21 Real-Life Moms on What Contractions Actually Feel Like

By Alessia Santoro

Updated on 3/19/2017 at 2:00 PM

HBO
HBO

If you've ever wondered what it feels like to have a contraction during labor — or maybe you're just curious about how other mamas felt — say no more; we were nosy for you. We asked real moms to answer the question, "If a friend asked you to describe your contractions, what would you say?" and the answers we got are not only enlightening, humbling, and eye-opening, they're also straight-up natural birth-control methods.

Here are the 21 best responses we got — if you're still considering going through more childbirth after reading this, we salute you and support you in all of your endeavors.

  1. "Satan coming up from the depths of Hell and shooting flaming arrows at your hoohah." — Stacey
  2. "Like someone is carving out your insides with a dull spoon!" — Racheal
  3. "Starts off as bad cramps and quickly escalates to feeling like you are being electrocuted :)" — Casaundra
  4. "Why do you think those ladies on 'I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant' are always sitting on the potty?" — Tami
Universal Studios
  1. "Like a stampede of horses running over your ovaries and you can hear them coming." — Amy
  2. "One hundred bones breaking all at [once] that plus really bad cramps." — Karla
  3. "It was so incredibly intense and painful but something I would do again in a blink." — Magdalena
  4. "Like a beach ball sized puffer fish was expanding in my gut every 2-4 minutes." — Lara
  5. "I literally grabbed a nurse and begged her to just confirm that I was dying since I was convinced I was dying." — Nikki
NBC
  1. "You will wish for death in the first 2 minutes." — Amanda
  2. "I'd tell [my friend] to never mind and just use birth control." — Sheryl
  3. "A reminder that I was getting closer and closer to meeting my baby boy." — Wendy
  4. "Your stomach and pelvis imploding and exploding at the same time!" — Larissa
  5. "The worst pain you'll ever love!" — Kelly
  6. "Like my groin being hooked up to an electric fence as the voltage was gradually turned up . . ." — Laura
ABC
  1. "Intermittent glimpses into the gates of hell, there really is no other comparison, you will wish for death." — Kristi
  2. "Like fire hot pokers jabbing through my lower back." — Ginny
  3. "Felt like a little man with a huge sledge hammer was inside me beating the crap out of my lower back — I thought i wouldn't survive it!" — Kabsha
  4. "It's like someone is using a chest spreader on your VAGINA!! Without anesthesia." — Sandra
Universal Studios
  1. "Having to take the worst poo of your life, only it's stuck." — Rosie

And then, possibly our favorite — though it's not even from a woman:

  1. "Well, first I got too close to the table where she was. Then she grabbed hold and proceeded to inform me that, 'If I was to ever attempt to touch her naked body again . . . '" — Bob