· 21 comments · Save ·
Announcements Apr 3, 2026 at 8:15 AM

My mother recently had kidney stones, and she said it's more painful than giving birth. Is that true?

Posted by ex0ll

My mother recently suffered from kidney stones for the first time in her life. I've never seen her like that, she was shaking in pain and even crying. When I heard her talking about the experience to a friend, she said "I gave birth twice, and it was nothing compared to this". I was curious if anyone else could confirm that?
🚩 Report this post

21 Comments

Sign in to comment — or just click the box below.
🔒 Your email is never shown publicly.
DilansDildo Apr 3, 2026 +23
Why wouldn’t you believe her? I mean she gave birth and passed a kidney stone, she’d know. 
23
ElectricalPick9813 Apr 3, 2026 +8
Not a female, but let’s hope, OP, for your sake, that this is not a hereditary condition.
8
ex0ll Apr 3, 2026 +2
honestly we don't know what caused it, but no one in my family except for my mother suffered from these small kidney stones the doctor said some light medication treatment will solve without requiring any kind of operation. my mother doesn't eat terribly, though she doesn't move much. but she usually has a pretty balanced diet (ofc she'll indulge in unhealthy stuff like every human being in the planet). at this point I can only think she wasn't hydrating properly... which is what had me start drinking WAAAY more than I used to after she went through this !!!
2
Shpudem Apr 3, 2026 +1
I’ve have both experiences. My birth experience was pretty horrendous for reference. I was in labour for 3.5 days and ended up forced into a c-section at the end. It was the surgery experience that was the worst part for me for a range of reasons, but the pain I was in before getting the spinal had me panicking and screaming at everyone to help me (they had me trying to move gurneys by myself and tried 4-5 times to get both epidural and spinal in properly, which had the anaesthesiologist panicking behind me). Kidney stones is up there with the pain that had me screaming at people in the OR. Not the 3.5 days beforehand. Labour is more like a constant and eventually exhausting dull pain state, whereas kidney stones is like someone is dissecting you with a scalpel from the inside - it’s sharp and pretty constant and nothing touches it except for renal colic medication. To summarise: when you’re in the height of labour, when you’ve had over 3 days of no sleep and your cervix is starting to give way? And your spine has been on the receiving end of a horse needle 10 times? And you’re carrying a 10 pound baby and OR staff expect you to try and move gurneys by yourself while you’re also terrified of getting a C-section? That’s when it’s most like having a kidney stone.
1
ex0ll Apr 3, 2026 +1
that's horrible 😭😭😭 I hope I'll never have to feel something like this in my life
1
ChironXII Apr 3, 2026 +1
It is, though it's often a combination of both nature and nurture. Drink water and maintain healthy habits.
1
bocchibunn Apr 3, 2026 +6
I've had a kidney stone and it was excruciating pain, made worse by having no idea what it was at the time. The anxiety over it might make the pain worse. I have a decent pain tolerance - I've broken my arm, gotten tattoos in sensitive place, regularly suffer migraines. But the kidney stone was the only time I've ever vomited because the pain was so intense. And as I woman, I just have to note that period cramps are often compared to heart attack pain on the pain scale.
6
sometimesnowing Apr 3, 2026 +6
I have given birth twice and I hope I never have the opportunity to make the comparison!
6
chosenamewhendrunk Apr 3, 2026 +8
You don't get an epidural for kidney stones, so it may be an unfair comparison.
8
tmorse85 Apr 3, 2026 +2
I've had about 3 dozen surgeries, gone through countless uncomfortable tests, and I have multiple conditions that cause significant chronic pain every single day. The pain of all that doesn't compare to the night, over a decade ago, when I passed a kidney stone. I'm shocked I didn't wake up everyone in my apartment building because I was screaming in pain. I was curled up in the fetal position for what seemed like an eternity because any other position hurt worse. When the stupid thing finally passed, I'm not sure if I passed out or just fell asleep. Regardless, I didn't wake up till the late afternoon, and I was still exhausted from that hell.
2
Afraid-Jicama-403 Apr 3, 2026 +2
Honestly it depends a lot on the person, but kidney stones are often described as one of the most intense pains you can feel. A lot of women who’ve experienced both say stones can be worse because it’s sudden, sharp, and doesn’t come in predictable waves like labor. Childbirth is obviously intense too, but it’s different kind of pain and usually something you’re more mentally prepared for. So yeah, what your mom said is actually pretty common.
2
buginarugsnug Apr 3, 2026 +1
Birth is quicker than kidney stones. I’ve also heard that there is hormones released after birth that make you forget how bad the pain was
1
Individual_Dog_7394 Apr 3, 2026 +1
Been there, and it was awful, but honestly I had tooth pains way worse than that. I had tooth pains that really made me want to off myself right here right now. Also I had spine pains worse than that, but the difference was that in case of spine it was short horrible explosions of pain rather than constant nightmare a kidney stone is.
1
ChironXII Apr 3, 2026 +1
Giving birth does tend to come with a lot of drugs, so it may not be entirely a fair comparison. It also seems to depend on the person and their anatomy for both situations.
1
Just1n_Credible Apr 3, 2026 +1
It depends on the person. I have had kidney stones and had to have lithotripsy to break one up. It wasn't that painful for me. But I know people whose kidney stone pain was so bad they wanted to die.
1
Big-Establishment-28 Apr 3, 2026 +1
Some of us have an easier time giving birth than others do Some of us react differently to different kinds of pain. Also, the most recent pain is often more prominent in your mind
1
matthy_25 Apr 3, 2026 +1
I’m
1
MachineUpset5919 Apr 3, 2026 +1
My husband had one. He laid on the floor of the ER waiting room, cussing. Super painful.
1
CosmicCreator_97 Apr 3, 2026 +1
I've seen grown men who have survived wars and gunshots cry from passing a kidney stone. So I wouldn't be surprised.
1
Forward-Swimmer-8451 Apr 3, 2026 +1
Kidney stones is agony for 1-4 weeks  prolonged pain like that is hell  Labour is 16-20 hours average..... But is much much much worse pain  people literally need epidurals spinal blocks . And the body has oxytonin and  bonding and happy hormones flood after  and other hormones to make woman forget how bad it was  but a complicated labour is much worse if not shorter pain if active labour and pushing was 4 weeks it wouldn't even be contested
1
Leather_Bluejay8278 Apr 3, 2026 +1
I am a radiologic technologist and have xrayed many people with kidney stones, men and women, and they were all in extreme pain. Imagine, if you will, a rock with pointed and jagged edges moving slowly down your ureter (the tube from your kidney to your bladder). Trust me, you don’t ever want a kidney stone.
1
← Back to Board