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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Things that really, really annoyd you in labour?

73 replies

Disenchanted3 · 10/06/2010 15:03

Mine:

People talking, I was silent the whole time, at one point with my first another midwife came in and they were chatting. I wanted to shout 'Shut your your gobs!!!'

My DH (with DD), we went to sleep half way through labour, but I couldn't sleep so I got up and left him in bed (how good am I?!) I got my poor mum up ho ran a bath, but I hated being in it so went down stairs. By this time contactions were close and bad, I told my sister to get DH up and he wouldn't!! To be fair I don't think he knew what was going on. But about 5 mins later I roared 'will SOMEBODY get DH up!!'

Lastly, with DD again, before I went to bed my mum said she had not had tea, when I came down heavily in labour a few hours later, the place STUNK of kebab!!!

it knocked me sick! and threw me off my pace for a good hour because it as making me retch!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

TulipsInTheSunshine · 10/06/2010 18:02

cherrypie.. I was pregnant that summer too, ds1 was born on the 28th July just before the heatwave ended.

I spent most of my labour with him stood in front of a fan, with the student mw and dp dabbing me with cold clothes, repeatedly asking 'Are you sure that's the highest setting?'

LittleSilver · 10/06/2010 19:45

Being told not to scream (save your energy dear). Er, no. It's my childbirth, I'll scream if I want to. Now do fuck off.

Being told how slowly I labour (yes, I know this is unusual for a multip, I am a slow labourer OK? Now leave me to it.)

mazzystartled · 10/06/2010 19:57

DH
generally

Booboobedoo · 10/06/2010 19:59

Oh, so many things.

Ones that stand out:

Midwife who saw me through the second stage (about the 8th or 9th midwife I'd had) informing me that she'd missed her tea-break for me.

The local anaesthetic not working for the stitches, and being told I was 'making a fuss' by the coldhearted bitch who was stitching me up.

Maisiethemorningsidecat · 10/06/2010 20:03

Stupid hospital (great in every other way though) had decided that they would provide a waiting room for relatives and labouring women, until the midwives were able to come and admit you. When we got there the room was full of cretins people who were living out a Jeremy Kyle moment, with texts flying around and the dads (all of whom looked about 16) coming out to give the extended family a running commentary. Oh - and none of them gave me a seat so I laboured in the corridor.

The midwife got a mouthful of abuse from me, I'm afraid - esp. when she said "oh, but I'm afraid we can't ask them to move". Dh and I both said "YES, YOU CAN". A letter of complaint was also fired off to the Head of Midwifery, who I imagine duly ignored it.

Can you tell I'm still riled?

Rosedee · 10/06/2010 20:04

Dp not getting the gas and air to me quick enough. Being unable to talk I was grunting at him when I wanted it and he just didn't always get there in time.
Bless him

itsatiggerday · 10/06/2010 20:08

The mw who was trying to get us to move room an hour or so after we'd settled in as one had come free on the birthing unit and I was low risk. DH asked me how I felt just as a contraction was about to start and the mw turned round and said "you shouldn't be asking her, can't you see she's having a contraction?".

He managed (far more politely than I would have done) to make it clear that moving floor, room etc and losing the pool option was far more of an issue than me waiting till the contraction had finished before I answered him. Got the feeling she was trying to go with a 'men don't really get this' dividing line but he was being a complete star and totally championing me all through a very long drawn out labour.

hugglymugly · 10/06/2010 20:08

Not my labour, but a few years ago I was temping in the obs/gynae building of our local hospital. It was in the middle of a heatwave, no airconditioning, all the windows open. From the admin area we could all hear a woman who was in one of the delivery rooms - groaning, not shrieking. One of the secretaries, who had been there for years, said (with a 'ffs' tone) 'Oh, get on with it.'

I was that she could be so unsympathetic.

hormonesnomore · 10/06/2010 20:12

Oh yes, "stop making a fuss" WTF?? It bloody HURT.

H breathing soup fumes over my face.

Midwife and H either side of the bed, telling jokes over me.

And after the birth, someone came to wash me - and started with my face - I didn't like that.

crikeybadger · 10/06/2010 20:14

With DS3- trying to read the TENS machine instructions during contractions and remember how it worked.....DH didn't quite the levels right and when I said I couldn't feel it working he whacked it up so much, i nearly leapt out of my skin.

And yes, other people talking during contractions is not good.

BrigitBigKnickers · 10/06/2010 20:14

I was humming through the contractions (and found it was actually helping) and my DH told me to stop as I was being too embarrassing!

