# What hurts worse than childbirth?



## AlpineMama (Aug 16, 2007)

Last night I had a migraine and it was HORRIBLE. I've forgotten how terrible they can be. I was thinking that it was definitely worse than giving birth.

Also, going to the dentist can be worse for me. I always have to get sub-gum cleaning and that HURTS. A lot.

Can anyone else think of any pains worse than their experience giving birth?


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## nitemarehippygirl (Jun 11, 2004)

i guess it depend on how pleasant or *not* pleasant your birth was. i can honestly say that i have never been through anything as painful as child birth, and that includes my experiences with migraines, dental procedures, broken bones, and anything else i can think of. i'm know there are more painful things, but i've (mercifully) never had to go through them.
my birth probably wasn't typical, though, especially around here. i ended up with a fourth degree tear...i'm sure that had a lot to do with my negative experience.


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## rharr! (Nov 9, 2005)

Healing from childbirth








and
nursing through breast infections







:


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## NatureMama3 (Feb 25, 2004)

the pain in my shoulders after a laparoscopy. eeeeek! (doesn't help that I can't take narcotic pain relief)

Actually, I got e coli a couple months after my youngest was born (homebirth, no meds of any sort, screamed help the whole way through) and it was definitely worse.

I guess for ME a migraine is worse because there's no definite end in sight, nothing good at the end of it. all the suffering for nothing.


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## thismama (Mar 3, 2004)

Nothing for me has hurt more than childbirth.


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## Molliejo (Jan 7, 2006)

A toothache in my wisdom tooth hurt a lot more than giving birth.

Also, getting stitches for tearing hurt more than the birth process. I shudder just thinking about it.


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## Kens (Jun 9, 2006)

Kidney stones.


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## KariM (Mar 13, 2004)

Passing gallstones! I had a serious problem with gallstones (ended up having my gall bladder and bile duct removed because the bile duct was blocked with over 100 stones). We were uninsured at the time so I didn't see a doctor until I had bile backing up in my body.

Anyway....I always knew after going through that for months that I could easily handle a day or two of labor.









Sure enough, when I had DD three years ago it hurt a LOT less than passing the stones did.


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## anonymamadaddy (May 28, 2006)

the IV! dislocated knee.


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## AlpineMama (Aug 16, 2007)

Just thought of something else... peeing after giving birth. That was unholy.


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## caiesmommy (Feb 26, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rharr!* 
Healing from childbirth








and
nursing through breast infections








:


I AGREE!!!!

I also had to get a tube shoved up my nose when I was little for a medical procedure and frm what I remember that was ALOT worse...BUT it could have been just alot more trumatic!


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## hubris (Mar 8, 2003)

Wisdom tooth extraction.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rharr!* 
Healing from childbirth

especially after an episiotomy...ugh...horrible


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## deditus (Feb 22, 2006)

Well, my SIL just had a horrible bout with a kidney stone...she said wayyyy worse than birth.
I smashed my finger when a canister full of 5 lbs of flour fell on it. That hurt worse than childbirth. (Always ice injuries like this! I would have saved myself a lot of pain!)


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## happymomma (Jun 27, 2004)

Gall bladder attacks....a partial root canal with no meds....getting hit head on by a suburban when you are each going 50 mph.


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## Molliejo (Jan 7, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *truemists* 
Just thought of something else... peeing after giving birth. That was unholy.









:
Noooooooooo! I had buried that somewhere in my mind!


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## lotusdebi (Aug 29, 2002)

Being on fire.
Going through reconstrutive surgeries after being on fire.

*Not my experiences - a loved one's. But, as much as my second labor and delivery hurt (excruciating - thought my insides were being shredded), I know my pain wasn't the worst pain in the world.


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## loraxc (Aug 14, 2003)

Quote:

Can anyone else think of any pains worse than their experience giving birth?
No.

But passing a gallstone (this is what we think it was), migraines, and an abscessed tooth come the closest.


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## ~gilli~ (Jun 30, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thismama* 
Nothing for me has hurt more than childbirth.

Yup.


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## gigismom (Nov 26, 2001)

the spinal headache that results after an epidural....







:


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## charliedacia (Aug 6, 2003)

A bad earache, A bad toothache. I think it has a lot to do with the "no end in sight, suffering for nothing" theory. Because when you are in labor, it may hurt but, Your having a BABY!! You will get a sweet newborn at the end.

On the other hand, if you have an abcessed tooth that won't let up and pain medicine does not help, that just sucks. I'd take having a baby over that anyday.

I also agree that it does depend on your birth experiance as well.


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## amyjeans (Jul 27, 2004)

throwing my back out, slipped disc, sciatica pain.
Anything back related is excrutiatingly more painful than childbirth.


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Right after my second child was born, I started having gall bladder attacks. THAT hurt worse than childbirth.


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## ani'smama (Nov 12, 2004)

dry sockets after wisdom teeth extraction.


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## Cloverlove (Jan 2, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thismama* 
Nothing for me has hurt more than childbirth.

Another







:


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## lisa2005 (Jun 2, 2005)

For me, shattering my wrist. I broke and dislocated both radius and ulna at the wrist with an open dislocation on the one side. I had rods, pins and screws in it. The pain was indescribable and frequently was so bad that it would cause me to shake uncontrollably. It was much worse than the 25 hours of unmedicated labor and 3rd degree tear that I had 3 weeks later.

I didn't realize until it happened that anything could be worse than the long OP labor I had with my 1st child. The only thing that I have experienced that came close was the inadequate pain control with the c/s with my 1st child.


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## Rockies5 (May 17, 2005)

I'm kinda...well shocked to see this. I loved childbirth and it was hard, and somewhat painful during certain moments but I've experienced so much that was more painful.

fractured tailbone
migraines
twisted/fractured ankle
the headgear I wore for 9months
migraines
sinus infection
ear infection
sciatica
altitude sickness
the flu
GERD
cramps and diarrhea from taking Castor Oil
sinus headaches
"charlie horse"
Carpal Tunnel syndrome
toothache
having a cavity filled
Symphysis pubis dysfunction
and emotional pain like loosing friends and relatives, pets, watching people suffer etc.

Childbirth was a sweaty *joy* at every moment. I have very long back labors and even one baby that was completely crooked (she had a very large cephlahematoma for many weeks, looked like a dorsal fin







) and I loved every second of it.

do most people just not challenge their bodies, or endure any other kind of pain in today's society and therefotre childbirth *is* really the hardest thing they have (or maybe will) ever do? I'm struggling to understand because if what I've read here is normal then I may be doing a disservice in my childbirth classes







by my opinion that it's work but not terrible or suffering kind of pain.

To me it was one of many challenging events that I have accomplished. I actually draw on my memories quite a bit when I am training for other physical events. It's not too hard to get that last rep or mile out if you can remind yourself about what you accomplished already. It's all just life to me. and life in hard.


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## liseux (Jul 3, 2004)

bashing my knee against the wall
throwing up
bladder surgery


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## lotusdebi (Aug 29, 2002)

My first child was work. It was painful - more painful than the tattoo on my ankle - but it was work. Afterwards, I felt a sense of accomplishment over what I was capable of. He was 9lbs 9oz, and got stuck (shoulder dystocia), but only took a few minutes to get out.

My second child was pain. Excruciating pain. Unbelievable pain. All of it - pain. My insides shredding kind of pain. Dying every second kind of pain. He was 10lbs 8oz. He also got stuck - another shoulder dystocia. Much worse. It took a lot to get him out, and then he needed oxygen for an hour. I have PTSD from that birth experience. It was awful. Truly horrible. Not anything close to the dream homebirth I had worked for. He was really too big for my body, and it's amazing that he survived. My body may never be okay after that experience, though.
I planned on being a childbirth educator. I was going to do so many great things to help women feel strong and capable of natural childbirth.
Not anymore. I can't even consider it anymore. I've lost the joy that I once had when thinking and talking about natural childbirth. It's gone.
Birth can be empowering. Birth can also be psychologically damaging. Natural birth can be both. My eyes have been opened to that, quite unfortunately.


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## Cloverlove (Jan 2, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rockies5* 
do most people just not challenge their bodies, or endure any other kind of pain in today's society and therefotre childbirth *is* really the hardest thing they have (or maybe will) ever do?

Seriously???

I find this so insulting. Because childbirth was painful I must be a lazy, indulged member of society? I don't do "reps" at the gym. However, I run 30 miles a week, take 50+ mile bike rides and practice yoga. Gimma a break.







:

And yes, you probably are doing a disservce in your childbirth classes. For my first pregnancy I was convinced that my homebirth was going to be a blissed-out cosmic experience. Well, it wasn't. And it took me a long time to emotionally recover because I thought I was a failure.


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## anne1006 (Jul 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Cloverlove* 
Seriously???

I find this so insulting. Because childbirth was painful I must be a lazy, indulged member of society? I don't do "reps" at the gym. However, I run 30 miles a week, take 50+ mile bike rides and practice yoga. Gimma a break.







:

And yes, you probably are doing a disservce in your childbirth classes. For my first pregnancy I was convinced that my homebirth was going to be a blissed-out cosmic experience. Well, it wasn't. And it took me a long time to emotionally recover because I thought I was a failure.

My labor was terrible and I wanted to die during a lot of it! Some labors are worse than others, and when there are complications and stuff it makes things worse. I do agree though that in society fear pain. We tend over medicate for physical and emotional pain. There are definite needs for medication, but I think the pp's point was that we are taught to fear pain more than handle pain, and that makes it worse, not that we are weak if we have pain.


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## Cloverlove (Jan 2, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *anne1006* 
There are definite needs for medication, but I think the pp's point was that we are taught to fear pain more than handle pain, and that makes it worse, not that we are weak if we have pain.

