What are the unique insights Hilary Erickson provides on pain perception during labor?

Hi, I’m Hilary Erickson from The Pregnancy Nurse.

A few angles I talk about a lot when it comes to pain perception in labor:

• Pain is deeply individual, and “pain tolerance” from other situations (running, broken bones, etc.) does not predict how you’ll feel in labor. People also show pain very differently, and there’s no “right” way.
• Your past and future worries (trauma, previous hospital experiences, fears about baby/parenting) can dial pain way up. Sharing these with your team really matters.
• Our bodies are wired differently. I’ve cared for patients who barely felt 10 cm contractions but were devastated by afterbirth pains—likely due to how their neurons fire in different areas.
• Baby’s position, induction, speed of labor, and your pelvic floor can all drastically change how that pain feels, even between your own births.

What part of labor pain are you most curious (or worried) about—how it feels, or how to manage it?