8 Ways Back Labor Proves The Childbirth Gods Actually Hate You

OK, this is not exactly news, but labor really hurts. Add in the additional searing, throbbing sensation of your baby head butting your spine, and you're in for a bit of a rough ride. Sorry.

Back labor pain means you often can't get comfortable, every position seems to send new waves of agony through your body, and the "traditional" resting position for laboring women of laying down on their side or back can actually be excruciating for a mom experiencing the symptoms of back labor.

Not being able to rest will not only make you cranky, but it can make the hard work of labor and delivery much more difficult. After all, you need every ounce of strength you can get.

The cause of back labor is usually the baby's head being in the wrong position or at the wrong angle, my son was facing the wrong way and looking up when I was trying to bring him into the world. When babies are not presenting in the "proper position," births can take longer than normal. For example, from start to finish my son took over 48 hours to say, "Hello."

The one thing that could probably help you during back labor is to get some strong meds, but who wants someone sticking a great big needle into the very part of your body that's in pain?

The other problem? It's extremely difficult to stay still so the epidural can be administered because, you know, your entire back is out to get you.

I am sure my wiggling around in pain contributed to my anesthesiologist accidentally hitting my bone (and then my nerve with the needle) when trying to give me my epidural. His "misfire" was more painful than any part of the actual birthing process, and the reason why I wrote, "Ouch," on my son's birth certificate.

Many women who experience back labor say the worst part was the constant pain, that didn't subside between contractions.

The only silver lining during childbirth (apart from the actual birth of your child, of course) is that your painful contractions have built in breaks, giving you a chance to catch your breath and remember what it feels like not to be in pain. When you experience relentless back labor, you don't have that chance. Instead, you get to experience constant, throbbing pain for all eternity (or, you know, until your kid is born.) I told you it sucked.

Perhaps you have been dreaming of a unmedicated birth, or you planned on just using comfort supports. Maybe you thought you would just use narcotics near the end of the labor.

All of those plans may very well go out of the window if you experience back labor. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.

When the baby is presenting in an atypical fashion and taking longer to make his or her entrance, it can sometimes lead to a string of interventions. In order to make sure mom and baby are safe, you could be in for an episiotomy, more medications, forceps, a vacuum assisted delivery, and/or an emergency c-section. I don't know about you, but that's not really my idea of a good time.

There seems to be a prevailing attitude that what happens in the delivery room doesn't matter as long as a healthy baby is born, but what happens to your body does matter, too. In other words, you have every right to feel sad or disappointed if your birth plan goes out the damn window.

Most people give laboring women a free pass to be a jerk. After all, they are experiencing a slew of emotions and likely encountering the worst physical pain they have ever imagined, so most people cut them some slack. Add back labor into the mix, and we're talking about a woman turning into a damn demon, or monster, or some other horrible creature. So, you know, just be prepared.

When you are in pain, time can pass so slowly and it's difficult to focus on anything other than the sensations you are experiencing. It might (read: is) a fool's errand, but try to remember that this pain is fleeting, it will abate eventually, and if you get through something as sinister as back labor, you'll have officially earned your title of "Warrior Mama."