Are babies in pain during birth?

Doctors now know that newly born babies probably feel pain. But exactly how much they feel during labor and delivery is still debatable. "If you performed a medical procedure on a baby shortly after birth, she would certainly feel pain,"
If the laboring mother is feeling pain during labor, she’s probably wondering what it’s like for her child.
At the beginning of labor, women experience contractions that are usually infrequent and mild. These are unlikely to cause any pain for the baby, but are more like gentle pressure.
Using breathing techniques and concentrating your attention on your breath during childbirth helps to relax tension in your muscles; this also stimulates endorphins.

As your endorphins rise, so does oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone that stimulates uterine contractions. Endorphins and oxytocin essentially egg each other on, making labor progress.

As labor progresses, contractions intensify. They start to come more frequently and last for a longer time.

The baby’s head begins to descend into the pelvis. The baby must rotate his head and shoulders through the tight pelvic space surrounded by the mother’s bone and ligaments.

As the baby is being pushed down through the pelvis and also through the dilated cervix, contractions put more pressure on the baby’s head.

It’s hard to know exactly what the baby is feeling at this stage, but the baby’s head is squeezed enough to cause the skull bones to overlap.