# Explain the "Ring of Fire"



## HiItsMeSandy (Nov 27, 2009)

With my first pregnancy, I was induced and got an epidural at 6 cm. I know what contractions are like--but have no clue what the "ring of fire" is. Please share your Fire stories!


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## GoBecGo (May 14, 2008)

Some women never feel it anyway, but i did. It came on as the biggest part of DD's head was emerging and felt like a chinese burn on the whole area around my vagina (above, below and to both sides). Like a prickling, burning stretching. It passed immediately when she was out (she came ears to toes in one push). I have to admit, compared to the feeling of her rotation from OP to OA and descent in one contraction i'd had earlier it really wasn't very painful. I remarked quite calmly but a little breathlessly to the midwife "that stings like F-!" and she replied "yes, this is the stingy bit". Then she was born. I didn't scream or feel the desire to or anything.


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

Never felt it.


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## luv-my-boys (Dec 8, 2008)

well for me the "ring" is just that an intense burning like sensation in my whole pubic region. I have gone natural with all my births so for me it felt like literally burning sensation, however, once the heads were out the pain goes down and once the whole body is delivered for me the intense-ness of the pain is as well. It still obviously hurts down there but not like that







I have really fast labors so for me once I hit the "ring" I know that the baby will be out the next push. I really cant compare it to anything like it, well maybe you know when your urinate after a vaginal birth and it stings? well for me its kinda like that but in my whole pubic region and lasts for awhile not just the few seconds to pee


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## desertgirl01 (Nov 11, 2009)

It is just like it sounds! I screamed because it burned BAD as her head was emerging. Then it burned again as her shoulders came out! Then it was all over, just like that. In fact, whoosh, my whole labor was over and *almost* forgotten the second she was out.

It's been 8 months since my labor, and I can't for the life of me remember what contractions felt like, but distinctly remember what the ring of fire felt like. Not that it was terrible pain or anything, but for some reason, it was a pain I can remember!


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## CountryMommy (Jun 18, 2009)

It was literally an extreme burning sensation like I could never have imagined. I felt like I was being lit on fire and ripped in half. I had a natural childbirth and that was the most painful part of it for me. Luckily, it didn`t last very long at all though, just when he was crowning and as his shoulders came out then the burning went away entirely. I had a 3rd degree tear and didn`t even notice that pain when I was holding my wet baby and being stitched up. I never would have believed that was possible before experiencing it, truly amazing!


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## JorgieGirl (May 13, 2006)

I also managed to escape that feeling with DD (home waterbirth). I'm hoping I'm as lucky this time too. Certainly sounds like no fun.


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## Mulvah (Aug 12, 2008)

I never knew that was supposed to be the painful part! I had back labor and it was so intense (and, well, painful) that when I felt some burning, I was excited and knew labor was almost over. I did feel a burning sensation, but it wasn't a painful burn for me.


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## philomom (Sep 12, 2004)

Just like it sounds. The skin is stretching to its maximum creating tiny micro-fissure in your skin all at once. It stings.

Head with my dd, shoulders with my son. Whatever part of the baby is biggest in circumference, might make the sting.


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## broodymama (May 3, 2004)

I didn't feel it with DS or DD1, but I did with DD2.


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## Xavismom (Dec 22, 2009)

Wow its so interesting to read everyones different experiences with this, they are all so different!

I had a natrual drug free birth too. My labor pains were much, much worse than the 'ring of fire'. To me, it felt like a strong stinging sensation, that only lasted for a few seconds. Once DS's head was out, I swear he shot out like a rocket... DH said he was scared he was going to drop him! The stinging went away immediately.

Pushing was the most memorable, and IMO enjoyable part of labor for me. That stage lasted about 15 min, and I was just so excited to see my newborn, the pain issue just got put on the backburner in my mind. I was way too focused on meeting my son to worry about it, or tearing, or anything else. I did not tear though.. I'm sure the 'ring' would have been much much worse if I had.


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## MyBoysBlue (Apr 27, 2007)

Take your finger and hook it on the side of your mouth and pull. As the skin streatches it sorta feels like it is burning. That is what it was like for me. I only felt it with my first.


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## Missinnyc (Aug 21, 2003)

I'd say it was like baaad stinging. But honestly, for me, the worst part of pushing was the fear- it felt like I was going to push too hard and blow out my vagina, or something. The pressure was way worse than the burning, IME.


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## tallulahma (Jun 16, 2006)

what i felt wasnt anything close to what i would think of as a "ring of fire"... it was justed a stretched feeling. but i didnt tear with any of my kids.... so maybe its a burning with tearing? idk.


