I am in labour, where is the pain?

As narrated by a Midwife

Lynn walked into the ward at 11am full of fear and anxiety about the so called ‘labor pains’. She had heard from her friends over and over again that it is the worst experience a human being has ever been through.

Part of her overbearing anxiety was based on her having seen a mucous discharge mixed with blood (show), which had given her the notion that baby was in trouble. The lower back pain, which she said she had experienced on and off since the ‘show’, gave her more apprehension. When I told her that that was one of the signs of labour, relief quickly swept over her face. All she knew about labour was the crazy pain she had heard about—something that had been long awaited, now that she was five days past her due date.

The good bit was that she was very determined to go through labour and have her baby naturally. Our support, encouragement and guidance on her braving the otherwise difficult endeavour were in order.

The obstetrician examined her and found her cervix was already 5cm dilated. When she was informed of how far she was in labour, she couldn’t believe it. ‘What about the pain?’ she asked looking at me. I only smiled so as not to take her hopes too high lest they struck. We administered an enema to clear her bowels and monitored closely as her labour progressed. Thankfully, all parameters remained stable. The heart rate was normal ranging between 140-150 beats per minute, which allowed her to do the recommended walking-about that safely hastens labour.

A few minutes later, some abdominal cramps caught up with her. ‘Contractions,’ we told her when she asked what the cramps were about. We followed that with quick breathing exercises to help her cope and make sure that the baby was well supplied with oxygen.

Lynn’s husband and friend, who were by her side all along, fell in step with my instructions and it wasn’t long before Lynn was flooded by encouragement; which made her stop saying she doubted she was going to make it.

At 12.30pm she had an urge to bear down and the obstetric did another internal examination. The cervix was 8cm dilated. When she was told so, the question of the day went again, ‘What about the pain?’ the doctor encouraged her to concentrate on the fact that her baby would soon be born. Some pain came, which saw her whimper, arch and pray. She worked with her body and managed the pain well.

At 1 pm, she moved into the second stage of labour, and at 1.05 pm she could not take her eyes off her lovely baby girl, as tears of joy flowed out of them. Lynn couldn’t belief that she had given birth. She was still waiting for the ‘Big horrible labour pain’. It never came.

Oh the stories from her women friends! Her labour was much shorter, far much less painful than what she had heard.

END:PG30/13