New Moms Describe What Labor Is Really Like

When we asked new moms to describe what labor felt like, we received almost 500 responses. In the course of describing labor pain, your answers hit on many similar themes -- how the experience compared with your expectations, what pushing was like, and whether you'd recommend an epidural. We culled through the responses to pick some of the most common themes.

As a first-time mom, I had a difficult time deciding if I was in labor or if I was having Braxton Hicks contractions. My symptoms did not fit into either category. I had a lot of cramping under my belly, not radiating from the top down or in my back like the books said. When I finally went in to the hospital to be checked, sure I would be sent home, I was told that I was actually in labor.
Tamara, St. Louis Park, MN

With both my babies I didn't experience normal contractions. Instead I felt like I was having one long contraction that felt like the worst menstrual cramps I had ever had.
Rebecca, Layton, UT

I was told it would feel like very bad menstrual cramps but that's not what it felt like to me. It was much more intense and it was almost all in my lower back. Every time a contraction would come, my lower back would slowly begin to seize up. It was kind of like the muscles inside were slowly twisting harder and harder until it became almost unbearable, and then it would slowly subside. It was still much more painful than I had imagined it would be.
Angelina, Ellicott City, MD