Gigantaur · 10/06/2010 20:16

massive, huge, enormous and blardy painfull contraction - midwife walks in and says "ooh that smarted a bit didn't it"

no shit sherlcok!!! ooh really pissed me off. i got rather angsty and quite shouty at her after that. normally i would feel quite guilty afterwards but not that time

tabbycat7 · 10/06/2010 20:26

With DS1, being told I wasn't in labour when I was having painful contractions, being spoken to like I was a daft schoolgirl (I was 30!!), DH asking me questions while I was pushing, stupid dctor saying, "He's only tying the knots!" because I was saying ow.

With DS2, weird sandwich and midwife telling me to lift up my leg (I couldn't!).

With DS3, midwife said she would take away my gas and air. I told her if she did I would bash her

FabIsGoingToGetFit · 10/06/2010 20:28

Midwives who treated me like I was stupid.

scrappydappydoo · 10/06/2010 20:32

With dd1 - being told several times in 3 days that I'm not in labour and just to take a couple of paracetomol and I wasn't allowed anything stronger until I got on the labour ward - umm no - it hurts more than that... then following said 3 day labour which ended in a crash c-section mw walking past me with full tray of food handing it to my dh saying he must be starving and then turning to me and saying I was nil by mouth ..

Greythorne · 10/06/2010 20:36

DH trying to coach me on how to breathe.

LadySpratt · 10/06/2010 20:46

MW asking me where I would like it (the pethidine injection).

slushy06 · 10/06/2010 20:50

With ds I was in hospital and being monitored because ds was op I was having constant cc and a nervous dp kept pacing back and for and sitting down every 5 mins slamming his feet on my bed . I eventually grabbed his tie pulled him down to the bed and told him if he shook my bed one more time I would take the spectrum and give him the next examination .

On dd I was staying calm cc every 3mins and I wanted to stay upright and walk into the delivery room helped by dp. A well meaning lady saw me panicked and started screaming for a wheelchair I told her I was fine and wanted to walk but she started screaming hysterically that I was about to give birth and didn't know what I wanted. So I told her to shut the fuck up because she was spoiling my nice calm birth . She looked so sad and like I was being unreasonable.

Linnet · 10/06/2010 20:51

The midwife telling me not to make so much noise as I was upsetting the other women

bluecardi · 10/06/2010 20:54

I'd made it to the hospital & had the most massive contraction by the m/w reception desk (had held on to this some how as I ran out of the lift) This m/w comes up & starts saying be brave!! I felt like punching her. ds was born 10mins later - nearly 5 kilos.

myfirstbump · 10/06/2010 21:02

On the way to hospital, rang both sets of parents to tell them 'this is it'.

MIL says "I know you're coping at the moment, but it will really really hurt by the end"

No. Shit. Sherlock. I hadn't counted on that...

Dollytwat · 10/06/2010 21:02

BlameItOnTheBogey I was the same, (now x) H was trying out all the massage moves NCT had taught him, and all I could do was screech 'DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME'.

Mind you when I had DS2 it was a good indicator of how far along I was - H knew to take me in at the point I snarled at my lovely mum for daring to rub my back!

spiderlight · 10/06/2010 21:03

I was having a home birth in my not-very-big house and was walking through the contractions, which was the only thing that helped. Midwife brought a student nurse with her, who was - I'm sorry, this is going to sound awful - absolutely enormous and completely out of her depth, never having attended a birth before - and she kept standing in front of me looking gormless, in doorways, in the hall, in the middle of the very narrow kitchen. She was everywhere I needed to be. I know she was trying to 'observe' but she just did not get that I HAD to walk.

Oh, and OH staying in bed until 10am (I'd gone into labour at 3.30am), periodically sticking his head out from under the duvet to shout down and ask whether my waters had broken. It transpires that he thought it was a false alarm because I didn't look as if I was in enough pain for it to be real labour - he was a bit sheepish when the midwife came to do my first exam and I was 4cm dilated

bethylou · 10/06/2010 21:09

The anaesthetist who put a canular in my hand for IV antibiotics mid-contraction, rather than kindly waiting 1 minute till it had finished.

DH having the audacity to yawn while I was in labour through the night when I'd let him have three hours sleep before I told him that I was in labour (and hadn't slept at all obviously).

MIL taking three hours to get to our house to look after DS1 when I went into labour because she had to pack three suitcases and apply a full face of make-up (for arrival at ours at 5a.m - who the feck was going to see her anyway?!)

BythewayItsStillMe · 10/06/2010 21:11

The cowbag midwife saying 'there's a tiny rim of your cervix there, with your next contraction I'll just push it back...'

DH caught my fist as I went to punch her as she 'just pushed it back'

I've never hit anyone in my life, but she was bloody lucky that day

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