Pain in labor is, for most women, inevitable. As I anticipated the birth of our daughter, I knew that before I held my newborn in my arms, I would have to undergo a certain amount of pain. Pain is not something that I seek out, but the pain of labor was something that I had tried to prepare myself for the only way I knew how; by not dwelling on it. I had already experienced a pretty intense labor with my son. I chose to do an intervention free labor and delivery with my son. I found a midwife that supported the kind of birth I was seeking. I did not know what to expect for labor pain with my first pregnancy. Unlike most couples, my husband and I did not take child birthing classes because “natural” childbirth classes were not offered in our area. I wanted my labor to free from restrictions and protocol. I wanted the freedom to labor anyway I wanted including the ability to move into any position that would help me through the pain of each contraction. I did not want to be imposed upon by a fetal monitor, drugs, or an i.v. With my second pregnancy I was seeking the same freedoms in labor to help me handle the pain.
The truth is that labor hurts… a lot. The pain of labor is unique because it is the only pain that I have ever experienced that is normal and natural. The pain experienced during in labor signifies that things are going as they should. The pain is good. A woman in labor, if unhindered, will do whatever she needs to do, whether it be changing her position or singing, to get through each contraction. I wanted another natural, drug-free, intervention free, labor and birth. For four hours I had hard, intense, and painful contractions. I stood, I leaned, I squatted, I laid on my side, I got into the birth pool through contractions. The only position I found to be unbearable was laying on my back (I did that a few times so that the midwife and nurse could check my cervix). With each contraction came intensifying pain. It hurt. The contractions kept coming and I kept breathing through them. Some times it got quite difficult to remain focused through each contraction but I had a great support system which included my husband, the midwife, and the nurse. There were contractions that I almost cried through but I kept breathing and moving. The only way to cope with the pain is to take each contraction as it comes and let the contraction do its job.
Another truth is that the pain of natural childbirth (no augmentation of any kind) is totally and completely manageable. The pain is empowering and freeing. The pain is there as a guide. The pain told me what I needed to do to birth my daughter (and son). The pain told me to push. Once my daughter was born, the pain was gone!