I often get annoyed when people personalize these types of discussions. Such as:

Breast is best
-Well, I had to use a bottle and I am really insulted

Epidurals are dangerous
-Well, I had an epidural and am really insulted

I was wondering if I did the same thing with this discussion and maybe I did but her comment just rubbed me the wrong way. FWIW, I don't think women should fear childbirth. But I also don't think if it is not a JOY every second that somehow indicates a woman is lazy, implied by:

Quote:

do most people just not challenge their bodies


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## melibee (Aug 20, 2007)

With my second, I had an external version to turn her- that was so much more painful than childbirth!


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## Mothra (Jun 4, 2002)

Well, I don't think anyone would ever say that I do not challenge my body. I'm very active, and I've done my fair share of things that could have, maybe should have, ended in my ultimate demise.

Childbirth was the most amazing and most painful experience of my life. My second child was the easiest. Don't let "easy" fool you. It was excruiating. My third, my daughter was the smallest, was the most pain I have ever been in. I thought I was prepared for it, and I was WRONG. The positioning of the baby plays a huge role in how much it hurts. I still felt like a rock star after she was born, but holy crap I thought I was being ripped in two.

I can't imagine anything that would challenge my body more than a 9 lb. baby squeezing through my cervix and then barreling out of my vagina.


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## hanno (Oct 4, 2006)

Too many things to list are more painful than childbirth, for me. Forcing a placenta out before it was ready (at the midwife's instruction) and afterpains were about the worst for me. I try to play down this aspect and remember that actually giving birth to my child was painfree. He really did all the work and the only true discomfort was when I was overwhelmed and tried to slow him down! Also of note- very early labour felt really really good, like the best drug trip ever. There were beautiful waves of energy flowing through me in a downward sensation. Awesome.


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

Quote:

*What hurts worse than childbirth?*
I can think of 2 things.

First I had a tooth drilled and the dentist must have drilled right into the nerve.

Second was a thumb nail that torn off the nail bed.


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## Tofu the Geek (Dec 2, 2003)

Apparently any pain that DH has to endure, is worse than childbirth...


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## Benji'sMom (Sep 14, 2004)

Really extreme sensative tooth pain, like being really sensative to something cold.

ETA: The difference is child birth lasts a lot longer, so in that way NOTHING is worse than child birth. I mean, if you're labor lasts for several days and feels like you're being stabbed with knives, that's about the worst pain, because it lasts so long.


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## Romana (Mar 3, 2006)

I had an extremely painful birth. The only thing comparable was the terrible AF pain I've had (endometriosis). Sometimes I think AF at its worst was worse (more than once I became delirious and thought I was going to die from the pain; became irrational and accidentally poisoned myself OD'ing on pain medication). Sometimes I think giving birth was worse (8 hrs transition/pushing, all excruciating).

Purely from a pain perspective, I think AF was worse when it was at its absolute worst. But childbirth was worse in other ways - the combination of extreme pain and extreme pressure was the most uncomfortable I've ever felt.

It's hard to quantify exactly. And different types of pain feel different. The extreme toothache I had was blindingly painful (and it was as bad as toothache gets) and I was pregnant and couldn't take anything for it . . . but it wasn't nearly as bad as giving birth.

I find stabbing or slicing pains to be easier to cope with, when they're pure pain, than labor pain at its worst.

Afterpains were very painful, but not at all comparable to the 8 excruciating hours of labor (the other 13 hours were either at an easy or manageable pain level).

Everyone experiences birth differently, and everyone experiences, processes, and copes with pain differently. I have extraordinarily good pain coping mechanisms thanks to the endometriosis/AF pain and a chronic pain disorder I've suffered with (ups and downs) for over 10 years. I assumed that as birth was a natural physiological process that I would handle it quite well. I suppose perhaps I did, but all that capable handling couldn't protect me from mild PTSD, due solely to the extreme pain that continued for so long. It is definitely the worst I have ever felt physically in my entire life, although perhaps not quantifiably the most pain I've ever felt. It was a combination of extremely unpleasant sensations that made it quite as awful as it was.

I've always loved pushing my body and enjoyed distance running as a hobby for several years; long hikes up mountains; multi-day rough-terrain bike rides, and so on. I'm not afraid of a physical challenge and have not coddled myself my whole life or been coddled by life (i.e., as I said, I've experienced a lot of physical pain).

It was disappointing to discover birth to be so physically unpleasant when mentally I had some expectation of an orgasmic birth, and no expectation of the excruciating experience I did have. It took me awhile (about a year) to fully process the birth and be able to think about possibly having another child. For several months after dd was born, I was really not very open to the idea of doing it again. At this point (18 wks pg), I've accepted that I am capable of doing it again, although it is not something that I would ever want to do again. And I hope it might be easier this time - but I'm not counting on it.


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## veryerin (Jul 29, 2007)

Abcessed tooth!!!
Hiking on an injured knee...


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## SuperMarcy (Jul 4, 2004)

The headache I got after a spinal tap was a million times worse than childbirth!


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## nitemarehippygirl (Jun 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rockies5* 

do most people just not challenge their bodies, or endure any other kind of pain in today's society and therefotre childbirth *is* really the hardest thing they have (or maybe will) ever do? I'm struggling to understand because if what I've read here is normal then I may be doing a disservice in my childbirth classes







by my opinion that it's work but not terrible or suffering kind of pain.


you know, this post sort rubbed me the wrong way. i hear people here talking about their joyful, empowering childbirths, and i think that's great if that's your experience. heck, i'm even kind of jealous. that's what we all want and hope for, right? but that was not mine, and it's not because i'm a wuss and never "challenge my body". it's also not because i had a terrible negative additude about the whole thing. i didn't. i'm not going to specifically list all of the issues that i/we had, but it's important to remember that not everyone is going to have an identical experience to yours.
if you are painting a one sided, rosey picture of birth to your class, maybe you are doing a disservice. it's ok to present that as your experience, but it's not a universal one. i think birth should be seen as a miraculous experience, but there's no reason to gloss over the difficult painful side. that's just as real for many people. you can express your experience without invalidating anyone elses.
i assume if you are teaching some kind of childbirth class, it's because you care about women, and want them to have to best experience possible. that's commendable. it occurs to me though, that some of your students may end up feeling like failures or morons if they find themselves in overwhelming pain. they'll remember how you said it wasn't *that* bad, etc, and wonder what's wrong with them.
i'm thinking it would be better to try to support _everyone's_ experience, not just the people who have a similar one to yours...


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## Rockies5 (May 17, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *TechnoGranola* 
Apparently any pain that DH has to endure, is worse than childbirth...

















:







:







:


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## georgia (Jan 12, 2003)

Here is another thread that discussed pain:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=567009


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## Rockies5 (May 17, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nitemarehippygirl* 
you know, this post sort rubbed me the wrong way. i hear people here talking about their joyful, empowering childbirths, and i think that's great if that's your experience. heck, i'm even kind of jealous. that's what we all want and hope for, right? but that was not mine, and it's not because i'm a wuss and never "challenge my body".

yeah I agree with all that you said too. I had one birth that was like nothing I could describe. Very tough. I'm not glossing, or blaming any one's "mindpower" or beliefs for them having a painful or even excruciating experience. Calling names ("failure", "wuss", whatever else).

I was asking a plain question because I want to understand.

I'm sorry to all of you who thought there was sarcasm or blame there, (and all the others who will read only a few posts, probably miss this one and call me out on it again).

I _need_ to understand, which is why I asked the question. I'm sorry if it was worded thoughtlessly or in a way to make people think I was being snotty. totally wasn't meant that way.

I'm trying to _learn_ here. I work in and with birth and so far I haven't seen anything resembling like many of you describe. So all I was thinking was "Here's a new idea or faucet of womens expereince of birth!" and I excitedly started trying to ask questions. That's the point, right?


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## Romana (Mar 3, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rockies5* 
yeah I agree with all that you said too. I had one birth that was like nothing I could describe. Very tough. I'm not glossing, or blaming any one's "mindpower" or beliefs for them having a painful or even excruciating experience. Calling names ("failure", "wuss", whatever else).

I was asking a plain question because I want to understand.

I'm sorry to all of you who thought there was sarcasm or blame there, (and all the others who will read only a few posts, probably miss this one and call me out on it again).

I _need_ to understand, which is why I asked the question. I'm sorry if it was worded thoughtlessly or in a way to make people think I was being snotty. totally wasn't meant that way.

I'm trying to _learn_ here. I work in and with birth and so far I haven't seen anything resembling like many of you describe. So all I was thinking was "Here's a new idea or faucet of womens expereince of birth!" and I excitedly started trying to ask questions. That's the point, right?

I'm sorry - I'm unable to find where you asked a question. Please point to that in your post so I can try to answer it. I think it's essential that CBEs understand, are sensitive to, and prepare their students for the possibility of a painful birth.

If this was your question:

Quote:

do most people just not challenge their bodies, or endure any other kind of pain in today's society and therefotre childbirth *is* really the hardest thing they have (or maybe will) ever do?
then yes, it was worded in a manner that sounds condescending and judgmental, and I don't think it bears answering again since I think I and others have responded to it.


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## gcgirl (Apr 3, 2007)

I keep reading that "studies" say childbirth is the worst pain a human can experience. But then I think about some horrible accidents I've read about, like the woman who was smashed between two cars and essentially had her legs ripped off. I'm sorry, but I have to think that would hurt worse than childbirth.


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## ~Megan~ (Nov 7, 2002)

My gall bladder attack was much worse.


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

I would rather go through childbirth again than have an abscessed tooth--I think. Both my labors were shorter than the duration of my abscesses.

I had a herniated disk and I kept thinking, "Well, at least it's not as bad as childbirth pain" until it ruptured and I was only floor in agony and I couldn't get up and my dh had to call the ambulance







At that point, I decided that was worse than childbirth.

I think the problem is stuff like abscessed teeth, ruptured disks and broken bones just feel so wrong. At least with childbirth, in most cases, you feel like it is a purposeful pain. Plus I honestly don't remember the pain as much. I just remember things I said like, _If I were at the hospital, I would have taken the epidural by now!_ and _God Bless America!!!_ and _wow, it's over, I never have to do that again!_ followed by an intense feeling of ecstacy. (of course, it's wouldn't be unlike me to scream during a painful bowel movement either.)