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## AimeeandBrian (Jul 23, 2006)

i didn't tear, but it did feel like i was being ripped from front to back. i kept asking if my clitoris was even still attached because it really felt like it was being ripped off. and then there is this amazing relief once the rest of the head is born.


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## *MamaJen* (Apr 24, 2007)

I didn't feel it at all. I remember the phrase "ring of fire" flashing through my head right as DS was crowning, and I steeled myself for it to hurt, but it really didn't.
Transition kind of sucked for me, and there was some pain there, but the pushing stage was great. It really didn't hurt at all. I think it helped that it was a waterbirth, I was in a modified hands and knees position leaning against the side of the tub, and I could really control how I was pushing. As his head was coming out it felt like I was stretching too much, so I stopped pushing for that contraction and let his head slide back in and waited until the next contraction. You want to hear god's honest TMI truth? It was really kind of like taking an enormous poop. There. I said it.


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## limette (Feb 25, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mulvah* 
I never knew that was supposed to be the painful part! I had back labor and it was so intense (and, well, painful) that when I felt some burning, I was excited and knew labor was almost over. I did feel a burning sensation, but it wasn't a painful burn for me.











I'm sure it would have felt worse if I hadn't been suffering from back labor and been pushing for 2 hours, but the burning was a relief to know that the back pain was almost over.


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## HappilyEvrAfter (Apr 1, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AimeeandBrian* 
i didn't tear, but it did feel like i was being ripped from front to back. i kept asking if my clitoris was even still attached because it really felt like it was being ripped off. and then there is this amazing relief once the rest of the head is born.










And let me tell you, this is NOT the time to STOP pushing no matter how bad it hurts!!
My kiddo had the biggest head ever!


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## Talula Fairie (Jan 7, 2005)

I felt it. It was just as her head was starting to come out. It felt like a moderate to strong burning sensation combined with a ton of pressure (as if a bowling ball was coming out of there!). I had a fast birth though, so I felt this for all of ten seconds, tops. When I felt it, I pushed even harder (I couldn't have stopped pushing like some women can, my body had totally taken over at that point).


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## nia82 (May 6, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mulvah* 
I never knew that was supposed to be the painful part! I had back labor and it was so intense (and, well, painful) that when I felt some burning, I was excited and knew labor was almost over. I did feel a burning sensation, but it wasn't a painful burn for me.

I had back labor too and it was extremely hard, but pushing pain was harmless and I never felt a ring of fire. DS had a small head, but a nuchal hand and I tore in two places. Still no ring of fire.


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## lovebug (Nov 2, 2004)

so its kind of like a snake bite (or a really bad snake bite) you did on your arm as a kid?


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## noah's mom (Jan 3, 2006)

I don't recall feeling it with either of my births either (first one was hospital birth, DS1 finally came out when I was on the bed but I did push in the water for quite awhile, DS2 was home waterbirth). Hearing others' responses, I'm wondering if laboring/birthing in water makes a difference? Like maybe the water loosens up that area so it doesn't burn? or maybe it's just related to head size - neither of my DS's had particularly large heads. who knows...









I did feel quite a bit of pressure when their heads came out, but no additional pain.


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## laughingfox (Dec 13, 2005)

The homebirthing doctor I had with DD told me that the ring of fire is how your body tells you to take a break and give it more time to stretch.
She told me to push until it burned, then lay off for a second, then push again. With each push, I could push farther before the burning started again. I did have a skid mark, and I felt it as it happened, it was when I pushed through the burning because her head was almost all the way out and I was too excited to stop.

ETA: I was in water, and still felt it, but DD's head was pretty big.


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## tessie (Dec 6, 2006)

I didn't feel it. It was a very quick and painless pushing stage though (eight minutes).

Hospital birth and I birthed in an upright on my knees position. If that makes any difference at all.


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## Turquesa (May 30, 2007)

I felt it. It hurt like a demon, but paradoxically, it was the best part of my birthing experience. It meant that it was almost over and my baby was about to be in my arms.







The positive psychology of it seemed to numb the pain somewhat.


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## Xavismom (Dec 22, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AimeeandBrian* 
i didn't tear, but it did feel like i was being ripped from front to back. i kept asking if my clitoris was even still attached because it really felt like it was being ripped off. and then there is this amazing relief once the rest of the head is born.

Omg... I felt this too actually... but I was so scared to know if anything WAS actually wrong with it that I didnt ask, I didnt want to know what kind of damage happened to it until after my son was out, turns out there wasnt any.


