Long Labor or More Painful Labor? Which What Most Women Would Choose

By Anisa Arsenault for TheBump.com

You don't really get to decide if labor is a marathon or a sprint. But what if you could?

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Researchers asked 40 pregnant women if they would prefer a longer labor with relatively less pain or a shorter labor with terrible pain. The general consensus: less pain, longer labor.

The survey was distributed to women who came to the hospital to be induced, and were not yet experiencing painful contractions. They answered seven questions that pitted pain (on a scale of zero to 10) against hours of labor (e.g., "Would you rather have pain intensity at 2 out of 10 for 9 hours or 6 out of 10 for 3 hours?"). And their preferences typically held true; surveys were readministered 24 hours after labor and "less pain" was still the consensus.

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There may be a correlation with longer labor and less pain to begin with. An epidural "may prolong labor but reduces pain intensity, and it seems that would be preferable to most," said lead author Brendan Carvalho.

The study, published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, could give moms-to-be reassurance when deciding to use medication to manage their pain.

Which type of labor would you prefer?

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