The pain might have been worse during childbirth if I had squatted during contractions, but I did that once and immediately said, "Oh no, no way, no way can I do that." The first push was the most painful part and I was feeling just a bit panicky like, "OMG, I'm pushing and I'm in worse pain than ever!" But then the subsequent pushes were better, and when I felt her head moving down through the bones, I thought it felt cool and not like I was being ripped apart (which was how my sister described it).

I had a broken finger and it hurt, but it was much more localized than childbirth. If someone had wrenched it all around after it was broken, yeah, that would have been horrible. But having it immobilized in a cast took away a lot of the pain.

Burn pains hurt like hell, I just can't imagine having any significant ones.

For me: Wisdom teeth extraction, dry socket afterwards were no big deal. Carpal tunnel can be bad, but it's not usually a long lasting kind of pain. I did have some horrible horrible menstrual cramps when I was younger that were almost as bad as being in labor. Sitting on the toilet for hours at a time, feeling like I was going to vomit, and like I might defecate, like something was being rammed up my anus...OK, yeah, TMI, but I am glad I don't have that anymore.


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## nitemarehippygirl (Jun 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rockies5* 
I'm trying to _learn_ here. I work in and with birth and so far I haven't seen anything resembling like many of you describe. So all I was thinking was "Here's a new idea or faucet of womens expereince of birth!" and I excitedly started trying to ask questions. That's the point, right?

ok, i'll admit. i thought you were being snarky. i apologize if my perception was wrong.







i am glad you're asking questions, if the answers might help you in your class, or just in relating to other mamas that had less than ideal experiences.
i didn't go into childbirth thinking it was going to be a diasaster, but for me it was. i'm not saying my experience is the norm either. it's probably not. i just think you have to mentally prepare yourself for things to go either way.
i think it's great that your students can hear your positive experiences, and know that they might have an equally positive experience. i just think you have to qualify your statements by acknowledging that pain can also be very real, and is an equally valid response...that way people aren't made to feel guilty for not living up to the expectation or whatever...

does that make sense?


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## lilgsmommy (Jun 21, 2004)

The only thing that I can think of worse than childbirth for me, was when I had my pancreatitis/gall blader attacks. I even yelled at the EMTs, as they were trying to help me, that I was in worse pain than when I gave birth, and I would rather have been giving birth at that time instead of whatever was going on....1 week in the hospital and 2 surgies....showed severe pancreatitis, and my gall bladder was close to exploding..literally.


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## AugustLia23 (Mar 18, 2004)

While I remember that giving birth hurt, a LOT. I don't remember the actual pain at all. Labor is not so bad as the baby coming through your vagina. Talk about a BIG feeling.


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## laurata (Feb 6, 2002)

Oh man. This winter I had my wisdom teeth removed. One was really big, partially erupted, and the surrounding tissue was infected. I threw up when I got home, and developed a dry socket. Well, wisdom teeth removal is classically painful, right? I didn't get into see my surgeon for almost a week! I wanted to die. Giving birth ten times would be less painful than that!







:


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## mittendrin (Nov 5, 2003)

Sciatic pain, is what I wanted to say at first. But thinking about it again - no, nothing I've ever experienced comes close to the pain. Maybe afterpains, but they're essentially the same thing, so it doesn't count.
When I talk about the pain it doesn't bring up any negative feelings tho, it's a good kinda pain. Hard to explain to someone who hasn't birthed naturally yet, right?


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## goodheartedmama (Feb 1, 2007)

the contractions while breastfeeding AFTER giving birth. Especially with your second child. I can't imagine anything hurts that bad...besides perhaps with a third or fourth child.


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

Wisdom teeth. Migraine. I had surgery and it didn't hurt at all, luckily.

I can't believe you got in to your dental surgeon in a week. I went to the dentist today, and my oral surgeon consult isn't until November 30th. I hope my surgery is very quick after the consult.


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

Mashing my finger in dh's truck door way worse. Tooth ach 100000000x's worse. The pain I had in my stomach night before last.


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## LoveChild421 (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AugustLia23* 
While I remember that giving birth hurt, a LOT. I don't remember the actual pain at all. Labor is not so bad as the baby coming through your vagina. Talk about a BIG feeling.

for me it was the opposite, I didn't feel the "ring of fire" and the baby coming through didn't hurt that bad compared to the contractions when I was in transition.

Cryosurgery on my cervix was much worse than labor and birth. And the cryo lasted 2 minutes in comparison to a 20 hour labor- I'd still choose birth over that pain anyday.

I had a really bad UTI once that was worse than labor.


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## candiland (Jan 27, 2002)

Laying on the floor literally screaming in pain overnight...........from about 9 pm until 6am... I still don't know what caused that pain, but I had waves upon waves upon waves of the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life. When I look back on my two homebirths, I guess I kind of remember transition and pushing as really intense, but it's nothing I would write home about.


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LoveChild421* 
for me it was the opposite, I didn't feel the "ring of fire" and the baby coming through didn't hurt that bad compared to the contractions when I was in transition.

Yeah labour really hurt me, but birth didn't hurt me at all.


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## thismama (Mar 3, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *the_lissa* 
Yeah labour really hurt me, but birth didn't hurt me at all.

Same here.


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## SublimeBirthGirl (Sep 9, 2005)

I haven't ever had a more painful experience than birth, but I'd MUCH MUCH MUCH rather give birth than have a migraine. Both throwing out my back and having migraines were worse than my births. Not more painful, but way more miserable somehow.


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## RileysmamaNM (May 10, 2007)

I've had migraines way worse then childbirth, honestly childbirth didn't hurt for me. Migraines, the day after getting my wisdom teeth pulled, doing too many sit-ups that's been worse. Going to the bathroom for the first time after labor hurt more also.. Physical pain really isn't too bad for me.


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## candipooh (Jun 22, 2004)

Yah migraines can be pretty close. Some of the sittings for my tattoo were pretty close too. Just a little FWI....don't get a tattoo when you are ovulating. You are way more sensative.


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## PGTlatte (Mar 7, 2004)

When I broke my leg rollerblading, a spiral fracture of my tibia (shin) and fibula, it was WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY more painful than our second child's unmedicated birth. And it was a pain that no amount of morphine could dull, and it went on for over twelve hours, until I had surgery the next morning to set it. All night I was begging the nurses to have them go ahead and put me under (of course they can't do that)...and when they arrived to take me to surgery in the morning, I remember saying "oh thank GOD you are here, would you all PLEASE put me to sleep now ??!!!"

In fact, back when I broke that leg, my doctor told me that the upside was that having been through that amount of pain, I would probably find birth to be a walk in the park if I had children some day (he was trying to cheer me up). He wasn't that far off, and I think part of the reason I was not overwhelmed by pain was that I had already been through much worse. I think it might do something to your brain to be in that much pain.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *truemists* 

Can anyone else think of any pains worse than their experience giving birth?


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## JanetF (Oct 31, 2004)

PTSD for coming up on 4 years now from a birthrape, being suicidal, not pushing out my baby, living with the injuries to his body, the memory of hours spent begging to be taken to my baby. That all hurts a heap more than the 50-something hours of strong labour I had to birth his sister at home.


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## sunshine's mama (Mar 3, 2007)

getting hit by a car 10 years ago...

i would much rather go through my pitocin induction (when i didn't know better or know MDC existed..







) 3.5y ago than get one of the migranes i used to get that lasted for days with auras and such...

amazingly though, after i had that daughter, my migranes like that went away and so did all of my allergies and hay fever????!!!! it's wonderful!!!!


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## Nannysbaby (Apr 12, 2007)

Worst pain of my life...when I woke up from the anesthesia after having my hysterectomy and pretty much that whole first day. I was drugged to the nines, but could not even open my eyes due to that excruciating pain...second only to ovarian cysts, which quite frankly are very similar to labor pains. My doctor tried to explain that pain to DH..he said "take your left testicle and crush it"...he got that point.


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## danotoyou2 (Jan 19, 2007)

Recovering from a cesarean! That was a misery that lasted for weeks. I've never had broken bones or any other major health problems, but a painful sciatic nerve in my first pregnancy was awful! Much worse than any pain of childbirth.

My VBAC was relatively painless, so there are a lot of things more painful. Have I ever WORKED harder in my life? Nope. But it wasn't pain.

I've had bad tooth aches, headaches, back aches, etc... and I would say that they hurt more, but labor is so intense!!! So, I'd rather have a headache than go through the hours of labor again... plus the fact that I'm losing my mind with two kids, I don't know what I'd do with more!


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## triscuitsmom (Jan 11, 2007)

I had a very traumatic hospital birth that was not a positive experience for me (with of course the exception being my beautiful baby). It was not an empowering in control homebirth that I hope my next is...

And bad as it was it does not even come close to having an inflamed, abcess that hurt so bad I was screaming with noone even touching it being cut into with a scalpel and no anethestic at all...

Nothing has ever hurt worse than that and I can't imagine anything ever coming close...


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *candiland* 
Laying on the floor literally screaming in pain overnight...........from about 9 pm until 6am... I still don't know what caused that pain, but I had waves upon waves upon waves of the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life.

Wow, you still don't know what caused it? What kind of pain was it, and was it all over, or just in certain parts of your body. For some reason I'm intrigued. I'd be worried it might come back.

Or maybe it was a voodoo doll.







Everytime I get those stabbing pains for no reason that cause me to yell out, I figure someone is sticking a pin in my doll.


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## *Erin* (Mar 18, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rharr!* 
Healing from childbirth








and
nursing through breast infections







:









: and also, the time i had an abcessed tooth. so much worse. oh. so much.


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

Kidney stones, gallstones...and a perforated eardrum that had gotten infected. That was the most maddening pain I have ever had. I actually remember lying in bed kicking the walls in insanity. I had a gallstone attack and I really thought I was going to die...literally and I used to have migraines so severe that I was afraid to get out of bed for fear of putting a knife through my head to end the pain.