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## Talula Fairie (Jan 7, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Turquesa* 
I felt it. It hurt like a demon, but paradoxically, it was the best part of my birthing experience. It meant that it was almost over and my baby was about to be in my arms.







The positive psychology of it seemed to numb the pain somewhat.

Totally. I was excited to feel it! It made me want to push even harder because it meant I was just seconds from meeting my baby.


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## ~Boudicca~ (Sep 7, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MyBoysBlue* 
Take your finger and hook it on the side of your mouth and pull. As the skin streatches it sorta feels like it is burning. That is what it was like for me. I only felt it with my first.

Yes yes yes! Whenever my friends who haven't had kids yet ask me what it felt like this is exactly what I tell them. It was horrible with dd1 but for dd2 I had a waterbirth and it was a non-issue.


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## Tofu the Geek (Dec 2, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MyBoysBlue* 
Take your finger and hook it on the side of your mouth and pull. As the skin streatches it sorta feels like it is burning. That is what it was like for me. I only felt it with my first.

Good description.


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## Amatullah0 (Apr 7, 2009)

i never felt it. the pushing pain really just felt like i had to poo really bad, but nothing would come... only, it did come... lol.... i would have never known the head was out if someone didnt tell me.


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## etsdtm99 (Jun 19, 2009)

my DS had a 15 inch head and i felt the ring of fire just when his head was coming out.. it hurt, but it wasn't bad enough to want to stop pushing or any of that... it just felt like stretching, the worst part was that i felt like iw as going to tear and that was scary, but not that painful..


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## jeminijad (Mar 27, 2009)

laughingfox said:


> The homebirthing doctor I had with DD told me that the ring of fire is how your body tells you to take a break and give it more time to stretch.
> She told me to push until it burned, then lay off for a second, then push again. With each push, I could push farther before the burning started again. QUOTE]
> 
> YES!! They were telling me to push, push, but I had to go slow through the burning. I truly believe that is what kept me from really tearing- stopping pushing when it really burned.


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## jeminijad (Mar 27, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *laughingfox* 
The homebirthing doctor I had with DD told me that the ring of fire is how your body tells you to take a break and give it more time to stretch.
She told me to push until it burned, then lay off for a second, then push again. With each push, I could push farther before the burning started again.

YES!! They were telling me to push, push, but I had to go slow through the burning. I truly believe that is what kept me from really tearing- stopping pushing when it really burned.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Turquesa* 
I felt it. It hurt like a demon, but paradoxically, it was the best part of my birthing experience. It meant that it was almost over and my baby was about to be in my arms.

















:

It was intense! I did not have control of my body at that point - the pushing was out of my control, and I was fighting it when I started feeling the burning, trying to slow the pushing down, but I really couldn't. He had a 15 inch head, even with the moulding, and a compound presentation (hand next to his face), so I REALLY had to stretch (before I had him, even sex required stretching). I did wind up with a small tear (no stitches necessary), but it literally felt like every centimeter of my labia was being ripped to shreds.


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## StoriesInTheSoil (May 8, 2008)

I was really out of it from exhaustion and being generally overwhelmed during the pushing phase of my labor with DS but I remember a couple of things from pushing and one is when I sat straight up, looked at the OB right in the eyeballs and yelled/said forcefully "OH wow that BUUURNS!" and he said "yep, okay- reach down and catch your baby."

I like the pulling at the mouth analogy- seems pretty accurate to me


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## Lynn08 (Dec 2, 2008)

The feeling itself was bad enough (not really painful, but not comfortable either - I







the hooked mouth analogy!) but it was made infinitely worse by the midwife. She was "massaging" me to prevent a tear by running two fingers (dipped in warm oil) around the baby's head, thus stretching me even more. Ugh, I didn't tear and the pain went away immediately, but [email protected] if it didn't hurt like heck !


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## JennTheMomma (Jun 19, 2008)

It felt like my vagina was on fire. It only lasted for a few minutes until Hunter was out and then it was gone.


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## mariekitt24 (Nov 8, 2008)

yeah, just a burning sensation. I was already in tons of pain anyway so I dont remember it sticking out too much from the rest. If anything, I felt relief that he was finally coming out.


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## paxye (Mar 31, 2005)

I have never felt it either....


