Actually, the baby passing through the vagina is often the easiest part of childbirth for most women!
It is the muscular contractions of the uterus that hurt, and yes, the pain is a lot like menstrual cramps but 5 to 20 times worse depending on which stage of labor you are in and how badly you cramp during your period. Fortunately, labor is not one intense neverending pain (forget most media representations of labor where the woman starts screaming with her first contraction and doesn't stop until the baby is born.) The pain of labor comes in waves that ebb and flow, and there is a rest between each contraction.
In the beginning, there is a long period of rest between each contraction, but as your labor progresses, the rest periods grow shorter and shorter and the contractions (cramplike pain) get longer and more intense. I felt like an animal, a mammal in the grip of nature. My rational brain and thoughts became inconsequential. Once labor gets started in earnest, there's no stopping it until the baby is born vaginally or by Caesarian, which is whole different kind of recovery pain.
And just when you think that baby is never going to come and you are going to be in labor forever, it's time to push out that bowling bowl. Many women say it's like passing the largest stool (poop) imaginable during a bowel movement and it feels like hard work to push it out. But then the head comes out and whoosh! there's the whole baby sliding out, the most amazing miracle of a new human being coming into the world . . . awesome! and time stops for a few hours. You will barely notice the expulsion of the afterbirth, which means more bad cramping but it's usually over fast and you already have your reward so big deal.
A final note - I was part of the natural childbirth generation and chose to give birth without anesthesia of any kind. I also accompanied a midwife to natural home births and witnessed many painful labors. Twenty some years later, I attended the births of my own grandchildren. The mother used an epidural pain medication and she was practically playing cards and still having normal conversations at the point in labor where I was using breathing exercises to manage severe pain. In retrospect, I think I should have used the pain medication. My grandchildren are healthy little geniuses, so no harm was done to them physically or mentally.
Also, every birth experience is different. I know some of those lucky women who barely knew they were in labor, or had 3-hour labors their first time. So ask some mothers you know what it was like and you will get some amazing tales!
BTDTWoman
Posted: 24 Sep 00:47