All have been worse than childbirth for me. My first birth was vaginal after 56.5 hours of back labor with a lovely side of Pitocin. All in all, I think I have a pretty high tolerance for pain.


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## MilkTrance (Jul 21, 2007)

My birth was horrible, but I have to say that while the contractions hurt a LOT, once they introduced the Pit-drip (not progressing "fast enough," or whatever), they were mind-numbingly, suicidally-painful.

So for me, fake childbirth hurt worse than childbirth.


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## DoomaYula (Aug 22, 2006)

Gallbladder attack and then subsequent gallbladder removal surgery. PAIN -- it lasted weeks! I could not believe how sore my tummy was after that surgery.


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## onelilguysmommy (May 11, 2005)

umm..almost absessed teeth.
both times of being in labor, i didnt scream or cry, or anything, and umm..i did a lot of both with my teeth hurting. it hurt so bad i ws seeing black and stars.

i didnt really get the ring of fire thing with my first, the doc was threatening me with a vacuum for not pushing fast enough (and i got him out in 7 pushes..wtf? she shoved the freakin thing in me and i wanted to knock her more than one. omg that HURT.) and that tore me. very bare\ly, but my skin was split by it, and him conming through hurt as well because of that (and yes, going to the bathroom after it stung a lot. it didnt dawn on my that the spray would hurt, i didnt even think of that, lol.) my second, it didnt even hurt as much as a really strong sensation that i cant remember the word for.. labor hurt, not horribly, but it did hurt. pushing him out (2 real pushes, i did bare down down through a couple more, but not to push, i used my stomach muscles pushing against the contrax, not to get him out.) but it didnt really hurt to get him out, seriously. and his head was an inch smaller than my first though e was almost a 1b larger







and i had no pain there after either.

so ive thought about it more. yeah, my teeth hurt way more. afterpains with my2nd that came out of nowhere and were way stronger than contractions hurt really badly. those both were worse than labor and definitely worse than birthing.

and this is something i thought of while in labor...comparing it to other pain in my life. seriously.


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## hanno (Oct 4, 2006)

This thread is making me seriously rethink getting my impacted wisdom teeth removed.


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## nitemarehippygirl (Jun 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *hanno* 
This thread is making me seriously rethink getting my impacted wisdom teeth removed.

you know, i guess that's one of those experiences that varies wildly. i got a couple of impacted wisdom teeth taken out, and although it was sore for nearly a month, it really didn't hurt that much for me. more like it was aggravating when i tried to eat or whatever. i was bf at the time, and so they didn't give me any pain meds, and i was able to suck it up and manage without it. (i just remember i came home and slept the rest of the day after i had it done...)

for me, it wasn't even on the radar with childbirth...lol

don't be scared. if you're able to get a day or two worth of pain meds, you may find it's not that big of a deal







(but if it's awful for you, don't come find me and shoot me.







)


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## mama to 2 girls (Dec 11, 2006)

When I was 10 yrs. old, I broke my foot....IN HALF!!! Yes, in half...plus 3 toes. The big bone that is behind your big toe was sticking out of my foot! Now that was PAIN!! HAHA! I was screaming and moaning! That was pain I will NEVER forget! I have already forgotten about the pain of both by dd's births and my first was pitocin induced!


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## jerawo (Jan 28, 2003)

I haven't read any of the other replies, but for me it was breastfeeding those first few weeks! I told DH that DS was going to be an only child because I could do the drug free birth again, but I could never breastfeed an infant again. Of course I'm pregnant with #2 now...


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## wonderwahine (Apr 21, 2006)

my gallbladder hurt alot more than what I remember of my labor.


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## meowee (Jul 8, 2004)

It depends on how bad your birth was... one of mine was horrifically painful, nothing in my life has topped it.

But, if you use my other births as comparison, the following were more painful: a pulled muscle in my back that had me in agony for 48 hours; repeat mastitis every 6 weeks for 18 months; a pulled muscle in my calf that, thankfully, did not last long, but the time it did last was worse than my non-horrifically painful births.


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## moonfirefaery (Jul 21, 2006)

For me, dental work, having puncture wounds flushed with water, and having a doctor shove his hand up your vagina fast & rough to show his displeasure at your not having given birth in his hospital.

ETA - and charlie horses.


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## Queen of my Castle (Nov 11, 2005)

what hurt more?
any sort of burning my body...it pisses me off so much!
the ring block (local anesthetic) when I sliced my finger
the unanestheiased (is that a word?) insertion of a cathertar, after my birth. that freaking sucked.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rockies5* 
do most people just not challenge their bodies, or endure any other kind of pain in today's society and therefotre childbirth *is* really the hardest thing they have (or maybe will) ever do? I'm struggling to understand because if what I've read here is normal then I may be doing a disservice in my childbirth classes







by my opinion that it's work but not terrible or suffering kind of pain.
.

I just wanted to comment on this post- I know a lot of people were offended. I understood what she was saying. I think most of us except professional athletes and say, people in the army or firefighters, don't _really_ know what their bodies are capable of, becuase sure they may have pushed them hard, but not to any sort of brink. I also think she meant in a more global sense, to women who have suffered war, abuse, opression or demanding physical labour every day birth probably isn't the hardest thing they've done. Even if it may have been hard or very painful, it paled compared to other things going on in their lives.

A


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## angelcat (Feb 23, 2006)

I had horrible back labour, and altho I'd say it probably hurt more than a migraine, I still say a migraine is worse. So is visiting the dentist. I HATE the sound of the drill.

The thing is. at least with labour, I usually had at least a few seconds between contractions. A migraine is jsut unrelenting.

Then I again, I wasn't throwing up in labour. if I had, I might feel differently.

Also, I didn't have to look after a toddler during labour, and I had poeple lookiong after me. WIth a migraine, i have a toddler to watch, and when I throw up, it iusuualy upsets her so much she throws up too. Fun huh?


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## Individuation (Jul 24, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *meowee* 
It depends on how bad your birth was... one of mine was horrifically painful, nothing in my life has topped it.

I'm really curious if that's the birth you had with my midwife. I just want to know. The homebirth I had with that midwife was a fair bit more painful and traumatic than my hospital birth--it would be interesting if you said the same.


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## brightonwoman (Mar 27, 2007)

the hemmrhoids i got afterwards...
it was like the 'ring of fire' of birth, only it was over and over and over again.

I had some back labor, but not terrible. I tore, but not a ton. My baby had a substantial head (36cm/14.5in) and pushing took two hours...and i hadn't slept in two nights so I was pretty wiped out...but all of that, yeah, not really so bad. I think it's like some pp's have said--labor gives you breaks between contractions, and also once it's done, it's done. I only had one ring of fire delivering that head...with the stupid 'rhoids it was multiple times and that made it worse (not to mention the complete lack of laborland endorphins...)


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## Datura (Mar 18, 2005)

Deep vein thrombosis and resultant pulmonary and cardiac embolism. I went through 10 days of aggressive treatment to save my life, but was unable to have a general anaesthetic even though they were doing surgical procedures (1 to 2 hours per day), so they would just up my demoral (sp??). It didn't do much to take the edge of the pain, so they had to strap me down and I'd scream until I passed out, then wake up screaming again. Occasionally they'd accidentally overdo the dose and I'd go completely unconscious for half an hour or so, that was a blessing. During the downtime in the ICU I'd just watch the clock tick down to my next shot.

So yeah, 10 lb baby au natural was noooo problem.


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## loulie (Sep 15, 2007)

I had 40 hours labour, 3 hours pushing and a 3rd degree tear all unmedicated. Luckily I haven't experienced aything more painful than that! At the same time though, I found it wonderful that I was coping with it, right up until the last hour of pushing - when i realised I'd failed in my quest for a natural delivery (ended up with vacuum), and i might as well have given in to an epidural the day before!


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## RachelGS (Sep 29, 2002)

Nothing. I've had kidney stones and migraines and pyelonephritis, and NONE of that hurt as much as childbirth. But none of it was as worth it, either.


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## savithny (Oct 23, 2005)

Hour for hour, I'd rather repeat either of my labors than have my teeth scraped clean (assuming I"d have to sit through it for the same amount of time).

When I was 12, I had something they thought was appendicitis - I had every symptom including the rebounding pain, fever, and elevated white count. The only reason I didn't have an appendectomy was that they had to call in the surgeon. BY the time he was there, I suddenly felt better. I judge all pain against that night and labor/birth didn't even come close.


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## speakfromwithin (May 24, 2007)

For me getting a tooth filled hurts worse than giving birth did.


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## spedteacher30 (Nov 20, 2005)

gallstones (i seriously thought I was dying!)

the allergic reaction I had to a dye test (I thought my leg was going to explode, and they couldn't get all of the dye back out of my knee so i had to wait for most of it to be absorbed and excreted).


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## memiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Osteochondral Autologous Transplantation (OATS)-a knee surgery where they harvest bone plugs to restore cartilage. I've had it done twice, and both times I've wanted to die for about 5 days afterward. My doc promised a pain pump the second time, but forgot.







:

The first steps after being non-weight bearing on a leg for 8 weeks. Just kill me now.

The fall that resulted in the injury leading to above surgeries and rehab.

And kidney stones while 25 weeks pregnant.


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## milkmamma (Aug 20, 2007)

What is more satisfying or rewarding than childbirth?

Mine were quick (ds1=5hrs, ds2=45 minutes) and they hurt but I got two beautiful boys...a migrane has never given me anything


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## meowee (Jul 8, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Individuation* 
I'm really curious if that's the birth you had with my midwife. I just want to know. The homebirth I had with that midwife was a fair bit more painful and traumatic than my hospital birth--it would be interesting if you said the same.

Yes, same midwife







.


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## Novella (Nov 8, 2006)

Quoting back to the Rockie05 comment on whether we push our bodies:

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Queen of my Castle* 
I just wanted to comment on this post- I know a lot of people were offended. I understood what she was saying. I think most of us except professional athletes and say, people in the army or firefighters, don't _really_ know what their bodies are capable of, becuase sure they may have pushed them hard, but not to any sort of brink. I also think she meant in a more global sense, to women who have suffered war, abuse, opression or demanding physical labour every day birth probably isn't the hardest thing they've done. Even if it may have been hard or very painful, it paled compared to other things going on in their lives.









