Yes I got a squirt bottle. And no I didn't tear.

yeah I bet the after part is a recovery, did the doctors give you a squirt bottle? and did you tear with your first child? @alyen2

The contractions felt like painful tightening of the stomach, like a strong cramp that lasted for about a minute. Then between contractions I was fine. Those were okay to handle, just had to breathe. But back labor/back contractions are absolutely awful! So that's what made me decide to get an epidural. The epidural kicked in pretty quick. I really wish I had gotten it sooner so I could have enjoyed the whole experience a lot more instead of being exhausted from the contractions. Pushing didn't hurt at all but I could still feel pressure so I knew when to push. Recovery from giving birth was tough. It was the worst part by far. It hurt to pee! Everything was swollen and I was in a lot of pain. But I survived and everything is back to normal now. :)

@alyen2, what did the contractions feel like and how long did it take for the epidural to kick in. I hope I'm not in labor for too long. and when you were delivering did you feel any pain from the head coming and how was the after birth recovery?

Had a morning appointment when I was 39+4. Was 2 cm dilated. Got my membranes stripped. Contractions started 2 hours later when I was at work. Went home, relaxed and timed contractions for an hour, then grabbed bag, car seat, and my husband since contractions continued and were getting really close. Got to the hospital and went to triage. Was dilating but it stopped. Walked around until I was dilated to 5 cm. This walking was the worst pain of my life. Finally got admitted after 3.5 hours. Got some pain meds and then epidural around 6 cm since the back labor pain was so intense. Water broke when they were checking my dilation and I went from 7 cm to 9.5 cm instantly. I took a nap and two hours later I decided to push. Pushed for 14 minutes. After 12 hours at the hospital my son was finally in my arms!