Almost every expectant mother with the approximation of the expected date of the baby’s appearance begins to think about whether it is painful to give birth. Having read a lot of frightening stories from women who talk about excruciating feelings, which are simply unbearable to endure and having seen enough movies and videos, where the heroines on the birth table scream to redness in their eyes, a completely understandable fear appears.
As a result – the psychological attitude to severe pain, its expectation and, accordingly, self-hypnosis.
In fact, every pregnant woman should know the whole truth, be able to prepare mentally and physically for the upcoming birth, so that the whole process goes much easier and faster.
Why does a woman in labor hurt?
Pain is a protective reaction of an organism to a specific irritant. When our brain feels the danger of life or health, it begins to transmit signals to nerve endings. This happens during any trauma, when pain becomes the first sign that disturbances have occurred in the body. Childbirth, although it is a completely natural process, laid down by nature itself in the female body, leads to the appearance of this protective reaction.
As a result of the contraction of the uterus, the expectant mother feels unpleasant sensations, which become more intense simultaneously with the opening of the cervix. For this reason, the first contractions are less painful than before the start of the attempts or during them.
However, answering the question why giving birth is painful, one cannot but note the psychological factor. It is he who causes the torment of about 80% of women. Just think that only 20% of women in labor experience almost no pain. And the reason for this is a moral attitude. A woman sets herself up for torment, so the body begins to perceive the appearance of the child as something dangerous.
Power of pain
The strength of labor pain depends on many factors. Consider the main ones.
- First births are almost always more painful than subsequent ones. This is explained by the duration of the process itself, which decreases in time with each pregnancy. This is the most important factor.
- Premature birth threatens with complications, so the pain is stronger.
- The transferred fetus is larger in size, which in many cases leads to a difficult birth.
- If during pregnancy there were threats of miscarriage, then the birth can be difficult.
- The health status of the woman is of no small importance.
- If a woman is in good physical shape, performs exercises for pregnant women, then pain can be avoided.
Many compare the sensations during the birth process with fractures of several bones. Of course, this is an exaggeration, with the exception of complications. With a rupture of the placenta and bleeding, intensification of pain is possible. But in most cases, sensations are not stronger than the level that the body is able to withstand. Remember that nature has endowed women with the ability to give birth, highlighting natural anesthesia for this.
Preparation for childbirth
The strength of pain depends on how correctly you prepare for childbirth. If you do everything right, you can completely avoid all the unpleasant sensations. There are times when women even enjoy this process. We will not strive for this, but try to prepare physically and mentally to reduce pain. The most important thing is to observe everything in the exact order shown and try not to get tired. Even if you have a second birth, you need to communicate more with the baby, and not be horrified by the upcoming process. How much time to devote to gymnastics is up to you.
Physical training
Childbirth – it hurts, but if you are in good physical shape, the whole process will be much easier and faster. As a preparation, it is worth signing up for special courses for pregnant women. On them you can perform various exercises that increase the chances of an easy birth.
Gymnastics also affects the condition of the cervix. The time of the birth process depends on how flexible it will be. Therefore, intimate gymnastics is very important. By the way, do not cancel sex with your spouse during pregnancy. If there are no contraindications to this, then you can safely have fun in bed with your spouse. His sperm has a positive effect on the cervix – it becomes more elastic. An interesting fact was proved by American scientists: women who live an active sex life throughout pregnancy give birth much faster and easier.
If you do not have the opportunity to attend special courses, then you can find a video with a detailed description of gymnastics for pregnant women. Thanks to him, you will learn how to breathe correctly, control your body and the process of childbirth.
Psychological training
Exercise will not be beneficial if you are afraid of pain until the last day. Psychological preparation is considered the most important, so pay a lot of attention to it. To do this, you can meditate, relaxing and chatting with your baby. You can just close your eyes, imagine the process of painless childbirth. The reviews of young mothers will also help you. Just look for positive recommendations, not descriptions of the terrible process in which you wanted to die. Remember that you need positive thoughts that will relieve fear and future pain. Easy-delivery videos will also allow you to tune in.
Other preparation methods
A few weeks before giving birth, you need to take a breathing training course. If you breathe correctly, you can find a common language with your own body. Water procedures will be useful, during which the body relaxes, the uterus comes to normal tone. Do not forget about massage. Only it should be soft, with aromatic oil (not harmful to pregnant women!) Or cream. Gently massage your sides, lower abdomen, and lower back. The main thing for you is to achieve relaxation, which allows you not to think about fears. Watch positive videos, pictures and don’t think about the bad.