: I didn't take it in an offensive way. I've often wondered myself, just how far and under what conditions I could push my body. ('cuz I'm pretty-much a big wuss, but figuring out the mental game of labour made me wonder if I could apply that to other goals/painful situations). Cavaet: None of that disqualifies the experiences of other women. If you say it was horrific, I believe you!

The worst pain I have ever experienced - *FAR* greater than childbirth/healing tear/nipple pain - was dislocating my kneecap. Absolute agony! One of the EMTs who attended dropped the profession shortly afterward. She was an acquaintance (it's a small town) and I always thought she was well-suited to the role. I ran into her later and told her I was sorry she wasn't doing that job anymore. She told me that in part, her decision to leave the job was influenced by seeing me in so complete pain (while 8-months pregnant). I was dumb-founded.


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## dantesmama (May 14, 2006)

Nursing through thrush and mastitis (at the same time) with cracked and bleeding nipples, when DS1 was only 5 weeks old and had trouble latching properly and spent an average of 6 hours a day at the breast. Just remembering that pain makes me nauseous.

For me, childbirth is more intense than painful. I can think of plenty of things that would probably hurt a lot worse than giving birth.


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## savithny (Oct 23, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Novella* 
The worst pain I have ever experienced - *FAR* greater than childbirth/healing tear/nipple pain - was dislocating my kneecap. Absolute agony!

OMG. Last week I was getting up from kneeling on teh ground and I felt something in my knee slide sideways -- hover-- and then snap back into place. It hurt so completely that my vision went grey and I thought I was going to pass out or throw up or both.

Neither of my births has *anything* on that. Fortunately it lasted only a few seconds for the most acute pain, and a few hours of afterpain. I don't know what happened.... but I think my kneecap shifted around and then back... Ergh.


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## wildmonkeys (Oct 4, 2004)

Nothing. I actually thought the thread was a joke at first









I have broken bones, had root canals, etc. still...I thought the thread was a joke. I remember being really pissed off after my first delivery that it had been so much worse than I'd been promised in birth classes and otherwise







:


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## GooeyRN (Apr 24, 2006)

Nothing ever hurt me as much as labor. I had an abcessed tooth and root canal, MANY migraines, broken coccyx, nipple necrosis (yes, part of my nipple rotted off) mastitis with abcesses, metal removed from my eye, corneal ulcers, and none of those things even compared to labor. My labor was augmented with Pitocin. It was tolerable until that point. I did tear, but healing wasn't bad at all. Its those darn Pitocin contractions that I will never forget.


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## wytchywoman (Nov 14, 2006)

A bone marrow biopsy and irritable bowel syndrome ( seriously I have had lower belly cramps that truly rivaled the final stages of my labor pains, and all I got for my trouble was diarrhea). Dry sockets hurt pretty bad too, probably not quite as bad as labor but pretty darn close.


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## lovebug (Nov 2, 2004)

:s to what i have to look forward to







gosh i hope my migrans (sp) are worse then childbirth because i made it through them without drugs and im ok. so maybe i have hope in the CB department














also some of the other "worse then birth" things on here i did too. oh this thread gives me hope







thanks mamas


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## christinespurlock (Oct 10, 2006)

A miscarriage. Holding a baby small enough that she could be a small plastic doll and never getting the chance to know her. To mother her. To only guess what could have been...


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## reducereuserecycle (Jan 16, 2007)

a ruptured ovarian cyst! major pain (especially when the dang hospital people let you bleed internally for almost 5 days!!!)


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## maika (Aug 5, 2005)

I'm lactose intolerant...and the pain I get from milk hurts way more than anything I've ever lived through.


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## APMomOfKimmyN-Maya (Jun 1, 2006)

Tattoo removal-









I hate to admit that I have already been dumb enough to get a tattoo and hate it so much as to have it removed but since this relates to your post--

Laser tattoo removal is way worse than childbirth IMO.


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## fruitful womb (Nov 20, 2004)

Really bad bedside manners!

I'm one of those rare mamas that have painless labors. Last two babies, no pain. Sure it was a little uncomfortable when I shot them out of the birth canal. 2 min with 10.5 baby and 4 min. with my 9.8 baby. As in stump my toe hurt, not that bad. So I can list ALL kinds of things that hurt worse than child birth.

The OB who dx me with prolapse said I looked like I was 60 yr old lady, ahem, down there. MW was there and I said my dh and I wanted to try for one more in 4 yrs. She said she wouldn't take on a client that looked like she was 60 in her vagina! REALLY MEAN SH!T. What a way to kill a babymoon







: I was 8wks pp too! OB was trying to sign me up for a designer vagina.

It still hurts.







:


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## IvyAfire (Sep 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thismama* 
Nothing for me has hurt more than childbirth.

Me either. Before that the stupid amnio I had was the worst thing I had ever felt. I sent the doctor clear across the room with a scream and a kick...and they had told me most women feel hardly a thing.







:

I would really like to know what was wrong with me, because even my regular examinations with the obgyn were agony, and I've never had that hurt before or since.







:


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## christifav (Nov 10, 2005)

Having your foot crushed so that not one bone is left unbroken.

Foot getting gangrenous.

Standing up for the first time since the wreck and having blood rush to a foot that your body hasn't figured out is no longer there.


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## LittleLlama (Feb 27, 2006)

That time I caught my big-toe on the bottom of DS's rocking cow while pushing him around like a jet ski... and the nail ripped off.
OMFG, it hurt so bad. At 18mo, DS was worried enough to go get Daddy who was worried enough to just take DS in the other room and let me bite the carpet.

Also- Withdrawl headaches from becoming addicted to a pain medication after surgery.


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

nothing. including my worst puking migraines.

PID that sent me to the ground unable to move or speak didn't even come close.


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## hanno (Oct 4, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fruitful womb* 
Really bad bedside manners!

I'm one of those rare mamas that have painless labors. Last two babies, no pain. Sure it was a little uncomfortable when I shot them out of the birth canal. 2 min with 10.5 baby and 4 min. with my 9.8 baby. As in stump my toe hurt, not that bad. So I can list ALL kinds of things that hurt worse than child birth.

The OB who dx me with prolapse said I looked like I was 60 yr old lady, ahem, down there. MW was there and I said my dh and I wanted to try for one more in 4 yrs. She said she wouldn't take on a client that looked like she was 60 in her vagina! REALLY MEAN SH!T. What a way to kill a babymoon







: I was 8wks pp too! OB was trying to sign me up for a designer vagina.

It still hurts.







:


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## ecstaticmama24 (Sep 20, 2006)

I would think there's alot of things that could hurt worse than birth. I'm not going in to details here, but if you've ever watched a horror film, I'm thinking something like that.


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## Arwyn (Sep 9, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lovebug* 







:s to what i have to look forward to







gosh i hope my migrans (sp) are worse then childbirth because i made it through them without drugs and im ok. so maybe i have hope in the CB department














also some of the other "worse then birth" things on here i did too. oh this thread gives me hope







thanks mamas









The thing about the pain of birth is that it's so completely different. There's a BABY that's being BORN. I honestly can't say whether my migraines or my experience of birth were "more painful" - I was, at points, begging for it to stop and saying I couldn't survive with birth, just as I've been known to do for migraines. But I deal with both without pain meds (usually, for the migraines - I sometimes cave if someone offers me something strong that won't make me puke). But if I never get another migraine in my life, it will be too friggin' soon. And I want to experience that birth again. And again. And again and again and again. 'Cause it was just. that. amazing! The pain was just a small part of it. (I mean _that birth_, by the way - don't want that many kids!







)

Anyway. Just had to throw that in there.







For the original question - I can't really answer. But there are a hundred million things I'd choose experiencing childbirth over having to feel them. (Most of the things mentioned in this thread, for starters!)


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## crazy_eights (Nov 22, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *amyjeans* 
throwing my back out, slipped disc, sciatica pain.
Anything back related is excrutiatingly more painful than childbirth.

I'm there with you, right now unfortunately









Breaking my leg hurt WAY worse.


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## emdeecee_sierra (Oct 16, 2005)

charley horses (muscle cramps in leg, where ever), appendicitis, migranes, my back being out, cramps from rotavirus, influenza (the headaches, the yucky, hot feeling where even your skin hurts), food poisoning

LOTS of stuff hurts worse than labor. I don't even qualify labor as 'hurting' or 'pain'- it is intense!, and so AMAZING!


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## LoveChild421 (Sep 10, 2004)

just remembered, the muscle spasms after I dislocated my knee were also much worse than labor and birth. I was 9 years old and I can still remember the pain.


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## ndakkitten (Jul 1, 2006)

For me, my kidney stones hurt WAY worse than my 3 labors. Even with the fact I got hyperstimulated by the Pit during my first one which caused some horrible pain. Thankfully, that was very short-lived and it wasn't bad enough that I was throwing up.

With my kidney stones, I couldn't stand up straight. Thankfully my DH was an EMT by then and could drive like a bat outta hell!! I was throwing up and dry heaving the whole 45 min drive to the hospital. By the time we got into the ER, I was so dehydrated that it took them another 45 mins to get my IV started. I was begging for something to stop the pain, which is something I NEVER once did during labor.


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## Redifer (Nov 25, 2006)

My sis has Crohn's. That's worse.

As far as myself? Stepping on a thumbtack and it going right through the ball of my foot into my bone; then having to pull it out with pliers while I had a stuffed unicorn in my mouth.

Oh, and this wicked huge hemorrhoid I have right now. WAY more painful.

Oh, and a twice-broken, once-dislocated jaw eating a chewy substance.

And the constant backaches I have now from the epidural I got with my first, that are now getting so bad they make me nauseated.

