8 Painful Experiences That Might Be Comparable to Giving Birth

There's one thing almost every pregnant person believes: Childbirth is extremely painful. And for many birthing parents, that statement rings true. Labor and delivery is no joke, whether you have a C-section or a vaginal birth.

Thankfully, there are ways to manage childbirth pain (such as epidurals and breathing exercises) and make it more tolerable. But even so, it's important to recognize that every birthing person will have a unique experience. Pain level is influenced by many factors, including pregnancy complications, your delivery method, whether you've opted for pain-relieving medication, your personal tolerance to pain, and more.

Another important consideration is how providers respond to a patient's pain. We know, for example, that there are racial disparities in postpartum pain management. People in the Black community often report that their pain is dismissed, and they lack safe labor support from medical professionals. We also know that systemic racism has led to a maternal health crisis.

Are you wondering what childbirth pain will feel like for you? While labor and delivery is a unique experience, we've rounded up a few situations that might hurt in a similar way (though, again, everyone perceives pain differently). We also explore factors that could make delivery more challenging, and what you can do to mitigate the discomfort you're experiencing.

Broken Bones

While not all broken bones are the same, some—like a compound fracture of a femur—will knock you off your feet for some time. In addition to requiring a large cast, compound fractures may also necessitate surgery to place hardware, like pins and screws, into your body.

The location of the break and how you use that part of your body will also determine the pain level. A broken rib might ache every time you take a breath, whereas a pinky-finger fracture might be fairly well stabilized and not as painful once it's in a splint or cast.

Some people who've gone through broken bones and childbirth say the pain level is similar, though your own experience might differ.

Certain Headaches (Including Migraines)

Headaches can be severe, especially beyond the typical ones where you pop an over-the-counter pain pill and continue your day. Migraine headaches are significant sources of pain, and they can last for hours or days with debilitating symptoms like:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Light sensitivity
• Visual disturbances

Many people with migraines wind up taking prescription pain medication to both prevent and treat their symptoms. For others, cluster headaches are even worse than migraines. Extreme pain around the eye socket can last for hours and reoccur daily.

People have described cluster headaches as feeling as though you're giving birth through your eyeball, but without the prize of a baby when you're done.

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones form in your urinary tract and have to be passed. This means that the stone, either whole or broken into bits, will need to come out. Kidney stones usually travel through the urinary tract and exit the body via the urethra. Some stones even require surgery. Symptoms of kidney stones can include:

• Fever
• Sweating
• Chills
• Back pain
• Constant urge to urinate
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Some people who've experienced both kidney stones and childbirth say passing a stone is comparable to childbirth.

Gallstones

Gallstones are small stones in the gallbladder that can cause quite a bit of pain. While medications and nutritional guidelines can help manage them, gallstones can plague you for a long time or come in waves of attacks. These attacks frequently include symptoms like:

• Unremitting pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Back pain
• Fever
• Jaundice

In severe cases, surgery may be needed to remove the gallbladder itself. Some people who've had gallstones and given birth say gallstones were worse, but others disagree.

Bladder Infections and Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)

Bladder infections and urinary tract infections (UTI) can cause a lot of pain. Sometimes people can even get these infections during pregnancy. Here are some of the common symptoms:

• Burning
• Frequent urge to urinate
• Back pain or lower abdomen and sides
• Blood in urine
• Fever

Most of the time, pain from these infections isn't on the same level as childbirth, but it could serve as a point of comparison.

Root Canals

Many people compare the pain of childbirth to the pain of unmedicated dental work. A root canal, for example, is an uncomfortable procedure, during which a hole is drilled inside the tooth and the nerve underneath the tooth is removed from the root. A filling is used to patch the tooth back up, and the pain stops because the nerve has been removed.

The pain of a root canal starts before the procedure with a toothache. While the discomfort stops once the root is removed, there's usually residual soreness.

The aftermath of the root canal can affect your activities for a couple of days, make it difficult to eat, and require pain medication.

Surgery

Surgery is obviously painful, though some procedures are more involved than others. Cutting tissue, muscles, or organs, or moving internal structures to access the part of the body that needs operating, will leave a person in pain for days and weeks afterward.

Heart surgery, for example, requires the sternum to be cracked and removed to get to the heart. The pain from this can last for weeks, and maybe months, often requiring therapy to help manage.

Surgeries that involve the use of laparoscopy are less painful than surgeries where a larger incision is made. Pain level is also affected by the type of surgery, the location of the incision, and the health of the individual. Needless to say, recovery from surgery can be similar to recovery from childbirth.

Induced Labor

It would be remiss not to mention that induced labor is a source of pain that can be potentially worse than your standard spontaneous labor. This is because your body is quickly thrown into labor using medicine (such as Pitocin), rather than experiencing labor through a slow build-up.

Factors That Affect Pain During Childbirth

While a handful of experiences might hurt similarly to labor, the pain caused by giving birth shouldn't be minimized. Here are a few factors that can affect your discomfort during labor and delivery.

Anxiety

Fear or anxiety during childbirth can increase pain. Anxiety can cause muscles to tense and constrict blood flow. Adrenaline is also released, which makes it difficult to relax. Consider breathing exercises, relaxing music, calming scents, or a partner massage to help you reduce anxiety and relax through the birthing process.

Birthing position

Some birthing positions may cause more discomfort than others. Lying on your back, for example, typically makes your baby press more toward your spine than your pelvis, prolonging the labor and contributing to pain. Meanwhile, standing, squatting, and other vertical positions allow gravity to assist by putting pressure on the cervical opening and helping your baby to pass through.

Fetal position

Ideally, babies will be head down and facing your back during labor. This position is the most comfortable and efficient for delivery. However, not all babies rotate completely before the onset of labor, and your baby's position in the womb could cause more pain.

For instance, if your baby is head down but facing your belly, called posterior positioning (or sunny side up) this could increase discomfort. Likewise, if your baby's buttocks are positioned first in the birth canal, called breech presentation, you may experience more pain.

Methods for Coping With Childbirth Pain

Here's the good news: Certain techniques can help you cope with pain during labor. There aren’t any wrong or right choices, just personal ones. Methods include:

• Distraction
• Epidural anesthesia
• Hypnosis
• Laboring in water
• IV medications
• Massage, acupressure, and therapeutic touch
• Movement
• Relaxation or meditation
• Deep breathing
• Aromatherapy
• Hot or cold therapy

Remember, you can learn valuable pain-coping techniques during childbirth class—which is more than what exists for broken bones. It can also be helpful to exercise consistently to help prepare your body for labor.