The most common description of the level of pain experienced was extreme menstrual cramps (45 percent), while 16 percent said it was like bad back pain and 15 percent compared it to a broken bone.
Pushing goes a lot quicker. With no epidural or narcotics on board, most women rate active-phase labor a 10 on the pain scale of one-to-ten.
Pushing-
When you are fully dilated (around 10 cm) and it’s time to push, you may feel an intense pressure that feels like you need to poop. You can relax a little knowing that your body is just telling you that it’s ready for you to help push out your baby.
During this period, you’ll typically be instructed to push with the peaks of your contractions. Because you’re pushing with the contractions, many women find these contractions less painful than the contractions helping them to dilate.
Other parts of the experience may also cause discomfort or pain, including an episiotomy or vaginal tearing. You may also feel muscle pain or fatigue from pushing or experience uncomfortable side effects from medications used during labor.
How painful is pushing a baby out?
