Dd1 my water started trickling 4pm at 39+4. I rang my dad first because he was in Thailand and was expected back the next day. I held off until 10pm and went in was only 2cms so they said wait it out at home till 10am and come back for antibiotics. I slept all night and thought the contractions had stopped until I got up they started again. At 12 they offered me the drug to speed things up but I declined because my dad was at Melbourne airport at this stage and I wanted him there for his first grand baby. He got there at 2 and she was born just before 4pm.

Ds1 I walked 4km, had a shower and then dtd didn't think it would work because I was 38+2. This was 1am at this stage and before I could get out of bed I had a bad contraction, no pains what so ever before this so straight away I asked my partner to time them. I was in the bath room throwing up by the third contraction I told him not to worry this is it. We got to the hospital at 3am 6cms and he was born at 6am.

Ds2 I had my first pain at 8pm at 39+4 I had a feeling it was it but they were very bearable pains. I went and got a pizza ate it put the kids to bed and started trying to clean crazy to keep the contractions going by 11pm I gave up and went to bed. I woke up at 3am with pains and waited it out till 6am when I went in. They said I was only 3cms and could stay like that for another week so go wait it out at home. 8am I lost my plug and went back at 11am 6cms he was born at 3pm. I had gas with all my babies.

I was nearing 10days over and had been trying every alternative method to get things started.

As I went to bed on the Saturday I just had this instinctual gut feeling that when I woke next things would be starting.

Sunday at 2-3am tightenings started, able to to metal but regular at 15-20mins apart.

By 5:30 I woke OH and was focusing on breathing through them on the lounge. They got to 2 mins apart and we were told to get to the birthing suite. OH was grinning from ear to ear!

Once we got there though things settled down, and I was told I was in pre labour and to wait it out because it could be a while.

Contractions continued all through the day and night, getting much stronger and as close as 5 mins.

Went out for a big walk and breakkie as I hoped it would help Bub descend.

My mum flew in (on the off chance that the 30hrs of pre labour would progress)

Within half an hour of picking her up from airport I was bouncing on the ball and felt a dribble - convinced it was incriminate and not my waters.

To the hospital again, midwife doubted it but they had ruptured!

Offered induction then and there (1pm Monday) and decided to go home and let T progress naturally.

Met mum and inlaws for coffee, then established contractions started in the middle of the blooming shopping centre. Went home for an hour before they were getting very strong and back to ward at 3pm Monday

3 hours later and only ten mins/3 pushes Bub was here!

I had screamed for the epidural for the last hour, and the anaesthetist strolled in the door as I was pushing - so I got my drug free birth after all haha

Just moved into our new house that morning i did my maternity shot that night while setting bubs cot i told my partner that im having bad pain thought they was braxton hicks went to sleep tossed and turned all night 5:30am i got up to go to the toilet and my waters broke i woke up my partner iv never seen him get up so quick by the time i went to the toilet and changed my partner was dressed and had all the bags in the car went to hospital came to 10:00 i had a feeling to push midwives checked me she said i was fully dilated after 30 min of pushing they checked me again and said sorry your only 2cm dilated!! ? 6:22 he was born but was very blue shocked and stop breathing had nurses running in the room it was the longest 2 min ever in my life! Then finally heard his little cry ? worst pain ever but the best gift god could give!

Dd1- started having contractions at 33 weeks. Was on nifedipine and hospitalised on and off. At 35 weeks I was 3cm dilated and contractions wouldn't stop, so was sent by ambulance to another town (my hosp doesn't deliver before 36 weeks) laboured overnight. Was 6cm at 9am, they broke my waters and I had her at 12.17pm. Then I retained the placenta and haemorrhaged, had to go to theatre etc. was awful & ive never fully gotten over it. I have a huge fear of having to be put to sleep.

Dd2 - waters broke at 37 weeks. Straight forward labour, sucked on the gas. Dr gave me a stretch at 6cm as things were progressing slowly. She was born 2 hours later. No complications afterwards.

Dd3 - went in for routine check up at 38 weeks. Dr gave me an internal as I was having a lot of back pain. I was 4cm, so he gave me a stretch and sweep. That was at 5pm. Started contracting straight away.

My waters broke at 2.25am - things went hard and fast after that. I wanted pethidine, midwife checked me and I was 8cm so too late. Got in the shower, needed to push after 10min. Got out of the shower and on the bed and she was out 2 pushes later. 2.5 hours after my waters broke.

With my 2 subsequent labours after my first bub, my dr always told me when I was in labour/waters broke, I had to go straight up as I had the haemorrhage with her. That way things could be put in place if anything happened again.

