Abstract:

Public discussions often attribute declining fertility intentions and rising cesarean section rates to the claim that "mothers are becoming increasingly fearful of pain." Yet labor pain is not only an individual bodily experience but also a reflection of its historical and social context. Drawing on the birth memories of 24 women, this article examines intergenerational differences in labor pain across three periods characterized by home births, births in township health centers, and births in hospitals. It explores how women in each period connected the embodied experience of labor pain to a broader sociocultural landscape and how these connections reveal divergent social implications. The study finds that labor pain exhibits clear intergenerational differences. Specifically, prior to the 1970s, the home was the sole setting for childbirth, and family relationships-particularly those between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law-served as the primary narrative framework. Physical pain of labor was subsumed into endless sufferings from material scarcity, strenuous work, and inadequate care. In 1975, marked by the establishment of obstetric wards in township health centers, childbirth gradually shifted from home to these facilities. The initial introduction to modern medicine improved the safety of childbirth but also led to iatrogenic pain. In the absence of effective pain management techniques, the trust and interpersonal bonds within a rural community of acquaintances-nurtured in a semi-open environment-function as an implicit pain-relief mechanism. As the medicalization of childbirth has progressed, medical settings and doctor-patient relationships have become significant forces shaping the experience of labor pain, and the awakening of bodily consciousness has further rendered pain a central theme of childbirth memories. In terms of pain management, pain relief technologies such as epidural analgesia have failed to deliver anticipated efficacy. The root cause lies in the emotional alienation wrought by clinical environments and technical rationality, which amplified women's perceptions of agony and simultaneously creates room for non-technical interventions including social support. Accordingly, from childbirth spaces to medical technologies and maternal subjectivity, the intergenerational shifts in childbirth memories have been manifested in multiple dimensions but cannot be simplified as "mothers becoming more sensitive to pain"; rather, "every generation has its own specific labor pain." The research reveals that pain is never merely physiological sensations, but a bodily experience deeply rooted in social structures, intertwined with socio-cultural change, the medicalization of childbirth, and women's burgeoning self-awareness. Consequently, true pain relief depends not only on the innovation and popularization of analgesic technologies but also on an institutional design that restores the synergy between the family, the community, and the medical system. Addressing the psychological and social needs of mothers must be integrated into the construction of a childbirth-friendly society.

Key words: labor pain, birth memories, generational shift, social implications