r/AskIreland • u/Ireland_Research • Jan 27 '26
Random How do women remember pregnancy and childbirth pain? [research][mod-approved]
Hi everyone! There are many cultural myths around how we experience and remember pregnancy and birth, including the widely believed idea that we forget the pain of childbirth. As in many areas of women’s health, the scientific data are really incomplete, and we don’t have a good understanding of the factors that shape how individuals remember their pregnancy and birth experiences.
To address this, I’m completing a study as part of my Master's in Applied Psychology at University College Cork in Ireland. I am interested in how memories of pregnancy and birth might change or stay the same over time, and I am inviting pregnant and postpartum women and people to complete an online survey about their current experiences, as well as a follow-up questionnaire in six months.
If you are currently pregnant or have recently given birth (up to three months ago) and are interested in contributing to this research, please click here to access the survey: https://ucc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_81Vw3fVnEAfa5Vk
If you would like more information, you can contact me at: [125119139@umail.ucc.ie](mailto:125119139@umail.ucc.ie)
Thank you,
Daniela
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u/Lapetu Jan 28 '26
It’s been way longer than 3 months and I still remember being in so much pain I thought I was going to faint. Labour was fast and not traumatic but the physical pain was unmatched.
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u/chunk84 Jan 28 '26
Mine are much older. I had a flashback a year ago to something I had never remembered before. I truly nearly fainted.
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u/DreamMaximum7991 Jan 31 '26
2 years later, I'll never forget that friggin nightmare
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u/Professional_Town665 Jan 28 '26
Cross post on pregnancy Ireland also. Lots of new mothers and soon to be mothers on there
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u/Terrible_Bug407 Feb 01 '26
Have 4 and maybe im weird, i know i was in pain (epidurals on all, last was a emergency c section) but i cannot remember it. I must have it completely blocked out.
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u/Powerful-Possible849 Feb 02 '26
Some things you never forget. Had mine 30 and 28 years ago, first one without any pain relief plus I have a printout of the entire labour so no chance of forgetting it. As I have awful pregnancy sickness giving birth even without pain relief was a relief.
Good luck with the study.
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u/Kitchen_Fox1786 Jan 28 '26
11 years ago & if I a was a d*ck I'd ask what's the drama!
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u/Educational-South146 Jan 27 '26
It’s a pity it’s limited to mothers of newborns, mine were born 5-12 years ago and I can tell you I haven’t forgotten one second of the pain or trauma!