We call it labor for all the right reasons, And I know all you mamas are going to agree with me. Childbirth is a difficult process may it be by vaginal delivery or c-section. For some it is easier than others but all in all it is a very scary thing whether you are a first time mom or having your 4th baby. I've had normal Labor pains for around 15 hours and have also experienced the trauma of a C-section twice. Which is more painful, many women often wonder. But I can confidently say that both ways of birth are painful painful in their own way, when I was in labor I felt pain in my back mostly, and in my lower abdomen, but I can confidently say that both ways of birth are painful in their own way. When I was in labor labor I felt pain in my back mostly and in my lower abdomen. And when I had my C-section, my scar hurted brutally, so much so that I could not walk, sit without support. Even a little sneeze or laugh drove me into extreme discomfort.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I thought normal birth would be painful for six to seven hours or so and then I’ll be free. But after having C-section twice I know that C-section is never the way out to avoid the pain of natural birth. Most of the people do not even talk about the afterpains of the C-section operation. You cannot even walk up straight after having a C-section for at least two to three days. I clearly remember that at least up to two weeks I was practically feeling vulnerable and helpless because I could not survive without having pain killers and in the initial days even the painkillers did not work 100%.

Coming to labour pains I want to describe my experience in detail. I had Braxton Hicks contractions while my first pregnancy since the third month and they grew stronger after the 8th month but only for an hour or so. I had downloaded a contraction timer in which I could record all my contraction timings so that I could head to the hospital when my contraction pains we’re in the gap of 6 minutes for more than an hour. However the rule is to head to the hospital when your contractions are spaced at every 4 minutes for at least an hour. But since my hospital was an hour away and I wanted to be extra cautious I headed to the hospital when my contraction pains were spaced at 8 minutes. I checked into the hospital at around 11:00 AM and my contractions had started at 3:30 AM. When the doctor checked me up on admission I was already 3 centimetre dilated and I got a little scared. When I was outside the labour room I could hear screams of women in labour and that literally freaked me out for real. The nurse read my face reaction and told me everything will be OK but I don’t think that helped at all. The lady beside me was two centimetre dilated and was in so much pain I felt pity for her. The doctor herself said that my threshold for pain is good so I would be a good candidate for a natural birth. But I had all my doubts and I wanted an epidural for sure. Since morning the intensity of my pains was periods like pains which were radiating to the lower back, and it was growing as time passed but I was surprised when the doctor came at 4 pm and told me that I was only progressed to four centimetre of dilation. Till this point also I had no idea, I would end up having an Emergency C-section. Maybe I was in back labour as they say maybe I was not but I would really really recommend anyone have going on natural birth to tell their partner to give them a warm back rub. I was about to come to the point of screaming in pain but then as I told you that my labour had stalled at 4 centimetres, they decided to give me a dose of pitocin. I had also requested for an epidural so they give me pitocin first and after around half an hour the anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural and that half an hour was literally hell, the most painful moments of my life physically. Yes maybe the baby's head was pushing towards my lower back that caused me that excruciating pain, maybe it were just the contractions that were putting putting the pressure on my lower back, I don’t know I’m no medical expert but that was the most painful moment of my life. All I know is when the epidural started acting in I felt relieved and I thought now I’m gonna have this baby vaginally. But 2 ½ hours passed and babies heart rate started dwindling. The gynaecologist came in and checked my cervix, and said that babies head was not engaging it was coming in an oblique direction. My heart broke a little but I was too exhausted to think too much and upon the top of it the gynaecologist said that I would be needing a C- section as soon as possible. They told my mother who was beside me to sign the papers as soon as possible and they started to do the preparations for the operation. My belly was trimmed for body hair, I was put in a wheelchair and my hair was tied up. I saw my mom crying but she still tied my hair. Four around 5 minutes I was sitting in my wheelchair outside the operation theatre while they did their preparations, and I felt dizzy and I wanted to give up. I did not even feel pregnant, and I just wanted to end everything. I felt all the pressure in my pelvis and my body was so light. My brain was dizzy and I just wanted to sleep. The gravity kept my head back, and I just wanted to give up honestly. I know this is very confusing to read and comprehend, but these are my real emotions about the 15 hours of labour that I was in. When I went went in for the C-section that is another story you can read it, by opening this link.

https://pregnancyvoyage.com/post/emergency-c-section-birth-story