We all know that childbirth is painful and laborious, but few women have been moved to document every tremor, ache and emotional quirk of the process.
Until now, that is, thanks to a thread entitled "What does childbirth feel like?" on the question-and-answer site Quora. The post has captured the imagination of women around the world, prompting many to document the pain, anguish, anxiety and joy that having a baby brings. Some posts have been viewed 100,000 times, others are so graphic they can barely be read aloud - but all are a starkly honest account of what childbirth really entails.
Unsurprisingly, agony is a common theme with one mother, Jane Graham from Derby, likening the sensation to wasabi. She says, "The pain of contractions burns like wasabi, but also like wasabi, it clears immediately."
Another anonymous commenter writes: "Your hips literally feel like they are being yanked off of you to each side. You've nearly forgotten about the fact that your tummy is as tight as a cannonball's surface, because the baby is so low that you're a human wishbone."
Mother-of-one, Mira Zaslove, says: "My whole body ached. I felt the most intense pain of my life. I was overcome with despair. I felt like I was dying.... Felt like I had just run two marathons, being chased by wild animals."