How long were you in labor? Was it quick/easy or painful?

How long in labor? Was it quick and easy or painful? Our Facebook readers join the conversation!

Although you’re still in the early stages of your pregnancy, one of the things that’s likely weighing heavily on your mind is labor. Will it be pain-free or is it really going to be what they make it look like in the movies?

Don’t let yourself be afraid of the unknown, especially since every woman’s experience with labor is different. It is a good idea, however, to read about what to expect.

In our recent Facebook post, we asked our readers about their labor process and these are some of their responses:

Tiffany says “painful” but she could do it again.

Tiffany said that with her first baby, she went all natural with no medication. For her, labor lasted for three hours and 53 minutes. Although it was painful, she says she would do it all over again any day of the week.

Calie had a long labor

Calie was in labor for 18 hours with her first child, 7 hours with her second, 26 hours with her third and 18 hours for her fourth child.

Cassy: fast but painful

Cassy’s labor was relatively quick, she says, but was definitely painful.

Maree: her second baby was a lot faster

Maree was in labor for 24 hours with her first child and pushed for 20 minutes before she delivered. Then she pushed for 5 minutes after she was in labor for 6 hours with her second child. She said that it wasn’t too painful and she was able to adapt to the pain after a while. Maree said making “ooooo” sounds when her labor was strong helped with the pain as did the panting-style of breathing. The greatest pain she felt was when her babies’ heads came through.

Sara: long!

Sara was in labor for 36 hours, and because of her previous spine surgery, she was given an epidural fairly early to help with the pain. While the epidural was beneficial to keeping pain at a minimum, she said it was still uncomfortable. She pushed for two hours, but because there was a lack of progress, she was unable to deliver naturally and had to have a C-section.

What was your labor experience like? How long in labor? Share your story in the comments below!