The pain of childbirth is sort of a necessity. In the womb, the fetus lungs are working, but they are "inhaling" and "exhaling" amniotic fluid. When a normal vaginal delivery occurs, the soft nascent rib cage of the baby is compressed as it moves through the vaginal canal, thus compressing the lungs to some extent (Squeezing some of this fluid out!). When the baby makes it out of the vagina, the rib cage will expand and draw air into the lungs, assisting in the first breath. There is still lots of fluid left in the lung, which will eventually be coughed up or reabsorbed into the interstitial tissues of the lungs. If the baby was just allowed to "slide" out, this would not occur, so the muscles and bony structures of the mother make this a tough process, and the pressure results in some intense pain. So the pain is worthwhile after all!
This is further supported by the fact that a babies born from ceasarian section haver a higher incidence of "transient tachypnea of the newborn" (tachypnea means fast, labored breathing") which means the the newborn has a tougher time breathing for the first while.
Just my two cents...
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