Labour - Rachel's story

By Laura Yates on Jul 16, 09 10:19 PM

Rachel talks about sleeping through a natural delivery like it's a bad thing?

My first labour was very confusing. Being my first child I didn't know what to expect. I got to the hospital and taken to a room. The midwife exaimined me told me I was fully dilated and too far gone for any kind of pain relief. She told me to start pushing with my next contraction.

I'd heard people say they'd felt an urge to push, and they just knew what to do. I felt no urge - something about it wasn't right.

I thought to myself, if I need to push now it's going to be over really quick!

After spending an hour pushing and struggling to understand why nothing was happening, another midwife examined me and said I was only 2-3cm dilated!

I was shattered! I'd been pushing really hard for no reason, and was in a lot of pain.

They offered my pethadine and I glady said yes, but it made me really dozey. I spent the rest of my labour asleep! I didn't know what was happening and vaguely remember people telling me to push.

When he was finally born I was very annoyed that I hadn't really experienced it.

It didn't put me off having any more though! I went on to have another two babies...

With my second labour I didn't have pethadine, I opted to try a new drug called meptib, but it hurt like hell! It only numbed my tummy and nothing else!

My third labour was the best. It was exactly the experience that I wanted it to be. I had pethadine again, but because the circumstances were so different I wasn`t as tired and it didn`t knock me out. I was fully aware of what was going on but it took the edge of the pain.