I had a baby eight years ago when me and dp were in our early twenties. We were watching telly this evening and there was a scene where a woman gave birth and it prompted a conversation about my labour/birth experience, hence this thread as I'm now just looking for perspective...
I had a natural birth and a second degree tear, no pain relief but gas and air throughout labour, my choice and I coped well with just the gas for labour and birth.
After the birth a surgeon was called into the room to examine me, because I'd torn, and the midwife gave me the gas and air back before he started. The gas and air was not sufficient at all for whatever he was doing to me, it was excruciating. To the point I begged him to stop and he didn't straight away. In my mind I have a memory of saying "please please stop" with my legs in those stirrups, essentially trapped on the bed and panicking/begging. He then stopped and I was given anaesthetic for the actual stitches. And it was the same doctor who did then repair me which of course I am grateful for.
Dp told me earlier tonight that it's a really horrible memory for him too and the way I was begging went right through him as he was just holding and looking down at our little baby, so it's a very clear and vivid memory for him as well. It's really made me think and validated how traumatic it was. I've had 2 smear tests 3 years apart since I've given birth and thought about this moment during both of them, very annoyingly.
I would like to know if my experience of being examined after a tear and before anaesthetic is normal or unusual, I genuinely don't know. Never had another baby.