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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Transition - what did you say/think?

36 replies

tootiredtomakeupagoodname · 01/09/2011 13:32

My DS2 will be 1 this week and I can still remember his labour as clearly as if it was this morning.

Three hours before delivery I was adament that they stop the induction and let me go home. Both midwifes said this was transition but I am still sure to this day that I meant it, I really did want to stop with the ridiculously painful contractions and go back to my own bed. I often wonder how many woman are serious about something that is brushed off as transition. While I am aware it would be impossible to halt labour at this stage I wonder if they could have slowed things down a notch, turned down the drip or offered better pain relief. I was asking for an epidural and wasn't given one, however I think this was more down to 'D'H assuming I was just being dramatic

Labour with DS1 was identical in length, induction method, pain relief etc but as DS2 was back to back the pain was much worse therefore this may have impacted on transition.

Just wondered if anyone else felt that their fears/wishes were dismissed as just being normal for labour?

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nunnie · 01/09/2011 13:40

Not so much fears and wishes with my 2nd, but I do feel I was given a little bit too much there there it will be alright in a minute (in that patronising tone you only tolerate when in labour for some reason), I said from the start something was wrong, and the junior doctor kept examining me and saying he was coming down the birth canal and I was adament with every push he was not moving at all. After 3 and half hours of pushing I was begiing them to listen to me, and eventually a midwife sent for a Consultant who examined me and said my son was brow and not going to come out naturally. If only I had been more assertive but I wasn't.

I am pregnant again and I am sure if it all goes the same way again I will still be the same being assertive doesn't come naturally to me at the best of times, but certainly not going to happen when I have my legs a kimbo.

Cyclebump · 01/09/2011 17:03

I was, ahem, firm with the midwife and told her I wasn't wearing 'the f*ing monitor' for another minute and ripped it off. To be fair, the monitor stand was one side of the bed and the gas and air was the other so I think it was reasonable to be a bit cross.

EvaPeron · 01/09/2011 21:12

I asked to go home too. Was in hospital being induced but had booked a homebirth. I think I was trying to achieve what I'd planned. I also asked for a bucket. Which the midwife provided.

Zimbah · 03/09/2011 20:08

This is something I have wondered about transition too. The feeling of panic and being unable to cope - is it due to the chemical balance involved in transition, or it it because it's actually the point where labour is most painful so it's not surprising women feel that they can't cope? Towards the end I progressed quicker than I thought and had contractions that didn't follow the textbook so I had no idea I could be in transition, I thought I was probably around 6cm. I felt panicky and out of control, and desperate for pain relief (hence headed into hospital at that point and straight on to gas and air). If I'd known that it was transition I think I might have felt a bit less panicked.

SpeedyGonzalez · 03/09/2011 20:15

I don't think I had transition in either of my labours. Weird.

wompoopigeon · 03/09/2011 20:20

I said that I had fucking had enough of this and wanted to go home.
DH and MW stood back and watched me get off the bed and make for the door (naked of course), then get floored (literally) by a massive contraction. When I was lying on the floor they used that as an opportunity to drag me back to the bed and make me carry on. Bastards.

toomuchmonthatendofthemoney · 03/09/2011 20:35

"the baby's coming out, its coming out NOOOOWWWWW, i mean now now, its coming, its coming"

or words to that effect.

no midwife in the room at this point, DH ringing the bell like a demented Avon Lady and looking pigsick at possibly having to deliver his own child.

said child arrived after another 3 and half hours of pushing, so he was saved from being that day's newspaper human interest story ...

Georgimama · 03/09/2011 20:38

Not much. Too busy shaking and vomiting.

mrspear · 03/09/2011 20:43

I managed to turn myself over (i had to labour in pap test position because DS was early) and tried to crawl up the bed saying "had enough, can't do this, i am going home" or words to this effect. I was then flipped back over by the doctor and midwife and the doctor said words i will never forget "your first job as a mother is to deliver this baby now push!" i did too and DS was out 10 minutes later 3lb 6oz

Bert2e · 03/09/2011 21:05

With Ds1 transition was a feeling of total and utter panic.

