I am going to add my first birth story here.....it was 14ys ago tho, so I my waffle and not be conctrete on timings, but it is still very very clear in my mind as I still remember it with a glow!!!
labour for me started on easter monday.....at 3pm. I know this as I had predicted it during my pregnancy. may sound odd, but I had not had an easy time and this was pre-mobiles.......I used to get DH to ring from work (a building site so he had to go find a phone box for this........how ^pre-historic). anyhoo.....I told him monday and tuesday was the only days to worry over.........made me feel better at least.
I digress (I do that a lot)
by 9pm, contractions were every 5mins, and as I had had a rough time, and spent time in hospital, we rang and were asked to go in prepared to stay.......
I was 1cm dilated on arriving, and altho most women would go home to get going more at this point, I didn;t and was sent up to the ante-natal ward.......it did mean that DH could go home and sleep ready for me needing him, and I felt more comforting being close to midwives I had to know and trust already.
I contracted thro the night.......I had lots of baths, played cards with the midwives, I was in too much pain to sleep but not enough to need anything, so really, me being apart from DH was a good thing as I could get on with it on my own for a while.....which looking back was lovely as I spent it talking to my baby.
8am I was examined again, fully efaced (sp?) but still only 1cm dilated so they gave me a sweep.
DH arrives about half hour later......and by then I am needing him as my labour is in my back........oooh, that hurt, but he massaged me (hard....so hard I actually had thumb prints on my back the following day and he had very sore thumbs!!), and the massage helped and we were doing this together.
10/11ish I was feeling the need for more than 'just' massage, so they called down to delivery and up came my two fave midwives......and I relaxed so much. I was thrilled, I had hoped and hoped for them and there they were.
they asked me my plans, and all I said was no cuts, no catheter, and 100% being told what was going on so I could feel in control.
we got down and they examined me.....I was 4cms, so in established labour.........off we go.
they put me into a rocking chair (soooooo nice), and taught me how to use gas & air (first few mouthfuls were odd), but then I felt as tho I had had 10 G&T's......I was LOVING it, so much so, they were hard pressed to get me off it later!
short while later, I feel wet........we thought waters but no, it was blood! now, at this point, I had a small panic, but they explained so well that it was a huge show, and that can be bloody.......I had no idea until that point, so any of you first-timers.....shows can be bloody.....do not panic!!!!
around 2ish, as I now know with the benefit of 4 more births, I went into transition....and decided I was not haivng a baby anymore and I was off home.....and was rather determined!! DH and the midwives steered me back to bed, the midwives obviously realising I was going into transition, and got me set up for my final examination.....and yes, I was 10cms and just waiting for the urge to push.
oh, another tip....in transition I do not have any sense of how close people are, and when I go to tell them I feel sick, I often am, on them......DH often needed a change of t-shirt because of me and transition....oh, and I say extraordinary things and tell people to stop patronising me. DH likens me to the girl from the exhorsist (sp?), (without the head spinning!).
anyhooo.......back to my birth. the midwives were fantastic....they told me how to push, encouraged me, coached me, helped me. they told me at each point what they were doing, and I at no point felt as tho I was anything other than 100% in their care....and they cared.
towards the end, I was tiring, baby was tiring (heart rate was dropping IIRC), and was begging them to cut me, get baby out, I had enough now. they still kept me going, and at this point did say I was going to need a little help, they thought maybe an epesiotamy (sp?), but they knew my thoughts.......what did I think now. I said yes, so they asked again, so that I was sure and so I never at any point felt as tho they were going against my wishes. again I said yes, and they did........and out came my darling baby girl, 8lb 8oz of her, she was mine.......oh what a high:0. they delivered her onto my tummy, I picked her up, and the first thing she did was reach out and touch my face as tho to say "oh, hello, you must be my mummy".....to say we all were tearful would be an understatement.....even the midwives were flapping each other...."did you see, did you see".....I felt so blessed and and tho I was the first mum they had ever delivered.
I still grin thinking back on my birth of my Megan Ami.......she was a delight from the off, and my brith could not have gone sweeter (IMHO)....I had wonderful care, and everything stayed in control. my cut healed (took a time and I was sore), but it healed nicely. breastfeeding was a challenge, but it all paled in the glow I had from my new baby.
and it meant that all my next births, altho not quite as fantastic in some area's, never shocked me or demorilised me.....I carried my fantastic experience thro each of them, and we eventually learned the tip of me being sick on DH and he needing t-shirts in my labour bag!