can anyone else not remember their labour??

[joanna0211marie]

I asked my dp to tell me the story of the birth of our dd as I like reliving it abit! But he added something extra last night about the mw pressing the emergency button and 3 other mws comin into the room, he said they were about to cut me as I'd been pushing for a good 40 mins, but the first mw stopped them just as I squeezed out her head, he said 2 of them were holding my legs back, I cannot remember any of this and the only pain relief I had was gas and airand swearing in total my whole labour only lasted 4 hrs from the first contraction to having her in my arms, you'd think I'd remember most of it but it's like hearing a story about someone else as I only remember certain bits! Anyone else?

I wrote it all down a couple of weeks later as I thought I'd probably forget. Haven't read it for a while though, I bet it would contain surprises. I thinkit'sunusual to be able to remember any 4 hour period in detail tbh.

I guess so, and im definitely going to write it down now you've provided the idea, gas and air is probably the equivalent of 2 bottles of good wine and I don't suppose I'd remember much after those

I tried very hard to forget it, I had flashbacks for ages after having DS.

There's lots I don't remember. 29 hours of Hell. Glad to have forgotten it, what I can remember is distinctly unpleasant.

I have a massive blank of the last Five hours. Very difficult labour in lots of pain and both Ds and I weren't doing well. I remember being in theatre and the delivery but then have another blank for a few hours before I really remember saying hello properly to Ds.

I got my notes a few months later and I'm glad I don't rber it all as the notes make for hard reading.

I had a very traumatic time with dd (my first) and had significant blanks. I was bluelighted to hospital and was wearing a t-shirt and a dressing gown. In theatre I was wearing a hospital gown and obviously still in the gown once on the ward. I can't remember how I was changed. Who changed me? Did I change myself? I don't remember how I got to the theatre, don't remember having a spinal, can't remember the moment dd was born. Lots of it is a total blank. I thought it was the trauma (I ended up with ptsd and pnd).

BUT then I had ds, again an emcs but was a positive and much, much calmer experience. I still have massive blanks. My midwife said it's normal. Combination of hormones, drugs, bp issues and a weird quality of time passing contrary to what we're used to.

I've got a massive blank after the birth. I couldn't remember the actual crowning for a long time, but do now. But the two days following? No idea. I've seen pictures taken in the 48 hours after birth, and have no memory of them being taken at all.

I think its natures way that you forget details, if we all remembered every detail I don't think we'd ever have more than the first one.

I certainly wouldn't, 28 hours of hell

There is a gap between 5.30am and 10.30am which I just can't recall from my labour. I remember everything before and after that, but that period is a blank to me. It was during that time that I was given pethidine so that must be the reason for my memory loss! Strange really.

I have blanks from when DS was born and quite a lot is just hazy. I had a fever from an infection somewhere though so that might have been part of the explanation. I was asleep for his first hour and felt too distant and weak to do anything but lie there even though I can vaguely remember him crying and DH holding him and comforting him. It was better with DD but I can't remember all of it perfectly. That feels a more normal kind of memory loss though IYKWIM

All I can remember is grim so I'm thankful that after nearly 3 years I can barely remember it

Bumpybumps, I had pethidine too, about twenty minutes before crowning. I blame it for my memory loss.

My birth was 35 minutes. I thought I was on my knees clinging to the midwife's shoulders for dear life with my eyes squeezed shut.

When I described this to DH, he said, hang on, you were lying on your back the whole time.

I hallucinated the whole thing - prem baby so no time for any drugs. Clearly, my mind was playing its own tricks.

Very hazy for me too. I know I shut my eyes and it was nighttime and when I opened them again it was daylight. I also had to ask Dh who the lady was that came to see us after ds was born and we were on postnatal ward and he said it was the midwife I'd had for most of the labour!

I don't really remember either of my labours either although was high in gas and air for the first be. In the opening credits of The Midwives there is a midwife saying that women will remember their midwife for the rest of their lives - I have absolutely no recollection of the midwives that were with me for any part of my labour or delivery!

I have heard that woman often don't remember their labour as otherwise they would not want any more children! It is our defence mechanism apparently. I've also been told it comes back to you as soon as you go into labour again!

I have very quick (and painful!) labours. All 3 I remember as flashbacks - like a very old memory. I think it's the pain and the trauma!

My labour was 23 hrs, I can't recall the final 5 or 6 other than snippets and in flashbacks. Thank feck for that as the whole thing was hideous, going from birthing pool (albeit off head on g+a), to begging for pethidine and being fobbed off to failed instrument delivery and crash cs under a general. I could barely have written a worse scenario without one of us being injured. Poor DH recalls the whole thing in glorious technicolour and has yet to recover!

There are lots of details I don't remember that DH has mentioned and I don't know what he is talking about. I'm a bit sad that I don't remember much of DD in the minutes after birth, can't remember what her first cry sounded like or who dressed her in her first outfit (not me would have been DH or midwives) but I was quite out of it between the morphine and bloodloss.

I have a few disjointed memories, but thankfully most of it is a blank. If I think about it I get quite upset as it was a difficult and traumatic birth.

I have been pushing to get a debrief so I can find out what really did go on, it will be interesting to see if what's written matches the few parts I can recall.

Nope. I lost 6 pints of blood, my heart stopped, I had emergency surgery and spent some time in ICU. I remember very little, but what I do remember was horrible.

Nope, remember all 4 of mine, more so my 3rd dc who's birth ended in a ventouse and a kick in the head to the doctor that refused to allow me either a epidural or a c-section

I can't see how people 'forget' as such but i suppose memory is one of those things that can become hazy for some.

My labour was 15 years ago and I definitely don't remember much about it now! Even just a few months afterwards, when other women would talk about dilation measurements etc I would have no idea what mine were. I don't think my labour was very traumatic and I was fully conscious the whole time, with very little pain as I elected to have an epidural. Just have a very poor memory for events in general I think...definitely can't join in with those threads about meeting your dc for the first time or birth trauma stories.