast what your labor will be like, but speaking with those who have been there can help you get familiar with the possibilities.

What does labor pains feel like?

Our survey results made one thing clear: Labor is various for every woman, with pain ranging from mild to severe. Even the epidural responses varied widely.

Here’s a list of how some women described labor pain:

My pain was annoying however not unbearable.

I had agonizing pain.
My contractions seemed like muscle spasms and weren’t really painful.
The pain was all-inclusive.

At first I didn’t know I remained in labor and thought I needed to have a defecation. By the time we got to the medical facility, I was at 10 centimeters. It hurt, however it wasn’t that bad.
I felt like I was being run over by a train.
I asked my hubby to throw me out of the car on the way to the hospital, it hurt so bad.

It was close to painless, thanks to all the training and prep work I did during pregnancy.
I was induced and got my epidural early, so I only felt minor contractions. It was all fairly simple!
The epidural didn’t get rid of everything, like I had actually hoped. I felt the pressure of each contraction and the pain from the crowning.

I had period-like cramps until I got an epidural. Then I simply waited.
Painful, till I got the epidural! It saved my life!
I still felt most of the pain, after the epidural remained in.

what does labor pain look like

Cramping

Many mommies informed us that their contractions seemed like an extreme version of menstrual cramps, while others compared them to cramps from gas, the stomach flu, or a charley horse.

My contractions were like menstrual cramps on steroids.

The cramping went from the top of my stomach to my pubic area.
It was like gas pains times a thousand.
A terrible cramp that began in my back and radiated into my stomach.

Really painful cramping and tightening that begun at the top of my uterus and spread downward and through my back.
Strong menstrual cramps that came and went. They would begin low and radiate up my belly and around into my lower back.
Like the cramps you get with a really bad stomach flu, but they last longer!

Labor seems like wild horses in your lower abdomen.

Tightening up

Several women described the contractions as a “tightening up” sensation instead of cramping.

It seemed like my whole stomach was tightening down into a painful little ball. But the contractions were not unbearable at all.

I literally felt my uterus muscles tightening up.
The contractions seemed like my whole body was clenching.
It was like someone was getting all the skin in my back and pulling very slowly until it was tight, then holding it for a minute and releasing.

I had tightening up all over my belly, radiating into my lower back and anus.
It felt like somebody was squeezing my belly every two or 3 minutes.
It was like someone was squeezing my withins as hard as they could.

Pounding

Some women described labor as more of a pounding or punching feeling.

Having contractions seemed like being hit with something actually hard.
Each contraction seemed like getting punched in the stomach– the type of punch that knocks all the air out of you.

It was like getting punched in the back and the stomach at the same time, but only when the epidural disappeared.

Stabbing

In some cases, the labor pain was distinctly more sharp than dull.

Information verified by the iytmed.com team.

It was like someone took a serrated knife and stabbed me in the top of my stomach slowly, slowly sawed downward to my pubic bone, and after that stopped for a few minutes and began all over once again.

It felt like a knife going through my cervix.

Burning

Several mamas felt a burning sensation during the contractions and crowning.

I was anticipating the contractions to seem like extreme menstrual cramps, but it felt more like burning.

I felt a burning pain that spread out across my lower abdomen and then slowly reduced up as a contraction ended.
During crowning there was a certain burning sensation, but I did tear, which made it feel a lot better, believe it or not.

Back pain in labor beginning

We tend to think of labor pains as occurring in the abdominal area, but for some, the pain remains in the back.

I had terrible back pain. I didn’t have any contractions in my stomach like you see in the motion pictures.
It seemed like a truly bad backache.
It felt like a Mack truck running over my spinal column over and over again.
It felt like a knife in my back with every contraction. I was literally attempting to get away from my own back.

Pain in other areas

Legs, hips, and the rectal area were likewise fair game for pain.

I had rectal pain with each contraction from the very start.
I had an hour of labor before my epidural was placed with actually bad cramping along my upper thighs.
It felt as though a 400-pound man was pressing down on each hip.
I felt sharp hurting in my hips.
It seemed like someone was stabbing me in the butt and hips from the inside. I had no pain in my back or belly.

Waves

Labor definitely isn’t really a journey to the beach, however lots of women described the wavelike impact of contractions.

Each contraction seemed like a wave of pain that increased, peaked, and fell.

I could feel each contraction coming on, building and structure, then peaking and coming down. When the contraction was over, I felt totally alright.
I had extremely extreme waves of pain, coming right on top of one another.

Pressure

Lots of women felt pressure, even prior to the pressing stage. The most typical analogy used to explain the sensation? All decorum aside, think having to poop.

After the epidural, it simply seemed like a lot pressure. I was amazed that it seemed like I had to have a defecation instead of pressure in the vagina.
You feel like you wish to poop actually bad, and there’s some pressure pushing down.
It felt like a huge poop, to be totally sincere.

When my contractions started, I believed I had to have a defecation.
I felt extreme pressure on my anus.
I had great deals of pressure in the groin area.
I had severe pressure on my tailbone and vagina.
It seemed like I needed to take a giant poop! Honestly! The pressure was ridiculous!
Transition made me feel like I needed to move my bowels.
When the contractions were beginning, before they actually hurt, it just felt like I had to go to the bathroom!

Pushing

Lots of women explained pressing as a relief, while others found it painful.

There is a lots of pressure, and once you begin pressing it hurts so bad to stop.
My contractions were workable but the rectal pressure was intense! It was relieving to push and incredibly relieving to push him out.
Pushing felt dreadful, like I was constipated times a hundred and aiming to push a baby from my butt!
Pressing was fantastic because I might lastly do something.
I felt contractions during pushing that were pretty bad, however the pressing made them stop injuring.
I had deep waves of extreme pain up until I had the ability to push. Then the pain entered into the background sound, as though I was in a transformed state.

Our bodies, ourselves

While some women felt really present in their bodies during labor, others felt separated.

I seemed like I was not in control of my body.
My body wished to take over and do its own thing.
It seemed like an out-of-body experience.

I was stuck in between pain with my contractions, euphoria when I slipped a push in, and feeling like I was trying to stop a freight train (trying not to press when the desire existed). I have never ever been more in my body.
It was very calm. I was working with my body and felt really empowered.
I seemed like my body understood what to do, and I went with the circulation. I think being fearful contributes to the pain level a lot. As the worry decreased, the pain became less intense.

Fatigue

They do not call it labor for absolutely nothing. Mommies certainly acknowledged how much work was involved.

It was extremely consuming. I was not able to think of or do anything else after contractions began.
It was a lot of physical work, sort of like doing weightlifting at the fitness center with heavy weights.
If I could describe it, I would state it was the hardest work I have ever performed in my life.
It was exhausting. I had not eaten, so I had very little energy and had to be on oxygen for about half my labor
The pressing made time fly, but at the same time actually exhausted me in such a way that I wasn’t gotten ready for.

The nice side of labor

Even if your very own piece from that box of labor chocolates turns out to be significantly less than delicious, remember that giving birth has a definite warm side, as commemorated by lots of BabyCenter mommies.

It was the most gorgeous pain I’ve ever felt.
It was incredible. Painful, yes, but I might see (with a mirror) my baby coming out!
I was cracking jokes in between contractions. I had a blast and was not scared.
It felt natural, like my body was indicated to do it and I ought to simply let it occur.
It hurt, naturally, however it was a different pain. I had never ever truly felt pain with a function. In some way knowing the end result which it was regular made it simpler to bear.
Emotionally, it was fantastic. Many people say the pain disappears once your child is in your arms, and they’re right!