Did you turn into a different person during labour?

[HardCheese]

People (actually, my two SILs!) keep telling me that I am going to turn into someone else during labour. If I say I don't want to be naked, they scoff and say, Nonsense, you won't care, and you won't care that you've lost all dignity. If I say I'm pretty sure I want to be left alone to pace around and get on with things (because I know how I generally respond to pain or stress), they say Nonsense, you haven't the faintest idea what it will be like. etc etc.

What I want to ask those of you who have had babies whether you did in fact respond to labour completely differently to the way you expected to? I don't mean was it more or less painful than you expected, but did you surprise yourself by your responses - like if you're normally prudish about flashing flesh, did you stalk naked around the delivery room, or if you are normally a buttoned-up, quiet sort of person, did you scream foul-mouthed abuse at anyone in the vicinity? Did you relate differently to midwives, or your birth partner, than you would have expected in advance, or find certain things much easier or harder than you anticipated?

All thoughts welcome!

Me too Jasper! I was shocked!

CheerfulYank (hello!), DH had a go on the G&A and said it was not unlike smoking pot. My understanding is that in the US you tend to get nothing or an epidural with no in between?

I kept my nightie firmly on despite the hospital being roasting hot. Not too bothered about people seeing my downstairs but had to keep nightie on! Didn't want to talk much while focusing on pushing DD out. MW commented on how calm I was and I remember almost taking myself off somewhere to deal with it all. Couldn't bear DH touching me. He had been told in antenatal classes to mop my brow with a damp flannel and I nearly lamped him one when he tried.

I kept very quiet during contractions but was normal ol' me at other times. Didn't have any urge to be naked even if I'm fine with it anyway. Didn't swear or shout, and remember saying "oh goodness gracious" during one push and thinking that I sounded like an eejit. If ever there was a time to curse, that was it. But the mws were quite old so felt like I would be cursing infront of my mother.

I didn't even really notice what I was wearing or not wearing, to be honest. It just slipped so far down the list of priorities that I was being driven by practicalities and didn't give a second thought to what I was flashing or not flashing. DS was EMCS so hospital gown; DD1 I was wearing a pyjama vest top (I arrived at the hospital in transition and my waters immediately went and soaked through my pants and trousers, so they came off) and DD2 I was wearing a maternity top (and had still been wearing my knickers when I started pushing). You're not going to be changing clothes during a contraction, and between contractions it isn't top of your priority list.

I get quite sweary and bolshie when I'm in transition. I'm not sure whether that was a change of personality or just the repressed Inner Me coming out. And I do go more into myself and not want to be touched or bothered by other people more than I would have expected before I went into the whole thing.

I dont think being in labour drastically changed my personality, you deal with it the way you would anything else..... although I seriously wanted to kill one midwife who kept wanting me to get into some strange birthing position when all I wanted to do was lie on the bed. The good ones let you decide what's best

I normally quite prudish but because I was in protracted labour for over 30hrs each shift change, some new midwife or doctor would shove cold hands up my fanjango to see how far along I was and I never batted an eyelid

Other Yank I think there are also some drugs that can be administered in an IV. But other than that, yeah. Epidural or nothin'!

I responded completely differently to labour than I thought I would,..

I really wanted to stay at home for as long as poss and lasted about 5 hours, I wanted to try and do it with just gas and air, but hated the gas and air and within 12 hours was demanding an epidural and in the mean time diamorphine...

BUT there were factors that made my labour much more stressful and complicated than a straight forward labour, such as high blood pressure, protein in wee, low baby heart rate and ended up with crash section after 24 hours of madness. It was nothing like I expected, BUT that doesn't mean yours won't be what you want or expect, every labour is different but all I would say is be prepared for it to go nothing like you plan/expect!

With regards to being a different person, I would say I was an exaggerated version of myself in a cranky mood!! I responded to pain differently to what I thought, I thought I would handle it better as had been doing natal hypnotherapy, which I think helped me to stay calm during examinations and stuff but during the worst pain!!! So no, not a different person, just a very surreal and difficult to predict situation! X