London - It’s no surprise that nearly two-thirds of women say that childbirth was the most painful experience of their lives.
But it didn’t stop nearly half saying they actually enjoyed the experience.
The apparent inconsistency was described as “just one of those contradictions of birth” by a spokesman for Mumsnet, the website.
In its study involving more than 1 500 mothers, 44 percent said they would do it differently the next time or not give birth again.
Almost half of women did not feel anyone had honestly prepared them for giving birth. The majority – 81 percent – said images and portrayals of women giving birth in TV and films are normally unrealistic.
Justine Roberts, Mumsnet founder, said:”‘It can be tricky to find the unvarnished truth about giving birth. We’re either presented with a soft-focus vision of loveliness with the mom-to-be barely breaking sweat, or we’re scared half to death with tales of surgery, emergency and ruthless pain.”
* One in two new mothers is still excessively sleepy four months after giving birth, say Australian scientists who studied sleep patterns. They urged caution over women returning to work too quickly. - Daily Mail