Why Does Childbirth have to Hurt

by Lana
(Lansing, MI)

Why does childbirth have to hurt?

Being pregnant - or even just being a woman - the thought of giving birth is exciting and scary and very good filling . The first time I was pregnant I worried quite a bit both about the pain and the risk that something would go wrong (like me or the baby dying...). For many reasons I ended up spending the last three months of my first pregnancy in bed.

Because of my bed rest I had plenty of time read about the signs of labor, the stages of labor, the pain and pain relief. And I sure had a lot of time practicing breathing and relaxation! Actually, I had trained Lamaze breathing so much that I actually thought I would be one of the women experiencing painless childbirth... But the breathing and relaxation did help me a lot Definitely!

No matter what your thoughts are about giving birth, learning and preparing is always good! (Not only with your first child, but every time.) Here are few things you can do to give yourself the best possible preparation for giving birth. And at the bottom of this page, you'll find links to many more articles related to childbirth, with topics such as "Why does it have to hurt", "The signs of labor", Good birth positions" and much more. If you're not yet fully aware of what actually happens in your body when you give birth, make sure you learn. Understanding the different stages of labor, what happens and why it hurts, can be very helpful to prevent becoming scared when the pain sets in for example.

Also, while deciding beforehand what pain relief you want it is really hard, at least the first time, knowing the options and the pros and cons. That way you can talk to the midwife and decide together once you're in labor.