With Ds1 I suddenly got very, very assertive! I did not want the light on, I was not doing a urine sample (I'd just arrived at the hospital and in the end Ds2 arrived 30 mins later), would they please stop asking so many silly questions and get their act together and give me some gas and air. All very calm and polite but very, very assertive!

mumblejumble · 03/09/2011 21:51

I think I told everyone they were stupid, and then told the midwife that I love her because she was helping me with the G & A

FannyLogan · 03/09/2011 21:54

Never noticed transition with either, either.

OnlyWantsOne · 03/09/2011 21:59

I told a doctor to fuck off and ripped the CT monitor off and stood up off bed and clung to DP. went from 4cm to delivery of DD2 in 4 minutes.

SpeedyGonzalez · 03/09/2011 23:58

Fanny (great name considering the subject matter ) I'm glad it's not just me! I do, however, tend to make jokes during labour. I am very sociable when in writhing in agony.

fraktious · 04/09/2011 08:36

Me: "I want an epidural, I want a CS, it hurts too much"

DH: No you don't, you're in transition Do I call the midwife now?

Me: What do you think that's going to do?

DH calls midwife, I writhe around begging for my epidural, she offers me gas and air

Me 5 minutes later: This is like being drunk, can we go and feed the ducks now?

peggyblackett · 04/09/2011 08:41

Transition for me is shaking, vomiting and crying. Awful. And I have to do it all over again in Jan .

LifeOfKate · 04/09/2011 12:31

I had an epidural for DS and wasn't aware of transition for DD (too quick I think, she was crowning before I had realised I was pushing), so still not entirely sure what it feels like.
I did, however, politely request demand that DH/midwife remove my back as it hurt too much when pushing with DS

EasyFriedRice · 04/09/2011 22:13

I was at home. The midwife had left me to it as I was a first timer and 1cm when she examined me so she had gone back to the hospital. 4 hours later I said to my friend, "it's getting a bit hard to handle now". 20 mins after that I was spontaneously pushing, so I'm guessing that was transition . The midwife did come back in time for the birth, fortunately, but my friend was totally panicked as she'd pushed both her babies out in 5 mins.

Lougle · 04/09/2011 22:34

DD1: (Having been induced, told I was 18 hours away from 'true labour', and refused an internal examination) "What if I can't do this? What if they examine me and I'm only 0.5cm dilated? What if I end up with a C-Section because I can't cope with this pain??????"

In swept a lovely newly qualfied midwife, who went to get the Supervisor of Midwives, to authorise an internal examination because the shift leader had instructed her not to do one for risk of infection.

10 cms Dilated !!!!!!!!!

DD2: 5pm: Had been pushing at 4cms dilated, with midwife thinking I was 10 cms, so they gave pethidine (ugllly stuff). Cue halucinations and in-out of consciousness through the evening.

12.55 am: Sudden breakthrough of clarity. Sat up in bed and exclaimed 'I need to push this baby out, I'm having the baby!!'

5 minutes later, DD2 was born.

DD3: Horribly lucid. Short labour, but midwife was concerned about DD3's HB, so removed the gas and air for the pushing phase. Whimpered 'It hurts '

BelQ · 04/09/2011 22:39

Said to dh something like 'right, that's it I've had enough. I'm going home. You can stay here and deal with the contractions'. Truly believed I could go home and the labour would continue without me.

His response was 'good luck with that'

I got about 2 feet before the next contraction.

DD born about half an hour later.

strawberrie · 04/09/2011 22:41

I snarled " I don't LIKE this bit (of labour)" in the manner of a 3 year old refusing her broccoli. I even remember at the time thinking omg, I am such a cliche!

lollystix · 04/09/2011 22:45

I remember shouting 'please someone shoot me-I'll take a bullet now - just please make it stop' and the fanny of a mw telling me that 'surely it wasn't that bad and I was being dramatic' I remember being so much more aware of transition the next time around cos it had really freaked me out.

ObviouslyOblivious · 04/09/2011 22:48

I puked.

Soothe · 04/09/2011 22:49

begged to die
more than one transition - same request every time!

ZhenXiang · 04/09/2011 23:22

I think by the time I hit transition I had got all of the crazy talk out of me earlier on when they had given me pethidine.

Apparently I was talking about chasing cats up trees I was so high on that stuff.

It did nothing for the contractions and had worn off anyway long before I got to 10cms.

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