And lemme tell ya something about transition labor - that's when you go from 2-3 centimeters dilated to 6-8 - the labor pains are at their most, by far, intense. Mine at that stage were so much so, in fact, that I was dry-heaving. The nurse had to bring a bucket. Sorry to be gross, but it's unimaginable. Someone once asked Carol Burnett what labor pains felt like. She said "Take your bottom lip and pull it over your head." Yep. That's about it. (Me, I felt like I was being hari-karied in my back. With swords.)