It's not true either. When I was in labor, my labor pains weren't that bad.

You know that monitor that measures contraction intensity? I was maxed out at 98 to 100 on a scale of 1 to 100 from the time I was 5 cm dialated and I was in labor for 54 hours.

I did not have pain meds until hr 45 (Stirol to knock the edge off) and no epidural until hr 51. At that point, I really needed a nap.

People have different tolerances to pain and fear makes pain worse.

The lady in the next room to me was screaming so loud you could hear her through the wall. She was throwing things or knocking things over.

All the nurses were chiding her and complaining about her attitude. Telling her she was disturbing other patients and what not. I overheard her husband making fun of her out in the hall. The doctor made some untoward comments.

So no. There's still definitely a societal push toward being pleasing to others at all times, even during labor. Is it as bad as in other countries? No. For the most part, I'd say no. It's loosening; I don't think we women care as much anymore. It's become clear over recent decades that the nuclear family model is a failure and society abandons and isolated you to raise your children alone and then blames you for all of society's woes. The end result of that is...why would any woman worth her salt give a flying rat's ass what society thinks about how she conducts herself or her business? Society can put up or shut up.

If I had been in unbearable pain I would have screamed, grunted, yelled, thrown things, whatever, happily and without reservation just like my fellow laborer did.

Know why? Because in the end it makes no difference. They sicced a shrink on me to make sure we were "okay" because I was unnaturally disposed. I was too calm and collected. Too good. It was a problem that I had no insecurity problems and wasn't anxious.

The hell? Society is never happy with women no matter what the woman does or does not do. You cannot win. You're never right; there's always something wrong with you or about you. ALWAYS some criticism.

And so it goes.