These 21 Moms Described What Childbirth Feels Like And I'm About To Pass Out

"It felt like I swallowed a cheese grater, then shat it out whole."

We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to describe what childbirth is like. Their answers are so painfully accurate, we can feel them.

1. "Childbirth felt like my baby was coming out of the wrong hole."

ABC

"While pushing I literally turned to my partner and said, 'I think I’m pushing the baby out of my butt.'"

—vel728

2. "Childbirth felt like a nine-pound soccer ball with razor-sharp scissors sliding up and down my uterus and lower stomach."

Facebook Watch

"You're sweating and crying and you don’t know care if your husband's aunt sees the OBGYN stick her whole arm in your vagina to check dilation."

—diamondm41a29eed5

3. "My C-Section felt like a 300-pound man was sitting on me while someone else gutted me and ripped out all my organs."

HBO

"All of this happened while I was awake."

—j4d56c83bb

4. "It felt like the chest-bursting scene in Alien, but coming through my back (yay back labor)."

20th Century Fox

"My kiddo refused to come out after 12 freaking hours, so they sent me for a C-Section. My ribs felt like a xylophone as they pulled her out and the first words out of my mouth as I looked at my precious new baby were, 'I can breathe again!'"

—amishgirl281

5. "I remember learning about medieval torture/execution methods, in particular the one where they tie each of your limbs to a different horse and the horses trot off in opposite directions until they literally rip you apart. That's what childbirth felt like for me."

VH1

—hollyskittlesb

6. "I had a natural water birth and it felt like I was dry heaving out of my vagina."

Paramount

—amandab4a261d8b4

7. "I felt like a teddy bear being stuffed."

Hulu

"I had a C-Section and it was the most intense pushing and pulling pressure you could ever imagine."

—meaganv3

8. "When the baby was crowning, it felt like there was a tiny welder down there using a torch around my vaginal opening."

Nascar

"Just like in heist movies when they are trying to get into a vault."

—alliic

9. "I remember thinking that being stabbed repeatedly would have been much less painful."

VH1

"I had a nine-pound baby with no meds – not by choice."

—pjlucci

10. "Take your bottom lip and stretch it all the way up to your forehead. That's what it felt like!"

Universal

"That was from Carol Burnett and it's so accurate!"

—lunallee212

11. "It felt like a rusty dagger being slowly twisted in my lower back."

Fox

"It got better after I had the epidural, but it did NOTHING for the ring of fire. That shit cannot be masked."

—saraf46cbcaf4c

12. "Imagine the feeling of lightning shooting down your lower back, groin, and thighs – along with the tightest feeling you’ll ever experience. The pain was so bad I couldn't even speak and could barely breathe."

Twitter: @iamcardib

"When your water breaks, everything is at least five times more painful."

—cheyennerosea

13. "Giving birth to all four of my kids was different, but the same in the fact that it felt like my insides were stretched to their breaking point and then dragged raw on flaming sandpaper."

BBC

"Baby one: I started puking when my baby crowned, with a fourth-degree tear to the butthole. Baby two: Imagine what it feels like breaking your tailbone 'cause that's what my second child did to me coming out! Baby three: I have no memory because of a complication with my epidural. Baby four: No epidural and I screamed so much I required oxygen."

14. "Imagine having someone wring out your uterus like a dishcloth while stabbing it with a hot poker...for 15 hours."

Bravo

"My epidural didn't take after three tries (yes, this can actually happen) AND I had Pitocin, so the contractions were extra strong. Then, add vomiting to the mix. Oh, and innocent little med students asking, 'Mind if we take a peek down there?' There is a reason I only have one child."

—highland207

15. "I felt like I swallowed a cheese grater, then shat it out whole."

Comedy Central

—giannaw46bbc5340

16. "There is definitely a 'have to poop' sensation, even with the epidural."

20th Century Fox

"Some moms say it’s not as bad as you think, but I was in excruciating pain. One of my friends said it felt like the wrath of god and, when my day came, I was like, 'Ah, yes.'"

—megang453c82946

17. "It felt like I was pushing my butthole out of my body."

CW

"I pushed so hard, the IV in my hand bent and came out of my vein."

—mikaalanaq

18. "Have you ever had period cramps so bad you doubled over from the pain? Multiply that by 10-20 and you’ve got contractions. Have you ever been so constipated that by the time you finally pooped, you thought for sure it’d be the size of a football? That’s the pushing."

TruTV

"I was lucky enough to have the willpower to go through it without drugs and felt it all."

—nataliel437572994

19. "Basically, it felt like my uterus was slowing splitting in half."

BET

—gracyt

20. "Labor felt like a Charlie-horse cramp in every muscle from my shoulders to my knees."

NBC

"The contractions are so intense, I almost passed out. Toward the end of labor, when the baby was coming out, there was a 'ring of fire' sensation centered around my vagina. That said, I would totally do it again if I could! The reward is completely worth it."

—jillwulffm

BUT...WAIT...not everyone has terrible childbirth experiences...

21. "Childbirth was amazing! Amazing! I had zero pain!"

BET

"I labored at home for about 12 hours or so, went to the hospital for an epidural, and felt zero pain. I pushed her out in about 30 min with ZERO pain and had an easy recovery! Makes me want to have lots more babies. GET THE DRUGS."

—emilyf4d1ab5356

Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Want to be on BuzzFeed? Follow the BuzzFeed Community on Facebook and Twitter.