I've seen it asked a few times: which is harder, running a marathon or childbirth? Well, I've now run a marathon and I've definitely tried my hand at childbirth (5 times, no pain relief). So...which is harder? There are some things that are similar: ~ it hurts ~ it goes on for ages ~ it really, really hurts ~ the pain is bad And then the differences: ~ baby vs medal ~ where the pain is ~ choice/opting out 5 Rewards of LabourIn terms of the pain, when I ran the marathon I was in fiery, burning agony from my hips downwards for about 3 hours. Luckily for me, I had fairly speedy labours every time (a couple of them a bit too speedy, but that's another story). So 3 hours of agony is pretty comparable. For me. For many women, labour lasts multiples of this time. Also, in labour (despite what people may think) the pain can be fairly constant, it just has waves of being far worse with periods of less bad pain. There were times in both when I felt like giving up. The main difference here is, obviously, that you can quit a marathon, having a baby happens however much you want to abandon the effort! It did take a massive amount of mental strength to keep going when I was in that much pain. That said, although you can't "give up" in childbirth, you can make it easier on yourself with a positive mental attitude. Then, of course, there's the "finish line" - when you cross one, you get a new human being. The other, well - maybe you become a new human being, but realistically it's a medal and a protein bar plus another bottle of water. The verdict? Well given the fact that I would never willingly do either again, but I've got 5 kids, that would point to childbirth being easier, but I don't think it is. Boringly, I'd put them pretty much level. What do you think? "After" Photos (one very candid!)
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