All in all, though, birth was a totally different experience. Hurt, yes, but it was almost a good, fun, exciting hurt. Like a tattoo, or a good workout. The first thing I said after my natural birth? "That was *effing* AWESOME!"


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## AngelaB (Nov 20, 2001)

Peeing after my c section was horrific!! I think they nicked my bladder or something because no one else I have asked about it said it hurt to pee at all.

It was horrible and I would hold it cuz it hurt so bad but then it hurt worse to pee more. Hell for about 3 days, longer than both my vbacs put together.
Angela


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## jrojala (Aug 10, 2006)

my cesarean and recovery


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## Electra375 (Oct 2, 2002)

Food Poisoning, weeks after birth, wreching cramps and pain for days, hours in the middle of the night, explosive diarhea, more stomach pain, all happening when you have 3rd degree tears and stitches from a really fast birth.

The cramps of labor are nothing compared with those food poisoning cramps!!! And my butt hurt, added to my other hurts OIY...

We got the tainted PB...


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## ericaz (Jun 10, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LoveChild421* 
for me it was the opposite, I didn't feel the "ring of fire" and the baby coming through didn't hurt that bad compared to the contractions when I was in transition.

Cryosurgery on my cervix was much worse than labor and birth. And the cryo lasted 2 minutes in comparison to a 20 hour labor- I'd still choose birth over that pain anyday.

I had a really bad UTI once that was worse than labor.

No ring of fire here, either despite my midwife saying repeatedly, "Wow, that burns, that burns, I know it burns."









ARGH! I had cryosurgery - I think. Is that when they burn something off? I had that done on my VAGINA and it SUCKED.

I also get chronic UTIs and I gotta say, those suck way more than my first delivery. My first delivery was pie compared to my worst UTI. And, I recall feeling like I was being split in two after my midwife broke my water and Isadora dropped down LOW.







:

Other worse pain memories include period pain (endometriosis sufferer here), IBS-D (horrid cramps and that terrible feeling of having to shit your pants) and having a missed miscarriage at home over the course of days and banging my head against the wall because that was the only way I could manage the pain.


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## amberskyfire (Sep 15, 2007)

I haven't had a baby yet buuuut...

Eight years ago, I had an infection that killed off the bacteria in my intestines and the food started to rot in there. The doctor at the hospital said nothing could be done and I had to wait it out. THREE DAYS OF ABSOLUTE HELL. I actually tried to kill myself to escape the pain.

Nothing could be worse than that. Labor pains? Shmabor pains! BRING IT ON!


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## chaoticzenmom (May 21, 2005)

I'll second the Cryosurgery! Wow, that was much more painful than childbirth. Also, 24 hour stomach viruses are only slightly more painful than childbirth and don't give anywhere near the same "high" that childbirth gives.

Some of these responses are making my stomach hurt just imagining!!!

Lisa


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## pamamidwife (May 7, 2003)

for me, having my heart broken hurts worse than childbirth.


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## candiland (Jan 27, 2002)

Viola - I still have no idea what it was. Let me explain where the pain was coming from... feel for your right hip bone. Move a couple inches to the left. And down about a half inch. I was having waves of super duper contraction-like pains, in that it would start and build up to a totally unbearable intensity before going away slightly, then it would start over again. And over and over and over again. Like I said, It started in the evening and lasted until the very early morning. I was on the floor screaming and rolling around in pain.

Does that sound like a gallbladder attack? Kidney stones? An ovarian cyst? I have no idea.....


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## athansor (Feb 9, 2005)

Migranes in a way are worse, just because I'm pretty good at using pain coping skills, but none of them work when it's your brain that it is pain.
The first couple of times I had a problem with sciatic nerve issues were pretty painful, too.


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

I dunno. I have had migraines that seriously made me think blowing my head off was a sensible option for a few seconds. But for me childbirth was the most _physically_ painful thing I ever experienced.

Maybe if I had a normal birth with a doctor who had a clue, or had found this place in time to educate myself about a midwife it would have been different, who knows? I think most of my problems came from medical incompetence and if I had known more I might have felt more empowered and less terrified. I knew my baby and I were in danger and did the whole near death experience, and that was the only time the pain stopped. I assume that isn't normal, since I've had other women tell me the pain wasn't really all that bad.







:

I've always wished I could have a chance to go back and start the whole process over again with more knowledge.


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## Chinese Pistache (May 29, 2006)

Kidney infections and migraines are so much worse.


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## Redifer (Nov 25, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *candiland* 
Viola - I still have no idea what it was. Let me explain where the pain was coming from... feel for your right hip bone. Move a couple inches to the left. And down about a half inch. I was having waves of super duper contraction-like pains, in that it would start and build up to a totally unbearable intensity before going away slightly, then it would start over again. And over and over and over again. Like I said, It started in the evening and lasted until the very early morning. I was on the floor screaming and rolling around in pain.

Does that sound like a gallbladder attack? Kidney stones? An ovarian cyst? I have no idea.....

Gallbladder is higher.. DH and my grandfather both have GB issues.. it feels like, almost heart-attackey, but on the right side of your chest, right under your ribs.

Sounds to me more like a kidney issue.


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## meggles (Mar 9, 2004)

Um, nothing hurt worse than childbirth. But that's just me--I've never been in a serious accident or broken any bones, and I've only had one root canal. And I had 40 hours of back labor fueled in part by Pitocin, so maybe that should be taken into account.


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## yogabear (Mar 8, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pamamidwife* 
for me, having my heart broken hurts worse than childbirth.

I agree. I'll take any and all pain of childbirth. It's worth it! (In fact, with my current pregnancy I'm kinda looking forward to it







) Last year I lost a baby, and I realized that your heart really can be ripped out of your chest.


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## Full Heart (Apr 27, 2004)

The other night I had a gallbladder attack. My worst ever. I nearly passed out. In fact I am shocked I didn't. I couldn't even get up. Way worse than childbirth. I would have gone to the ER right then to have them remove it but I couldn't get a hold of anyone at 2 am to come get me. At least I get a baby out of labor pains. What do I get out of a gallbladder attack?


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## BetsyS (Nov 8, 2004)

Nothing in the world hurt as bad as childbirth. I had attended lots and lots and lots of births, I had read alot of stuff, and seen women handle labor just fine.

But, for me? I crawled up in a ball on the floor and screamed, "I'm dying" at the top of my lungs. And really thought I was.

I don't look forward to it again.


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## Electra375 (Oct 2, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BetsyS* 
Nothing in the world hurt as bad as childbirth. I had attended lots and lots and lots of births, I had read alot of stuff, and seen women handle labor just fine.

But, for me? I crawled up in a ball on the floor and screamed, "I'm dying" at the top of my lungs. And really thought I was.

I don't look forward to it again.









I personally find this disturbing. I feel for you. Have you tried hypbirth? Pain is all relative, but another thing is when you know that pain is there for a reason and it is perceived as a good thing, then it really should not be "painful", intense, rushing(Ina May word).
Birth isn't like smashing your finger with a hammer pain. It should be a joyous event, labor is work and some of it is "intense", but I think if we as a society loose this PAIN word future generations will see birth as normal and good.

Sorry, OT, but I just feel so badly for women who experience emense pain. And I've had 2 c/s, so I've had pain.


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

Rushes is the worst word ever.

I thought of labour as hard, intense work. I knew that that it wasn't pain as something was wrong. IN fact, pain was not in my dictionary.

It was still one of the most painful experiences.

I understand that letting go of preconceptions can help, but to say if one just doesn't think of it as pain, does hypnobirthing, etc, then it will be jous rushes is dismissive and disingenuous.


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## BetsyS (Nov 8, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Electra375* 
I personally find this disturbing. I feel for you. Have you tried hypbirth? Pain is all relative, but another thing is when you know that pain is there for a reason and it is perceived as a good thing, then it really should not be "painful", intense, rushing(Ina May word).
Birth isn't like smashing your finger with a hammer pain. It should be a joyous event, labor is work and some of it is "intense", but I think if we as a society loose this PAIN word future generations will see birth as normal and good.

Sorry, OT, but I just feel so badly for women who experience emense pain. And I've had 2 c/s, so I've had pain.

My c-section and recovery was SOOOO much easier than labor. Seriously.

I read all the "right" stuff while pregnant, did Birthing from Within, and still, when that pain hit, my thought was, "OMG. I had no idea." Seriously. In every birth I had attended, those women made it look so easy. They just breathed and moaned and maybe made some noise.

To me, it felt like someone was ripping my insides out while trying to stuff them back in at the same time. With a gorilla jumping up and down on top of me at the same time. When I say that I thought I would die, I really, really did. My dh had to repeat, "You won't die. God won't let you die," to me for about 12 hours of my 36 hour labor. It wasn't fun.

Edited to add: I did have a dysfunctional labor with a persistent OP presentation of an 11 lb, 14 ounce baby. So, that might have made my labor a bit worse than it will be next time.


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Electra375* 
I personally find this disturbing. I feel for you. Have you tried hypbirth? Pain is all relative, but another thing is when you know that pain is there for a reason and it is perceived as a good thing, then it really should not be "painful", intense, rushing(Ina May word).
Birth isn't like smashing your finger with a hammer pain. It should be a joyous event, labor is work and some of it is "intense", but I think if we as a society loose this PAIN word future generations will see birth as normal and good.

Sorry, OT, but I just feel so badly for women who experience emense pain. And I've had 2 c/s, so I've had pain.

That's how mine was too, though. I am amazed at the women who say their migraines are worse. My migraines have made me want to die for brief moments, but in no way did they ever come close to the pain of childbirth.
Something was definitely wrong, and from what I understand I should have had a c section and might have died had I attempted a home birth. I had such a lousy doctor, though, it's really hard to say.

I've talked to a lot of other women, and I've never heard another say their regular OB exams were painful either.

Since I've never had a painful exam with a gyno before or since, I have no explanation for this at all.


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## FoxintheSnow (May 11, 2004)

Ive had gallstones and my wisdom teeth out and 3 operations and nothing hurts worse than back labor!!!!!!!!!!!


