Absolute hell.
I had an emergency c-section, I wasn't fully numb and could feel them slicing into me, worst and scariest pain imaginable.

It was hell. The labor was easy and "short" (9 hours to pushing). But I pushed for 3 hours. Then I hemorrhaged and they didn't give me a transfusion for two days I couldn't even go to a bedside commode without passing out. I was white as a sheet looking at pictures.
I needed 4 transfusions to get my hemoglobin up to a 9 from a 5.8.
My breast milk never came in, as I was very adamant about breast feeding, well it did slightly and then I lost it.

Then I hemorrhaged at 5 weeks PP, my hemoglobin was back down to 7. I felt like I was in labor all over again. I had an emergency D&C. I retained some of my placenta and it had begun to calcify to my uterus. The labor like feeling was my uterus trying to expel my placenta. I needed 3 more transfusions. It makes sense that I couldn't produce breast milk because by body still thought I was pregnant. Needless to say I don't remember much of the first 6 weeks of DD's life, and then she ended up in the hospital.

And SO wonders why I want to get my tubes tied after my next pregnancy.

Quoting Mrs.Dani:" I put stressful. I had a great delivery, and a really easy birth. It was stressful though because he was born by paramedics on a hotel bed."

Were you on vaca and LO came early or something?

BTW I got sidetracked by your avi lol

I wouldn't say it was hell, but I wouldn't describe it as the best thing in the world. I was in labor for 35 hours. Went to the hospital at 23 hours, sat in a traige room for an hour to see if I could get to a 4, was admitted, but then my labor slowed and I was told if I didn't make progress in an hour I was going to get pitocin. I told them I absolutely would not, and elected to go home. Went home at 26 hours with contractions every 5 minutes. 2 hours later I got back to the hospital having contractions right on top of each other- I was 9 cm. I told my midwife that I thought I would be too tired to push him out (I was in too much pain to sleep at all during my labor, and had only gotten 4 hours the night before labor started), so I got the epidural (my only regret) at 29 hours to get some sleep. I started pushing at 34 hours, and had him an hour later.

Quoting and then there were 3.:" Absolute hell. I had an emergency c-section, I wasn't fully numb and could feel them slicing into me, worst and scariest pain imaginable. "

Omgoodness you just made my body cringe.

First long but okay. Not awful pain wise, but I pushed or 3 hours and had a shirt period of being told I may need to think about a C, so I got nervous (then I got mad and 3 contractions later he was out).

Second: preterm. Awful. I fought my body so much the pain was nuts, but I got no meds for it because I don't do meds and because it was really fast (4hrs from first small painful contractions to him sliding out. I wasnt in serious pain really til about an hour before he came, though. I tell you, not fighting your body makes a HUGE diff in the amout if pain!) He was 1lb6 and hurt 10x worse than my 10lb first son!

No plans for epi this time either.

All natural with both
First: great
Second: hell

Quoting [JadeLee]:" It was hell. The labor was easy and "short" (9 hours to pushing). But I pushed for 3 hours. Then I hemorrhaged ... [snip!] ... of DD's life, and then she ended up in the hospital. And SO wonders why I want to get my tubes tied after my next pregnancy."

Omgoodness I hope the next one goes well. You mamas are very strong.

Quoting Zariah♥:" Did you feel more prepared for the 2nd or it's just how it all happened?"

The way it happened. I had a very bad experience with my first, a lot of healing time was needed. My second was natural, with very little time needed to heal afterwards.

Quoting Kait.:" My first was horrible until I had the epidural (30 hours into labor)...then it was all good! My second was a piece of cake, it lasted about 16 minutes total!  "

So I do have hope at a short second labor!!  

7 & 1/2 hours into very painful active labor I got the epidural & it helped me go from only 4cm to 10 in about an hour or so. Then I just wouldn't stretch anymore & had to have an episiotomy. So I picked hell because I have no pain tolerance & I felt like I was dying until I got the epi.

Quoting 2 Baby Girls:" Horrible until I got an epidural. Then it was a cake walk. I dilated from like a 5 to 10 in 40 minutes. ... [snip!] ... to 10 in 40 minutes. I'd been in labor all day and only dilated 1 cm. My body just wouldn't relax. The epidural did it for me."

Basically this. Went from a 4 to a 10 in a little under half an hour after getting the epidural, started pushing half an hour after being checked. [They let me rest for awhile before pushing.]

I loved the epidural, it made me feel really cold though, I was under like 5 heated blankets and I was still shivering and felt freezing. SO said I felt really hot though lol.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Zariah♥:</b>" Were you on vaca and LO came early or something? BTW I got sidetracked by your avi lol"</blockquote>

No. I labored at home for the first 6 hours and then I went to the hospital which was a 40 minute drive. When I got there they told me I was only 2 1/2 centimeters dilated so I decided to go to the nearby hotel my in laws were at so I could take a bath. Well the in laws left to get me a prescription and an hour and a half after I left the hospital bubs was born. We had to call the paramedics because my water broke and I started bleeding and pushing all at the same time, 5 minutes later the paramedics arrived and told me I was crowning, 5 minutes later he was born.

This got a lot of replies in such short time. I appreciate all the participation ladies. I get bored and just wonder what others went through with their labors. And reading about the differences between the deliveries of siblings.

I laboured at 2 in 10 on my own without much progression for 3 days after my waters broke and they refused to induced me to help out untill day 4. (they had no beds! Smurfing joke. lol) then i was labouring 3 in 10 for 10 hours but stuck at 2cm the whole time and he was stuck, so they gave me an epidural and left me resting for another 3 hours and then told me i had to have a c-section, So, the actual delivery for me was an odd one! feeling them tugging and pulling. was awesome though, the only bit i would change if i could is how long they left me even after my waters broke, me and baby very nearly got infections and i was very dehydrated. I still don't know to this day why they left me for 3 days before intervening even though they're meant to helpp you 24 hours after waters breaking. so mine had abit of every feeling you can think of really.