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Labor pains
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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[ Labor pain is the body's defense
Pain as such is the body's defense against various irritants. During labor pain, the irritant is very strong. That is why the body reacts so powerfully. Pain is created to attract the brain's attention to the diseased organ. Then the brain can turn on mechanisms to eliminate or neutralize irritants.
During labor pain, as with any other, the release of adrenaline - the stress hormone - is simply record-breaking, the muscles are tense, they are hypertonic, the whole body is ready to react to stress by running away or with strong aggression. Since there is no escape, the irritated organ continues to hurt, begging the brain for salvation. Until the irritant of pain is eliminated.
Types of labor pain
Pain during contractions. What causes it?
When the first stage of labor begins, contractions, the cervix opens. This happens because the muscle fibers contract, and then they are no longer located as before, but shift. The fibers are stretched, the muscles contract involuntarily - and the woman is overtaken by severe pain. This is contractions.
As a woman notices and as they teach in birthing classes, contractions vary in strength and intensity. They sometimes build up, sometimes pass, only to fall upon the woman with renewed force. At the first stage of labor, contractions are still short - lasting no more than 5 seconds. Then they subside for about 20 minutes.
Then the contractions continue longer – up to one minute. This is the second stage of labor. The intervals between contractions are much shorter – they are reduced from 20 minutes in the first stage to 3 minutes in the second.
Contractions during first birth
They can last from 8 to 12 hours for women who are giving birth for the first time. The pains are excruciating and exhaust the woman to the extreme. Labor contractions can bother a woman for about a third of the time during the entire labor. That is, contractions can last up to 4 hours in total for a first-time mother.
The uterus can contract just like any other organ, such as the muscles when you walk or smile. But when this contraction occurs during labor, it is very painful.
In addition to the fact that the uterus contracts, the pain becomes more intense because there is also pressure inside the uterus from the baby's head moving along the birth canal.
Why does pain subside significantly towards the end of labor?
The uterus is an organ like any other and is subject to training. During the time that contractions occur, the uterus "practices" contractions so much that it becomes strong and can withstand severe pain very well. It can now contract without the pain that it had 8-10 hours ago, and its contractions become more powerful.
What else causes labor pains?
When the cervix opens, the muscle fibers receive much less oxygen than before. The reason for this is that the muscles squeeze the blood vessels when they contract.
Nerve endings are compressed during labor, and the muscles of the uterus are overstrained. This is additional pain during labor, especially in the first half.
Is it possible to reduce this pain during contractions? Completely - no. But this pain can be alleviated by prenatal training in special schools for women in labor (there are many of these in large cities and at women's clinics now). Or the pain can be reduced by changing the intensity of breathing.
Will the pain decrease due to the rupture of the amniotic sac?
The procedure of opening the amniotic sac does not provoke pain. It is not painful. The sac is opened on the delivery chair. The woman's legs are spread apart, the doctor inserts a finger into the vagina, then a thin hook into this opening, which hooks the amniotic sac. It ruptures, fluid pours out, and the sac itself does not hurt, since it has no pain receptors.
After the bladder opens, the woman's contractions begin to increase. Of course, they are inseparable from the pain of labor. The pain increases, the uterus contracts, and this makes it even more painful. Then the contractions subside, giving the woman in labor a chance to come to her senses and prepare for the next contractions of the uterus.
After the amniotic sac has been punctured, contractions initially give a dull pain, and it is unclear where it comes from (it could be back pain or abdominal pain, its exact location is difficult to determine, and the woman gets confused). The pain (it is defined as visceral) can radiate to different areas of the body: to the leg, thigh, groin, sacrum, shin. This happens because the nerve endings spread throughout the body and transmit impulses to its different parts.
As labor progresses, the uterus stretches (or rather, not the uterus itself, but its ligaments), and this is another factor in pain during labor, particularly during contractions.
Labor pains during pushing
As soon as the first stage of labor passes, the contractions acquire a slightly different character. The pain (its frequency and intensity) changes. If until now only the uterus with its pains due to stretching of muscle fibers participated in the process of labor, now the efforts of other organs also join its efforts.
The pushing process involves the diaphragm, pelvic floor, and abdominal muscles. Their muscles overexert, contract, and stretch to push the fetus out, and the pain of labor intensifies.
If a woman was properly prepared for childbirth, then, of course, she was told that pushing can be regulated. And therefore, the pain during pushing can be regulated too. The difference from pain in the uterus is that a woman cannot control the efforts of the uterus, but she can control the efforts of other organs during pushing. You just need to listen to the doctor's recommendations without panicking. Especially recommendations that concern breathing.
The interval between pushing is from one minute to a quarter of an hour. And in general, the duration of pushing is up to 60 seconds. This is for women who are giving birth for the first time. Those who are giving birth for the second or more times experience pushing for up to half an hour in total.
Peculiarities of pain in the first and second stages of labor
The pain in the first and second stages of labor is affected by such areas of the body as the sacrum (it hurts especially). Its inner part is irritated, and this is accompanied by excessive tension in the ligaments of the uterus and sacrum, which are not yet accustomed to this position and also hurt. The fetus presses on the muscles of the birth canal, the bones of the small pelvis, and therefore pain in different parts of the body bothers and exhausts the woman until she gives birth.
The pains become more intense, but it is already clearly felt in which area they are concentrated - this is typical for the second period of contractions. The pains are felt in the perineum, vagina, rectum. The woman feels as if there is a draft, and at the same time everything hurts. Doctors call this pain somatic. It is joined by tension in the abdominal muscles, which also contract during labor.
Pain during childbirth is a natural process that is inevitable. The main thing is to listen to the doctor and follow his recommendations, then the process of childbirth will take place with less energy expenditure.