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## ShadowMoon (Oct 18, 2006)

Severe migraines, kidney infection, and an infected wisdom tooth all, (to me), hurt more than childbirth. That being said, childbirth is hard to compare anything to....it's in a category of its own.


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## thismama (Mar 3, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *the_lissa* 

I understand that letting go of preconceptions can help, but to say if one just doesn't think of it as pain, does hypnobirthing, etc, then it will be jous rushes is dismissive and disingenuous.









:


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## Nicole77 (Oct 20, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *the_lissa* 
I understand that letting go of preconceptions can help, but to say if one just doesn't think of it as pain, does hypnobirthing, etc, then it will be joyous rushes is dismissive and disingenuous.









: I came in here to say that my broken leg hurt more than any of my labors (It did. There was no point to the pain and it was sheer and nonstop with no time to catch my breath like labor has.) but wanted to agree with this. I think telling women that birth is only painful if they do something wrong is not only dismissive and disingenous but also disempowering (is that a word?). If women go into birth thinking "if only I do this and this then birth will not be painful, rather it will only be intense and filled with joy" then were is their ability to deal when it is also painful? How likely is it that when it does hurt ( a lot!) they will think that there is something wrong, that they are not as strong as other women, that they need drugs to get through this.

In my opinion it is more empowering to prepare women to face the pain, the intensity, and the joy; to teach them to recognize that their body is strong and amazing and can get through labor pains and intensity than to deny the existence of pain and leave them floundering in the end.


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## thismama (Mar 3, 2004)

Yeah, I have been told time and again on here that my birth was painful because I was not enlightened enough, didn't have the right attitude, thought about it wrong...

It's... disrespectful and patronizing, to say the least.


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## carabee (Apr 6, 2007)

I honestly don't know if anything is more painful than childbirth. I think pretty much any severe pain is the most painful thing you've ever experienced at the moment it hurts.


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## moonbeem (Sep 7, 2006)

having an ingrown toenail removed


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

I know, in my mind, that my labors must have hurt. They must have. Pictures of my labor and birth show my face contorted, sweaty, red. But I can't remember the pain. I can remember the wonder and awe I felt, being a part of something so much bigger than myself, bringing life into the world. I can remember feeling my almost-born daughter's head slip into the palm of my hand and the world standing still at that moment. I remember seeing her face for the first time. But I couldn't tell you how much it hurt, or even if it did because I can't remember it.
I need to have another baby. Like right. Now.


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## 4 in 2005 (May 22, 2004)

Gallbladder pain! UGH I was 4 weeks away from my due date with DS. I KNEW I was not in labor but I was in so much pain I could not convey that to my husband. I thought I was going to die. I was worried if I couldn't handle whatever that was (learned years later it was gall bladder related) how could I handle childbirth. So I went into labor expecting it to get worse and it never got to that level.

I had the attacks for a few months after he was born and I told DH that it was worse then labor. I had the attacks again with DD#1 starting 4 weeks before her EDD. That is when I was told it sounded like my gall bladder. I had that sucker removed when she was 7 weeks old!

Headache after a spinal tap. OMG I couldn't move for 4 days. Then I still had this pain afterward for a few more days. That was one of my reasons to never get an epidural they talked about the risk of a spinal headache and I thought huh trade pain in labor for pain after labor when I have a baby to care for?

Nursing through thrush now that is horrid as well but I think about on par with childbirth. Ouch that hurts just thinking about it.

Jennifer


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## Mavournin (Jul 9, 2002)

Gallstones
Ovarian surgery
A ruptured ovarian cyst
Fracturing my collarbone
Fracturing my tailbone


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## Kitten (Jan 10, 2005)

The 3 week spinal headache I had after a spinal tap a few years back. It went on forever and I could not get up AT. ALL. Give me the short pain of labor instead.


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## mama2q (Jun 15, 2007)

Just finished passing a kidney stone on Friday and that had nothing on my labor pains.


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## transformed (Jan 26, 2007)

bikini wax.


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## jenneology (Oct 22, 2007)

my husband and I were talking about this the other day. I think having a finger cut off would hurt more than labor, he disagrees but neither one of us want to test the theory.


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## mother culture (Oct 19, 2004)

Falling or whacking your shin bone...or definatly smashing a finger!


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## arizona_umi (Jan 25, 2005)

a severely scratched cornea. at least with childbirth you know the pain will end in the immediate future. with scratched corneas, the agony can last even months after "healing".


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## goobergrl6 (Jan 29, 2007)

I agree my miscarriage hurt more then birth.....


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## 2bluefish (Apr 27, 2006)

Being pregnant forever...


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## Avocado (Oct 4, 2005)

A really bad hangover


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## ahdoula (Sep 5, 2006)

Any kind of pain that doesn't not have a rewarding joy filled purpose in the end hurts more. I rather give birth then have a tooth pulled or cavity filled any day.

Yeah, it hurts, like nothing else, but there is no other pain that is rewarding or empowering like childbirth and that makes the pain not so bad.


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## alaskaberry (Dec 29, 2006)

mastitis/infected ducts (I just had a HORRIBLE bout of it)







:

whacking your finger with a hammer when chopping wood and bruising under the skin

unexpectedly dislocating your knee, only to have it "pop" right back in


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## Quindin (Aug 22, 2003)

I have heard that being on fire is the worst pain. Also, it never stops hurting -- for weeks and weeks!


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## Maluhia (Jun 24, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *truemists* 
Just thought of something else... peeing after giving birth. That was unholy.

totally.
I would hit myself in the forehead to distract enough to be able to pee. Damn tiny tear at the top. Damn that evil tiny tear.


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## Full Heart (Apr 27, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KailuaMamatoMaya* 
totally.
I would hit myself in the forehead to distract enough to be able to pee. Damn tiny tear at the top. Damn that evil tiny tear.

A tear on the other end is hell too. I have a fisure and if it tears during cb OMG having a bm after that is sheer torture. I dug up my legs with my nails going to the bathroom, hit my fists on the wall, yea not good. I think I blocked that from my memory


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## onelilguysmommy (May 11, 2005)

man, a bunch of these just made my body and fingers and toes curl up just thinking about it!


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## georgia (Jan 12, 2003)

Bumping


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## rmzbm (Jul 8, 2005)

Well...







...I've never given birth (all sections) but I can say that I have had an infected tooth that hurt WAY WAY WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more than my 4 day long labor in which I prayed for death.

That was horrifying, and I was pregnant with DD2 at the time so was "working it out" unmedicated. I REALLY considered giving DH a hammer & telling him to smash it out. (The tooth, that is...)


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

Recovering from my myomectomy-i.e. C-section minus the baby. That was horrendous. It really makes me question the sanity of people who elect for a c-section...

I have birthed vaginally 4 times. Neither the back labor or inductions were anything compared to the month long agony of my surgery recovery.


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## amitymama (Nov 17, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rharr!* 
Healing from childbirth








and
nursing through breast infections







:









:


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## wanderinggypsy (Jul 26, 2005)

A hangnail hurts more than childbirth with HypnoBirthing.


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## Vancouver Mommy (Aug 15, 2007)

I had a tooth absess 5 weeks after giving birth to dd, and my dentist was on vacation. I suffered through it for a week. It was definitely worse than birth.


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## thixle (Sep 26, 2007)

I'm sure i could add more, but here's what popped in my mind that I've experienced (in no particular order):
-3 dry sockets after wisdom teeth removed (nursing a 2 month old at the same time)
-kidney stones
-mastisis
-throwing out my back
-road rash
-Crohn's disease
-IUD embedding in my uterus/cervix


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## barefootpoetry (Jul 19, 2007)

Well, I haven't had the chance to actually GIVE BIRTH yet, but I have definitely been through worse things than the duration of the labor I experienced before I was sectioned.

-Hemorraging 1 week PP.
-Slipping a disc in my back.
-My worst migraine ever, I was throwing up and falling down and crying all at the same time.
-Falling down the stairs and bruising my butt and back black and blue.
-Being hit by a car while riding my bike.

These things hurt a LOT, and like a PP said, they weren't on the level of childbirth, which in most cases is, "Geez this really hurts, but it's going to be over soon and I get a baby out of it!" Whereas any other bodily hurt doesn't really have a definite end in sight and definitely doesn't offer such a great reward!

I probably shouldnt' be allowed to speak on what childbirth truly feels like because I didn't experience the full duration of it with completed pushing and the "ring of fire," but what I did feel, at least before I caved in and got the epidural, was not so bad. I was able to deal with it. Yes it hurt, but that hurt was amplified by meddling nurses being all up in my grill, and when I was able to just be alone and focus and do what I needed to do, it was bearable.


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## mwherbs (Oct 24, 2004)

passing kidney stones
Migraines
tooth aches
having several of my teeth pulled at the same time
broken arm
broken wrist
flying over the handlebars of a bike and breaking both wrists and getting road rash across my face

I really really hate pain and have a low tolerance but labor is not a steady unrelenting pain it comes and goes the space between contractions was usually longer than a contraction I just had to accept that this is what I am doing and resolve to doing what ever it took to get through worked out for me- don't get me wrong it did hurt and hurt worse if I was upset or afraid


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## newmama8824 (Jul 8, 2007)

Nothing compares... Birth was by far the worst pain i've ever felt. Really, I can't think of anything that even comes in as a close second.

I can think of a lot of things that would hurt worse, but none I have ever experienced myself.

If I had the option, I would rather give birth than have my leg chopped off.


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## MKury (May 14, 2007)

I have one- a Recurrent Corneal Erosion... Basically, it's where you scrape your cornea (painful enough) and it heals, but not well. So, every morning when I woke up, my cornea would come off with my eyelid opening. The doctor did 5 surgeries over the course of a year before it healed completely:

1st- he scraped off the remaining cornea
2nd- he punctured my cornea with a needle- hundreds of little holes
3rd- he scraped it off again
4th- punctured the holes again
5th- lasered off the entire thing (and SUCCESS!)

