The phrase "birth pangs" refers to the intense pain and struggle that occurs during the process of giving birth. It is used metaphorically to describe difficult situations or challenges that come before a positive outcome or significant change.
Sentences with «birth pangs»
Then head straight into the wind, because those anxieties are merely birth pangs of a larger success. (entrepreneur.com)
Could we think of them as birth pangs, agonies heralding a new life? (religion-online.org)
All night long, the long birth pangs continued. (firstthings.com)