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Pain scales cannot measure the agony felt during back labor. Back pain is described as intense pain in the lower back region, which is felt in addition to the usual labor pain. It hurts not just during contractions but lingers on between them too. On top of that, back labor is prolonged.
Those who observe mothers screaming from the stabbing pain, find their behavior hard to understand. Hence, here are 14 mothers narrating their experience of what some consider the worst experience of anybody’s life.
Rachitha, 29
“I felt that invisible hands were twisting my back muscles repeatedly and would not let on. It seemed to go on forever.”
Radhika, 35
“The pain was unrelenting; a dull, scathing pressure pushing down my back, while a burning rod seemed to split my hips apart.”
Neha, 24
“The contractions lasted for 24 hours, and then the doctor decided to give me an epidural. You would think the pain would stop, but only the pain in the uterus did, not the back pain. It continued to torment me even through the C-section. It scared me that the stabbing pain never stopped between contractions, and I cried all through the ordeal.”
Shweta, 27
“Initially, the pain became bearable with the help of heating pads. But, when my cervix expanded to over 8 centimeters, I became crazed with pain, and no amount of shifting and turning brought even the slightest relief.”
Bhavna, 33
“My belly button was pulled painfully backward and seemed to hit my spine and split it. It was pure agony.”
Mini, 28
“An epidural is useless when your spinal cord is about to be ripped off by back labor. It is impossible to calm down or stay still. Nurses applied counter pressure and reassured me, but they could not lessen my pain.”
Prathibha, 31
“Unfortunately, I was among the few who underwent back labor and front labor at the same time. Dozens of hot spikes stamped and pressed down my back, and it wasn’t anything I had been warned about.”
Deepa, 36
“My kidney stones caused me so much pain, but not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine that there was a pain worse than that. I thought my tailbone would explode with pain. I could not sit even to pee, and understood the meaning of the word ‘debilitating’.”
Aswitha, 25
“I was shaking in pain, and choking as secondary contractions followed the main one. This meant that the pain never stopped, and I had to strain backward all through the delivery, just to breathe in some air.”
Marzia, 41
“When my eldest was born, I went through labor pain for 44 hours. But I could not tolerate back labor for a couple of hours, and opted for a C-section.”
Nikitha, 27
“Would you believe me if I said that the pain began in my shoulder and I thought my left socket would be wrenched out of my joint? Even my nurses could not figure out that this was due to back labor. The epidural worked, but just for a short while.”
Srishti, 30
“Back labor woke me from my sleep screaming in pain. It felt as if a sword had pierced my back and was pushing itself down my hip. It alarmed the nurses to no end.”
Komal, 24
“My brain stopped functioning as the pain coursed through my back and pushed into my belly, worsening with every contraction. I started babbling incoherently and wanted nothing more than for it to stop. Only I did not know how.”
Nithya, 35
“I almost decided against having another child. Some women are amazing because they are willing to go through it again. But I can hardly even talk about it. It was so traumatic.”
Labor pain is something that only women have to undergo. But unfortunately for some, they have to bear the additional burden of back labor, which applies immense stress on the uterus as well as the back. It is clear that there is very little to be done in such cases, and it remains an excruciatingly painful aspect of delivery.