Then about a year later, my other eye got a STAPH infection in it, and it had the erosion- cornea kept sloughing off. I told my eye doctor that I would prefer giving birth ten more times at home again, with not so much as a tylenol, to doing any one of those surgeries or having my cornea peel off again. It makes me cringe to even think about it!

What I tell my childbirth students:

"Pain with a purpose is bearable!"


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## Sage_SS (Jun 1, 2007)

pancreatitis. Hands down the worst pain I've ever endured. Repeatedly.


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## sapientia (Apr 22, 2007)

I'd have to agree with a really bad hangover-the kind that comes with a horrific headache.
A crushed ankle
A migraine
When an ovarian cyst ruptured in the midst of a very traumatic miscarriage. That put me on my knees.


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## Lily Eve (Feb 15, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Quindin* 
I have heard that being on fire is the worst pain. Also, it never stops hurting -- for weeks and weeks!

And on that note, having a second degree sunburn is also a lot more painful than childbirth.


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## sunnymw (Feb 28, 2007)

Rupturing an ear drum due to increased pressure from... what's that called? A deviated septum? DH's will hurt, hurt, hurt, and just get worse until he's in paralyzing pain and goes to the ER to have it drained. If he doesn't make it in time, it ruptures again and gushes blood from his ear. NOT fun. He has 25% hearing left in that ear after 3 ruptures.

Also, I have 3 wisdom teeth growing horizontally-into the nerve endings of my other teeth. Whenever they go on a "growth spurt"... ugh.

My 5 attempts at getting an IV hurt worse than the actual birth as well. They blew out 3 veins.


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## DanelleB (Jan 4, 2008)

Chronic appendicitis--I had several "attacks" before they finally took it out. It was like being in transition for hours and hours at a time ending in the vomiting and no baby as a reward. What's worse, I was only 12-13 at the time.


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## Picturesque (May 31, 2007)

Chronic anal fissure.


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## tammyswanson (Feb 19, 2007)

Being electrocuted with a hand crank generator for extra credit in 10th grade science class.

Other than that nothing else I've been through so far has come close. The hemorrhoids were no problem, ha ha! Although the tear wasn't much fun and I didn't get it fixed.


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## leafwood (Jun 15, 2004)

A ductal yeast infection....that radiating, burning, stabbing pain hurt so much worse than anything during my unmedicated labor. That being said, the most painful part of that experience was getting 2 stitches afterwards.


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## Violet2 (Apr 26, 2007)

The stomach flu. 15 hours of puking so hard my muscles were sore. I even threw up on my tippie toes, the force of it wouldn't let me keep my feet on the ground. Then there were the burst blood vessels. My nose streamed blood and my eyelids were black from pooled blood under the skin. And I peed my pants every time I threw up. Just a complete loss of control and hostile pain takeover.

I truly thought I was going to have to go to the ER.

15 hours of that was worse than labor and I had a hard, long labor.


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## babysanchez614 (Jan 27, 2008)

ok i havent been through labor yet but just curious...is a brazillian bikini wax worse?


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## neveryoumindthere (Mar 21, 2003)

TMJ pain. Basically nerve pain in your head/behind the ear, that feels like a knife is being stabbed into your head and twisted while the bone crushes into a million little pieces.


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## sapientia (Apr 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Violet2* 
The stomach flu. 15 hours of puking so hard my muscles were sore. I even threw up on my tippie toes, the force of it wouldn't let me keep my feet on the ground. Then there were the burst blood vessels. My nose streamed blood and my eyelids were black from pooled blood under the skin. And I peed my pants every time I threw up. Just a complete loss of control and hostile pain takeover.

I truly thought I was going to have to go to the ER.

15 hours of that was worse than labor and I had a hard, long labor.

Oh man, do I know the tippie-toe dry heave throw up, and the peeing uncontrollably...yikes.


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## quarteralien (Oct 4, 2006)

I haven't read the whole thread, but I had a friend tell me just today that getting her wisdom teeth out hurt far worse than any of her 4 c-sections, or her gallbladder surgery.


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## catemom (Jan 9, 2007)

Interesting thread...I can't resist putting in my two cents. I had an appendectomy when I was a kid and the anesthesia make me dry heave for two days after. That was bad. Torn open blisters from the allergic reaction to the surgical tape after my c/s hurt more than the incision itself. What hurt more than eight hours of useless pitocin torture? When I asked the doc who performed the c/s if I would be able to have a vaginal birth next time, and she basically said she didn't think so. That hurt the most.


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## Sage_SS (Jun 1, 2007)

Yup, ear drum bursting is HIGH on my list too.

Sinus infections.. feel like being smashed in the face with a sledgehammer.

Pregnancy is pretty painful for me.. but I wouldn't put it on the list. Don't wanna tempt the gods not to allow it again









This thread makes me cringe everytime I read it.


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## HappyMommy2 (Jan 27, 2007)

cesarean!


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## April422 (Nov 28, 2007)

Getting my nose pierced was worse than pitocin induced labor and birth with no pain meds.


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## Sage_SS (Jun 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *April422* 
Getting my nose pierced was worse than pitocin induced labor and birth with no pain meds.

LOL







I thought mine was abnormaly painful too! But no where near as painful as labor!


----------



## *MamaJen* (Apr 24, 2007)

Getting my full back tattoo hurt so much more than giving birth. Granted, it's a big tattoo and I had a really easy labor, but still.
For me, it really helped having that pain-free break between contractions.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *truemists* 
Just thought of something else... peeing after giving birth. That was unholy.

The first two times I peed, it hurt worse than crowning. The third time, I got smart and peed in the bathtub. Much better.


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## Plaid Leopard (Sep 26, 2003)

nipple piercing! I almost passed out from the pain.

I just went through having several cavities filled and also having a wisdom tooth removed - I concentrated on the births of my kids (happy thoughts!) to get me through it all. I would never had a cavity filled or a tooth pulled without anesthesia, but I've had 4 med-free births and would love to do it again!


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## i*wish (May 4, 2004)

Old school laser printer open to fix jam..... ya know where half the machine pops up to expose the inner-workings.... had my finger way down in the corner and my co-worker slammed it shut. OWWWWWWWWWW... i'm quite certain i crushed a nerve under my fingernail...ALMOST had to leave work for the day. i cried. hard.


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## frontierpsych (Jun 11, 2006)

Having the impatient doctor reach INTO your uterus to remove the placenta.

OWWWW!!!!! That was immediately after the birth and hurt worse than the whole thing.


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## frontierpsych (Jun 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CashewMommy* 
Chronic anal fissure.

I'm not even 100% sure what that is, but it sounds PAINFUL!!


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## wombjuice (Feb 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by **MamaJen** 
The first two times I peed, it hurt worse than crowning. The third time, I got smart and peed in the bathtub. Much better.

Hey, that's a really good idea! I was just gonna use a peri bottle, but this sounds even more comfortable. Thanks!


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## balancedmama (Feb 16, 2007)

A complete bowel obstruction. For 3 days before you get a diagnosis.


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## mrs_mandolini (Feb 23, 2007)

Endometriosis.. like transition labor, but with no breaks between contractions.

A bad day with inflammatory bowel disease.

My first pelvic exam.. she tried to do a bimanual exam, stopped when I screamed and cried. I think that is STILL the absolute worst pain I have ever felt.

Having an NJ tube put in with no sedation. I have a small nose and it took 45 minutes to get that sucker around the bend & down my throat. Thankfully, the radiologists were kind people.

Wry neck, when I mess it up so bad that I get an electrical shock in my neck if I turn my head wrong. Thankfully, it is much faster than labor.. but the pain is much worse.


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## Sage_SS (Jun 1, 2007)

ooh not painful, but terrifying.. a pulmonary embolism at 32 weeks pregnant. The inability to breathe is awful and panic inducing, but add that to concern about the health of your unborn baby due to the lack of oxygen you can get into your lungs... yuck. PLUS they weren't able to treat it properly because I was pregnant.
Oh man.. just remembering how scared I was and how totally terrible it felt not to be able to get air into my lungs... *shudder*


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

The pain of watching my child die was much worse than childbirth.


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## wombjuice (Feb 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mrs_mandolini* 
Endometriosis.. like transition labor, but with no breaks between contractions.

Thank you so much for saying this. I have endometriosis, and I have often thought that there was no way labor could be as bad as this pain. I am a birth junkie, and watch many many homebirth videos...and none of them are like I am when I get my monthly flow. When they hit transition, it looks like damn hard work, they sweat, they cry a little, they grunt and groan...I mean, it's obvious that it's no piece of cake, that's for sure!

But when I get my period, I scream and cry and dig my fists into my abdomen...roll around on the floor and thrash widely...and bang my forehead on the wall sometimes. There is just nothing else I can do to alleviate the pain--it is that terrible. It's horrible.

Many women without endo have told me that if I think my menstrual pain is bad, just wait til I have children. They just don't understand what endo is like.

So now I am even less afraid of childbirth than before...although I wasn't really afraid anyway, at least childbirth will be pain with a purpose. Endo is pain for no reason whatsoever...it's a very _wrong_ kind of pain.


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## RedPony (May 24, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
The pain of watching my child die was much worse than childbirth.









: I can agree with that, sadly.

Falling off a running horse onto packed gravel at the side of a road and cracking a rib or three - excruciating. I cried for HOURS because I was in shock. And swore. Neither of which I did while birthing my daughters.


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## georgia (Jan 12, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
The pain of watching my child die was much worse than childbirth.


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## KiraMisu1999 (Jan 6, 2008)

In my experience with broken bones and dental work, I'd say nothing has hurt more than childbirth. However, with the latter, there is a point to it all. Somehow, that made it easier to deal with mentally and it comes to an end. Broken bones and dental pain last a lot longer.

However, I've taken care of a lot of patients with kidney stones who said it was way, way worse than childbirth.


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## KiraMisu1999 (Jan 6, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
The pain of watching my child die was much worse than childbirth.

Oh, Cristeen, I"m so sorry. Peace and hugs to you.


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## cancat (Jun 15, 2004)

ovarian torsion....


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