The moment in active labour you remember best.

[Ostryga]

Mine was being told I couldn’t have an epidural at 4cm because I “wasn’t in enough pain” after 10 hours of non stop pacing due to awfully positioned Dd and all I wanted to do was fucking sit down for 5 mins.

I projectile vomited onto the midwife’s shoes and she paged the anaesthetist.

Laughing hysterically when they broke my waters - every time I giggled, more came out and I would laugh more - vicious circle.
Lots of lovely aromatherapy oils prepared for caring DH to massage my back with ... first hint of labour and I turned into Linda Blair from The Exorcist and hissed 'don't touch me!!' Poor DH.

DS1 when the registrar said very calmly ‘we’ll top up your epidural and go to a CS’ and the midwife said ‘she hasn’t had an epidural’ and the registrar said ‘shit, page the anaesthetist’. I did not have a CS but they we’re trying to get a line in for a GA when they hauled DS1 out.

On the plus side it meant I could have a shower almost immediately and go home the same day!

First child 39 years ago, mid labour the clocks went back at 2 am and the midwife was grumpy because she had to work an extra hour.

First labour being so high i asked for a radio incase i pooed. Not sure what it would have done but masked the sound. Getting annoyed and biting down hard on rolled up towel shot him out!

Second, walking in 3am after ringing with some slight pain. Expecting to be told Braxton hicks but i was 10cm and 3 pushes (after waters were broken) the other one shot out

First labour - being told for 4 hours that I wasn’t in labour. Thinking labour must be appalling if this was just the build up. Then everyone running round in circles sorting out nappies and gas and air and it was all done within 45 minutes.

^ yes. Labour was so brief but immediately so painful and contractions so close together but apparently first babies take ages

Having the baby passed under my legs and up to me and the relief I had survived labour and so had baby.

Thinking I gave birth to a baby squid when I pushed the placenta out.

The second they hit the red button when his heart beat stopped.

When DD's heartbeat slowed and then stopped for an agonisingly long few seconds as I was being prepped for an emergency section. I'll never forget the look the two midwives exchanged (and then the feeling of relief when it started up again). I think of that moment quite a lot.

DC1 - finally managing to get to the loo after basically crawling down the corridor with the oxytocin drip, then getting the urge to push whilst sat on the toilet and screaming at my husband in a complete panic that the baby was going to come out and go down the toilet. Then getting back to the room, telling the midwife and getting told off for pushing because I wasn’t fully dilated. I wasn’t pushing, my body was taking over! Lots of arguments about that until I got my epidural then the midwife and I were best friends!
D 2 - being told to stop pushing because I wasn’t fully dilated (again) but getting in a panic because I couldn’t physically stop it (again!) and doing the classic “I can’t do this!” spiel to my husband whilst desperately trying to relax and concentrate on fighting all my body’s natural urges.

@Starjammer

When DD's heartbeat slowed and then stopped for an agonisingly long few seconds as I was being prepped for an emergency section. I'll never forget the look the two midwives exchanged (and then the feeling of relief when it started up again). I think of that moment quite a lot.

I had the exact same experience, it was terrifying. They knocked me out and hit him out immediately after that, which was probably for the best.

Watching XH fall asleep in a birthing chair with his book on his chest while I struggled and writhed with contractions.

Genuinely wondering how I was going to get through the excruciating pain.

Telling DH that I’d had enough now and that I’d like to go home and try again the next day. I’d been in labour for 14 hours, since 2am, and was connected to a drip as I was on limited time as waters had broken 2 days earlier.

anaesthetist telling my midwife that I didn’t seem to be in enough pain to need an epidural. The midwife cornering him against a wall and inviting him to rethink his opinion- based on 2 minutes in the room. She’d been with me for 12 hours and knew I needed to rest before the really hard work started. (Hour 17 by that point)

My room adjoined onto another woman’s room and we were at the same stage of Labour. Her DD was born about 20 mins before my son. Anyway, at one point she was screaming her head off and I started laughing as it just seemed so ridiculous before joining in myself with the screaming 😂

DS - saying "ow" in this horrendous flat monotone over and over again for every contraction during the 17 hours of labour. Then screaming "you did this to me!!!" At DH during the pushing stage while the midwives and DH pissed themselves laughing.

DD - getting absolutely bombed on the G&A and chatting absolute crap about woodland creatures (?) apparently I was going on about squirrels at one point. Getting fed up during the pushing stage and ring of fire and just shoving her out.

When the midwife asked if she could examine me to see how dilated I was and I said in a sexy voice “you can do whatever you like to me”. I genuinely don’t know why I said that - still makes me cringe 22 years later . Poor woman looked a bit taken aback - DH thought it was hilarious.

When I was pushing and they asked if I wanted her put straight onto my chest after delivery and I panicked because I was wearing a brand new white bra I had literally bought that day, and I made the student midwife take it off.

With DD2 I arrived at the hospital already pushing and the midwife kept trying to listen to babys heartbeat with a stethoscope, until I basically kicked her off and said "can you just not!?". Baby was born about 2 minutes later so whether her heartbeat was normal was pretty much academic.

The on call consultant walking, slowly, silently backwards out of the room after I told him in what I thought was a firm calm voice that no, I wasn't having a fucking epidural or c-section... (I'd been in a labour for 38 hrs at this point). I remember wondering at the time why he stood in the door way the next time he came to check on me... In retrospect, the calm voice might have been a bit more ''a la exorcist'' than it sounded in my head...

Being told I was 4cm and it was time to go to the delivery room and just responding-“fuck a duck”
Screaming don’t look at baby’s dad.
Having mega dry mouth and needing water after 1.5hours of pushing. Got said water- chocked on it and ooops pops out baby 😂

The burning ring of fire. Every time. I don’t understand how people say they forget it, I remember it so vividly, that pain is excruciating and I will never ever be able to block the memory of that pain from my brain

Mid labour having a perfect foot shape appear on my tummy as my son pushed against me from inside.
Talking utter rubbish as the pethadine took effect. No idea what I said but knew it was ridiculous. DH was caught up in the moment so couldn't remember either.

Being absolutely wazzed on gas and air and offering it to DH (who declined) every time midwife went out of room

I had a fairly long, slow labour. During one examination I was found to be 8cm. After a few more hours of long, painful contractions, I was examined again.

I was still at 8cm.

I sobbed a bit, then a doctor came and recommended a c-section. I was so tired I struggled to follow what she was saying, and I saw her as having three eyes and two noses.

One last push and seeing my baby boy coming out all of a slither. We had names ready (think Andrew or Sarah), and I said, "Oh we've got an Andrew!". I'll never forget that, it was lovely.

@PostMenPatWithACat

Not in order, but my DH went home at one point because I was in a morphine cloud and sleeping. He missed his first two children being born so I remember panicking and trying to get hold of him. Little did I know, we had a long night ahead.
The surgeon pulling his hand out of me and, with gas and air joy, I said "Dude, where's your hand been?" made the whole room laugh.
Apparently, after an emergency c section, I kept saying "is he OK?" constantly, so they patiently kept showing me my son. In my head I kept thinking "Why do they keep doing this?" zero recollection of saying anything!
And finally, I had a moment alone, briefly, and I was on my knees, contracting, sucking on gas and air and I had a little chat with myself that I can do this and I will do it. Felt very odd knowing I was in so much pain and for once was not wallowing in self pity (I am a total child when I'm ill)