me an hubby watched that Amanda Holden 'out of my depth' the other day, kinda brought it home for the hubby as i dont think he realised how much is was actually gonna hurt but i was a little concerned that the 1st lady it showed give birth didnt scream an cry as much as the last lady that Amanda supervised. i know its goint to be painful but i just dont get why there was so much of a difference in each womans tollerance!!!!

It is the same with any pain - everyone (and their experiences are different).

So much can affect what pain you experience:
- your physiology.
- the position and size of the baby.
- your attitude and frame of mind, etc...

Some people find childbirth a LOT more manageable than others . Which is why I think it is worth being very "flexible" in your approach to pain relief... you may not need "the works" to get through it, BUT don't be afraid to ask for stronger pain relief (it doesn't make you a wimp or a failure just because you want more help to get through it)

Everyone is different and the only person that matters at your birth is you (well the baby obviously too ). Just go with the flow and do what you need to do...

QT

I can honestly say that programme scared me as i don't remember it being anywhere near that bad and now i'm worried i have a warped memory! I was speaking to my friend last night who said the same thing, that her labour wasn't bad enough to be screeming!
I managed on g&a fine, i think they put the worse labours they could fine in there, really not nice for us poor 3rd tri ladies awaiting the big day! xx

I think QTpie says it perfectly: It differs for every woman and every birth. Part of it is your pain tolerance, but physiology and the position of the baby certainly play a role as well.

From what I've heard, Pictocin or other artificially-enhanced contractions are much more difficult to handle than the kind that build up naturally. I don't know many women who can get through those without the epidural.

My hope is to do labour without any pain medication but I am approaching it with an open mind as you never know what it's going to be like until you're in the situation.

I am fortunate to have a very high pain tolerance so am hopeful that I can stick to the natural course

Agreed.

Did a "Birth Preparation" workshop, at my hospital, last weekend and they STRONGLY recommend an epidural BEFORE administering a Syntocinon drip (for induction).

QT

Hia,

The way I looked at it is everyone is different and everyone handles different pains in different ways,I am the biggest baby and my mum couldnt even get me in the dentist without screaming

Labour never made me scream as such I think I just shocked all around me with the obsceneites coming out of my mouth at the pushing stage ,

I like to be left alone (not completley) but not fussed over there is nothing worse than someone rubbing my leg or my back through a contraction my poor OH ..
(prob just me as soon people find this soothing)

- It was a frustrating pain more than anything - People used to say to me that it was like period pains but because I never really suffered with period pains I didnt know what to expect...The best way I can personally describe the feeling of the contractions is an annoying pain more than anything that kind of pain when you stand on a plug with your bare feet etc...

You will be fine hun and you cant beat that feeling after you have done it, it is so true that you forget all the pain the instant they come out.. completely worth it
For me personally too - Epidurals are just the best invention xx