Birth For Real.

I got this from Quora (and yes,I know the photo is actually a cesarian) and it was one of the best descriptions of birth I've seen in awhile:

A Berryman

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Former Certified Nursing Assistant (2007–2018)4h

What are the main reasons women feel pressured to get an epidural, and how can they advocate for their birth plan with their medical team?

You have not had a baby. The pain is absolute agony-I have NO idea how we do not go into shock. This is disembowelment, with crushed pelvis pain. We literally rip wide open. Our hips separate from our illium separates from our pubis. Part of our uterus is torn out. The baby forces out whatever pee, poo, or gas we have in us. Contractions are the strongest muscle in the the female anatomy outside of the heart going into a massive abdominal spasm. An uncontrollable heaving of agony. There is back labor. Just like it sounds, worst lower back pain you can imagine that shoots around to the front and feels like a giant shock…

We do NOT get “pressured” by anything other than the baby-excruciating pressure. Literally just kill me now. We have to REQUEST an epidural when we get to when we would rather not feel anything more-WHY force ourselves to go through such horrendous pain when we do not HAVE to? When we now have the OPTION for a calm and pain-free birth-are you KIDDING?! What kind of person would “pressure” a woman NOT to have a pain-free experience when it is available? NOBODY “pressures” us to. We ASK for it because we would rather be shot the pain is so bad.

Life is not Hollywood. Babies do NOT come out cute and tidy. They do NOT come out in a few screams. They do NOT come out with a clean push. No-they come out covered in white protective goo, and they don’t cry like a baby-they give a rapid, alien bleet like a sheep being killed. When we finally manage to force those shoulders through, blood and fluid comes shooting out all over. They look like aliens, often sporting a white, bald, conehead, and dark eyes. Birth is an incredible experience, so why not enjoy the process without being distracted by roaring your lungs out and death-pain?

The only pressure we get from friends, family and/or our privider is if we are a first-time mom-we truly have no clue what we are in for! People may say “TRUST me-you do NOT want to try it without pain control!” Then there comes that aweful feeling of absolute helplessness and panic we all get when watching a person suffer horribly. Any pressure from others comes from experience-no WAY was I going to force myself to endure what would have ended up being five hours of hell if I did not have to. Why would I?