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## MegBoz (Jul 8, 2008)

I don't remember feeling it. My doula said, "Meg, reach down & feel" & I was totally surprised to feel his head was right there (I had no idea how far I'd progressed with pushing!)
Next push or so he was coming out, I did tear (just a little 1st degree) and that felt, well, exactly like I would imagine tearing in your perineal skin to feel! I said "F--- F--- F---" real quick & kinda low







but it only lasted a second. I totally forgot the whole "don't push as the head emerges" thing.







& no one reminded me to pause there, so I kept pushing with the ctrx as I had been for the past 40 minutes. I suspect pausing, breathing & resisting the urge to push may have prevented that little tear.
(Unlike lots of mamas, I totally could fight the urge to push! I had done so for 30 min while on the way to the hospital. It wasn't easy to resist, and at the apex of each ctrx - just for a few seconds, I couldn't fight it & felt my body push a little, but otherwise I could stop.)


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## boheime (Oct 25, 2005)

So far, I've had three UCs and have never felt it.


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## ~Boudicca~ (Sep 7, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *boheime* 
So far, I've had three UCs and have never felt it.

Damn, I am jealous. You are lucky! With dd1 I felt like someone had lit my crotch on fire AND I ripped all the way up to my clitoris as the icing on the cake.


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## mambera (Sep 29, 2009)

It was horrible. Stages I and II were also horribly painful, but at least I didn't feel like I was being damaged. The 'ring of fire' was terrifying bc I could feel myself tearing. I wouldn't really say it felt like burning, it was straight up ripping. The finger in the mouth analogy is accurate but imagine you are doing it hard enough to actually tear your lip.

I kept sucking the baby back in bc I couldn't stand the tearing. I also felt trapped bc I knew ultimately there was going to be no way out but through it. Ugh.

Sadly, I found this
http://www.elle.com/Life-Love/Sex-Re...e-Ring-of-Fire
to be very accurate.

I had a 2nd degree labial tear FWIW, but it doesn't sound from the above posts as if the pain correlates so well with the extent of the damage.


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## Bea (Apr 6, 2008)

Whoever described it as like a chinese burn...that struck a cord with me. Like a really burny chinese burn in your perineum. Not nice but certainly, for me anyway, not the most painful part of labour.

That was transition.


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## Honey693 (May 5, 2008)

Like someone holding a lighter up and burning your crotch. But it's over so fast. I remember going "What was that?" and the baby came and I didn't even think about it again for a few days when I was thinking back on labor.


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## MissE (May 12, 2007)

I don't remember the ring of fire. The urge to push was just way stronger than any pain in that moment. I also didn't feel the OB cut me in order to birth DD faster (her heartrate was way down, it had to be fast).


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## Plummeting (Dec 2, 2004)

It felt like terrible burning and stretching to me, but once her head was out it stopped hurting and the rest of her body felt like jello sliding right out. That burning was very hard for me to push through, though. It was hard to convince myself to push her out, when everything in me was screaming NOT to push her out because that would HURT.


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## GoBecGo (May 14, 2008)

> Sadly, I found this
> http://www.elle.com/Life-Love/Sex-Re...e-Ring-of-Fire
> to be very accurate./QUOTE]
> 
> She finishes that article by saying her sex life is better post baby than it was before though....? That is certainly true for me. Not sad about it at all


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## mamabearsoblessed (Jan 8, 2003)

for me each time it was the unbearable stretch and burn sensation other pps are describing~ it is also the time in each birth where my body has taken over so completely and the pain and pressure is so intense I feel it up in my throat ~ just when I feel panicky with the pain and the length that my body has been bearing down, they crown. after that is the most amazing relief~ like nothing else! once the rest of them slips out~ and then the placenta~ what a feeling of YES! iTs over!


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## HappilyEvrAfter (Apr 1, 2009)

jeminijad said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *laughingfox*
> ...


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## mamabearsoblessed (Jan 8, 2003)

amazing how different we are and our experiences too~ I had no control over when I pushed or how hard~ 'I' was completely out of control and my 'body' kept bearing, bearing~ it took my breath away~ literally and there was no way I could stop, slow down or 'breathe through it' at that point.


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## phatchristy (Jul 6, 2005)

I had something sort of similar to the "stretching' of the mouth thing that was described, felt like a burn, but really just felt super tight stretching but ONLY during my third birth. For whatever reason (maybe the position, he did come out posterior). But, it wasn't that bad, just a sensation that made me think "wow tight". Then his head was out and I realize, 'awesome I'm almost done'. LOL

Otherwise I've only felt basically a little tightness or pressure, I kind of think that all the pressure keeps me from feeling that much LOL. My body definitely pushes all on it's own too (have had four hbs including one which was an accidental UC).


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