What is the "transition" part of labor like?

[Anonymous]

Everyone describes it as "sucking" or "awful" -- I'm due next month and hoping for a natural childbirth. From what I've read, at transition you feel that you can't do it anymore and want to quit. Anyone care to share more details about transition? What makes it awful? Is it more painful than the first phase of labor, when you're having contractions? Is it really intense contractions? Thanks!!

[Anonymous]

Yes, it hurts like hell so much that you can't even think. You will potentially scream and cry, threaten your husband, and beg for drugs. But it will be too late for any of that. Luckily, it doesn't last long, and soon enough you will be so ready for the pain to end that you will be happy to start pushing.

[Anonymous]

I honestly don't remember much of that time, but do recall that it was just overwhelming. I wasn't screaming, crying, begging for drugs, etc. and I don't think the contractions were that much more painful. I did say that I didn't think I could do it anymore, though. It was just so much at once. Maybe it was losing all real and imagined control and having to give over completely. I don't know. But it was like nothing I've ever experienced and don't think you can really prepare for that time.

I will add, though, that my contractions stopped completely for a few minutes after transition (this is not unusual). It was an enormous relief and I could take a few deep breaths and sort of regroup.

Best of luck to you.

[Anonymous]

The hard part about transition for me was the intensity -- contractions are more frequent, so you have less time to get your bearings again before the next one. But I wouldn't say that it hurt like hell, more that I was temporarily overwhelmed. I just kind of rode the waves as best I could and counted on my midwife and husband to help me through. Keep your mouth relaxed, your voice low ("Ohhh" instead of "Aaaaiiiiiii" -- or "F*****ck" instead of "Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t") and breathe through it as best you can.

When you feel like you can't do it any longer, you're generally right -- that's when it's time to push.

[Anonymous]

The contractions are close together and very intense, yes.

To me early labor isn't that painful. Mid labor gets painful but then the contraction is over and you have a break. In transition the contractions really really hurt and they're closer together.

The thing is that it is short. You're there. This is it, it isn't getting any worse. Just survive another few minutes and you're done.

There is no real sense of time. You're in a time warp. Take each contraction one at a time, one fewer that you have to do to meet your baby. Then you get a break and then you do it again, but you are SO close.

The thing is that you enter this altered mental state at this time. Make sure whoever will be with you knows the signs of transition so they can tell you. I have a few friends who asked for drugs at this point just because they didn't recognize that was it and they were there and nobody told them.

Practice relaxation. It makes such a big difference in transition, though it is difficult.

[Anonymous]

I was laboring at home as long as possible, and I'm pretty sure it was transition that told me it was time to go to the hospital! For me it was just the intensity of it--feeling like I needed some help, no longer wanting to be alone focusing on contractions but getting where I wanted to be when the baby was born. In the end, I spent transition during both of my laborers in the car. (Yes, I arrived ready to push.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing is that you enter this altered mental state at this time. Make sure whoever will be with you knows the signs of transition so they can tell you. I have a few friends who asked for drugs at this point just because they didn't recognize that was it and they were there and nobody told them.

this was me. I hit transition 2 hours after getting to the hospital thinking I would have another 14 or so hours - and it would get worse! - for the 'average' first timer, so got an epidural at that point. And that's really my only regret with my first birth - I wasn't committed to going natural, so may still have chosen the drugs, but I just wish I'd known that the reason things got so intense was because it was transition and that was the worst of it.

As for what it felt like, I would describe my labor and the contractions like waves - in early labor they were low and far apart, and they got closer together and stronger as labor progressed, but for the most part I was able to ride them out and cope and deal with it. When I hit transition it was like I hit a storm and that regular wave pattern suddenly went all to chaos. The contractions felt one on top of another and I lost that sense of a 'regular' pattern, and it came along with intense shaking and just a feeling like all of a sudden my body was totally overwhelmed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I will add, though, that my contractions stopped completely for a few minutes after transition (this is not unusual). It was an enormous relief and I could take a few deep breaths and sort of regroup.

Same thing happened to me. During transition, the contractions were VERY strong, long, and with very little break in between. The contractions felt like very bad menstrual cramps combined with muscle tightening around my abdomen and back. I remember during transition saying "this is stupid" and "I can't do this anymore" - my husband recognized what was going on, since all of the birth books basically say that this is the time that you say stuff like this. Transition probably only lasted for a handful of contractions. After that, they spaced out and I was able to rest a bit before I had the urge to push.

[Anonymous]

Echo previous posters. I had a loooong labor but I felt it was very managable. I was very committed to natural childbirth until I was dialated at 9 cm for 5 hours. That's right ladies...I had 5 hours of transition labor where the contractions were so super strong and right on top of each other. I ended up with an epidural (yes - it's possible to get one during transition and at 9 cm) because my body really needed a rest in order to dialate that last cm. Got the epidural, slept for 45 minutes and woke up ready to push.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PPs about transition. I requested an epidural after my doctor said it could be a few more hours of pushing, and I thought there was no way I could handle that. Luckily, DC had other ideas about medication, my water broke, and I was ready to push. DC was born 45 minutes later. It felt quicker than that - total time warp.

[Anonymous]

I really dont remember either, but I assuming that it is were unbearable I would have remembered that. What I do remember is that I had this urge to go to the bathroom (#2), luckily the nurse said lets check you first, it turned out that I was crowning.

[Anonymous]

You might also shake and vomit. When you think you can't do it anymore it's a sign you are almost done!

Good luck and congrats on the baby to be!

[Anonymous]

NP here planning to do things naturally. Thank you so much to all the PPs for recounting their experiences.

I did not have an epidural for my first labour but a cocktail of drugs to stop the labour (DC was premature), and because of the drugs I really do not remember much at all, am not even sure I had a transition.
All I remember is intense stinging and pain when I pushed DC out: 15 minutes of pushing according to DH and a second degree tear. I am working on NOT tearing this time!

[Anonymous]

I felt burning which I asssume was the natural tearing at the baby was passing through. It seemed like it lasted forever, but I think it was only a few minutes.

I found it easier to push between contractions since I just wanted to curl up when the contractions came on (which I couldnt't do when your spread eagle).

Mother nature is smart - you block that part out of your memory, your endorphines and other happy hormones kick in, and soon it's all in the past.

And yes, you go on to A) have sex again B) have another baby

[Anonymous]

for me (both times) transition has felt like going down a rollercoaster. that feeling of exhileration mixed with fear and not being able to catch my breath. the second time, i had more of an awareness that this was transition and knew i just had to ride it out to the finish line. the first time i did feel overwhelmed, but i also had all those crazy endorphins pumping through my system and i was pretty "out of it".

one thing i've thought a lot about is how i think the "stages of labor" are very artificial. women dilate at different rates, and some women find transition really crazy, while others struggle more with early labor. also the "stages" really just follow one after the other, not as discrete steps, but as a flow.

i chose with this last birth to not have any dilation checks. i didn't want all the expectations and pressure that come with knowing how dilated one's cervix is. i loved it. i was able to experience the stages of labor without associating them with a number or having any expectations of myself or a timeframe. i know it's tempting during labor to be checked but really for me i wouldn't have been happy with much other than "10" so i figured there was no point. and i think this might be part of why transition was easier the second time, because i just got through the contractions, and never knew how close or far i was from "the end".