Down with the fear!
If you are very scared, and there are several weeks left before the birth, it’s time to get rid of all negative emotions. First, imagine that millions of women go through this every year. Yes, it hurts, but next to you will be qualified doctors who will tell you how to breathe correctly, support you morally and offer anesthesia. Chat with mom or grandmother. They will tell you that before, women gave birth without any pain relief, but this did not stop them from having a second birth. Moreover, in many older families there were at least three children. And what does it cost you to endure only 4-5 hours of intense pain? It is possible that this time will be reduced by 2 times.
How painful it is to know women who have already gone through it. That is why the second pregnancy causes more fear than the first. But, dear readers, the upcoming birth will be much faster and easier. Your baby will be born 3-4 hours after the start of labor. Attempts will not be so painful, and you will be able to get rid of tears and further suturing.
We give birth correctly
So, you feel the first fights, you start to rush to the maternity hospital and you become very scared. What to do? How to behave? First, calm down. A little more and a meeting will take place with your baby. Secondly, listen to the doctor. Many women in labor consider that obstetricians are too rude, do not fulfill their obligations and are generally opposed to all patients. In this case, we can advise one thing – to think about the ongoing birth. If you do not like the attitude of doctors, you can not give a birth certificate, so now specialists treat women much better than before.
With severe pain, you can sing. This relaxes the muscles, alleviating the condition of the woman in childbirth. But shouting is not worth it – it will only aggravate your well-being. Try to relax without straining your stomach. Believe that it will become easier for you. During the bout, direct the tension into your hands, squeezing the pillow or sheet. As for the position of the body, this does not affect the pain. From the reviews of women in labor, you can find out that it becomes easier on the side, but science is silent about this. It is very useful to pat yourself on the stomach and communicate in a quiet voice with the baby.
Do not forget about breathing. If you give birth is very painful, it means that you are breathing incorrectly. A deep breath and a sharp exhale will relieve tension from the uterus and ease your suffering during your first pregnancy. In the future, you will be experienced in this matter and the second birth will be even easier. Watch the video, study the recommendations of doctors and at the most crucial moment you will be prepared.
Is anesthesia necessary?
As anesthesia, you can be offered a medical drug that completely relieves pain for 30-50 minutes. They can not be abused, doctors give an injection no earlier than three hours after the first. Most women give birth with this anesthetic, but the next day they often complain of headaches and body aches. They begin to “breaking”. This condition accompanies for several hours, after which it disappears without a trace. This is not very harmful to the body, but worsens the general well-being.
The second type of pain relief is epidural anesthesia. This is a modern type of drug that is injected into the spinal cord. Eliminates pain completely, along with this numb legs and stomach. The effect lasts up to 3 hours. Few people want to give birth with such anesthesia due to the large number of contraindications and possible complications. Anesthesia is injected into the back and if the procedure is performed by an inexperienced specialist, then there is a risk of damage to the spinal cord, which is unfavorable for the human body. During the administration of the drug, the woman in labor should sit quietly for about 10 minutes, overcoming contractions without movements, which is very difficult.
Only you can decide whether anesthesia is needed. And if labor pain is quite tolerable, then you should abandon drug anesthesia. Most importantly, listen to your body. He will tell if he needs anesthesia and how much it needs to be done.
Unconventional ways to get rid of pain
Now for the future mother a wide selection of clinics is presented, where she can give birth to a baby. If you are very afraid, then do not spare the money and give preference to the hospital in which non-traditional methods of delivery are practiced. Watch the video where women give birth in water, kneeling or squatting. So the process goes much easier. The first birth will not be as scary for you as many young mothers write about it. And the second child will appear without any particular torment.
Consult your doctor first, find out about existing maternity hospitals and choose the one that suits you best. This is very convenient – you can be hospitalized in advance, undergo training and safely go to give birth. Especially if the child is the first. You will spend as much time in the hospital as it takes to restore the uterus. This period is very important for the return of the body to normal.
To summarize
And now we will answer the main question – is it painful to give birth? Yes, it hurts, but it is quite bearable. You will be able to go through this test on the way to meeting your baby. Remember that if it hurts you, then the child is also not very comfortable. And the fear experienced during pregnancy negatively affects the nervous system of the fetus. Therefore, do not torment yourself or the baby, tune in positively and everything will go well! And how painfully you give birth, you will learn from personal experience. And using our advice, happily go for a second child. The experience will be very useful and you can tell other future mothers about their feelings or even upload a video if it was done.