I was due on the 17th of July. I had been trying every possible thing to help bring him on after a horrible pregnancy I wanted out. Anyways,it hit midnight and I was so grumpy. I was officially over due. I was laying in bed, I started to have pains as though I had laxatives so my tummy was in knots and I kept moving around trying to get comfy. Although I was grumpy and in pain I was gonna try get some sex from my partner (we had been fighting so weren't talking lol) but I was gonna give it a hot go but before I knew it I jump up out of bed and bam! Water breaks (12.13am)my face drops and partner was up quicker then you could say free booze ???. I rang the hospital explaining my diabetes and that I had group b needing enough time for antibiotics etc-they said come up asap. Here's my mum clapping so excited while I shower,partner showers and get on our way. Being my first and my mum not having the so called 'natural' way of it happening she couldn't tell me what's going on so I was just winging it thinking the pains I was having were nothing so when my partner suggested going through maccas for a coffee frappe I was like yeah no worries,gonna be a long night,go through the drive through and the computers are down so he had to take his sweet time hand writting/adding up etc. I couldn't believe it,of all bloody times...but it gets better. We get to the window and he then goes on to explain to us that they need to cook fresh eggs and if we could pull over for a wait even after from the first window he knew I was in labour ?. We pulled over,I'm laughing thinking wtf. Outside the car in bent over pain leaking fluid. Finally we make it to the hospital,I legit leaked the WHOLE way through the hospital and trying not to laugh at my partner and mum cracking jokes as all our coping method. The midwive on for the night seemed cool as at first so I was happy. I was in horrible pain feeling as though I was going to poo myself she suggested the gas,I'm walking around the room trying to find a comfy position for me as baby was sunny side up causing me chronic back pain,was in shower with boiling hot on my back with gas machine which I hated,didn't work at all! My partner got more out of it puffing on it as if he was the one doing it put it that way. Midwive said she didn't want to check me to disappoint me as she believe I would probably only be 2cm max so I continued trying to push through but eventually she checked me and her face dropped when she realised I was 4.5/5cm dilated and asked if i wanted the epidural as I explained in the beginning. I told her 'fu$@ yes,please please'. She went off to organise it,have morning tea etc-she causally comes back chewing away and by this stage I've got the sh*#ts with her taking her sweet time. She checked me and I had gone from 5-10cm in less then an hour. She looked at me and said 'you have to push this is it'. Well didn't that have the opposite affect. I had a panic attack and this midwive soon realised 'uh oh,she can't do this'. My baby gave up and so did I. At 10cm dilated she got me a epidural and I had a rest for fourty mins then it was go time. Docs came in and had forceps and vaccume ready. They had to cut me,use the vaccume and he was born at 6.58am. I went from two midwives and two docs to about 11 people in my room all having a look etc being a training hospital.

I was so glad it was over.

I woke up around 3am with a really bad pain. Being first bun I thought this could be it and j would wait and see if I get another. Sure enough 10 mins later another pain that took my breath away. I got up and started roaming the house and called the hospital after a couple more contractions as I already felt like I was dying. They said to pop some Panadol and have a bath as I would be in for a long night. Half an hour and a few more contractions later we called the hospital again and decided to head in as I said to hubby I know it's been less than an hour but the pain is unbearable and I need epidural/gas something!!!

We arrived at the hospital after 15 minutes and 5 more contractions and I then strolled through the carpark and waited in the reception area and didn't have another contraction so I thought labour must be fizzling out.

The midwife put monitors on me to assess heartbeat, movement, contractions etc and it all hit me again and I froze and couldn't move. She decided to check me and I was 9cm and in transition ?? after an hour of labour! She said no time for the epidural and they wheeled me in to birthing suites and I sucked down the gas as that's the only option I had and gave birth 2 hours later.

So basically 2 hours of labour and 1 of pushing.

The gas made me so high and doped up I've actually forgotten some of the birth and felt like I wasn't there. I said to hubby afterwards did you cut the cord? Did the give me the injection for the placenta? How long was I pushing etc cos I was so out of it and maybe in shock.

Bubs came out with his hand up near his head and gave me a nice 3rd degree tear but was all worth it and would do it again.

Mine is bit long sorry. Trigger maybe?

I had a scheduled induction at the hospital as I was 10 days overdue.

The plan was to have a ctg to make sure Bubs was fine then use cervadil overnight then break my waters the next morning.

The ctg showed her baseline heartbeat was high and it also kept dropping down for reasons unknown at the time.

They wanted to break my waters straight away but I wasn't dialated enough so they used a balloon catheter overnight instead. As soon as they inserted the catheter I started having regular contractions. My waters broke in the morning when they took the catheter out. We discovered that Bubs had done a poop in there so they started me on the oxytocin(?) drip straight away.

My contractions were getting so painful even with the gas and a pethidine shot and I decided to get an epidural. It only worked on one side. I was really tired at this point and in so much pain and my memories are kind of blurry from this point on.

At 7pm I was only 7cm dialated and Bubs heart rate was dropping way too much with every contraction. She wasn't coping very well and neither was I so it was decided that I would be taken for a c section. Because the epi hadn't worked properly they put me under General anaesthesia and she ended up being born with her cord wrapped around her neck 3 times.

She was in the special care nursery that night but got brought to me in the morning.

I ended up being in labour for well over 24 painful hours but it was all worth it of course ?

Mine was long haha, 2 days past my due date I had what I thought were just tightenings on and off on the Thursday, went out for lunch with df and they got worse when we got home, we were supposed to go out for my best friends birthday dinner but by 5pm I realised it could be the start of labour so cancelled, they continued that night about 7-8 minutes apart, at 11pm I told df to get some sleep just incase, around 1am I tried to get some sleep but couldn't sleep through the pain, so I ended up labouring on my own in the lounge room, used the fitball and had a shower, around 4am they got to 3-4 mins apart so called the hospital and they told me to wait till they were 2-3 mins apart, the midwife then called me back at 445am when she realised I lived 30 mins from the hospital and told me to come in, so I woke df up, but had a feeling I still had plenty of time so did some of my makeup to look half decent and told df to do his hair LOL. We got to the hospital around 530am, got admitted and checked, only 3cm dilated, so I just continued labouring in the birth suite, around 1130am got checked again and was 5cm, started using the shower as pain relief but needed the gas, continued just with the gas till 330pm, had only got to 7cm (they found baby was posterior and that's why I was progressing so slowly :/ ) I asked for the epidural coz id been labouring for 23 hours and was exhausted, Epi went in at around 430, kept feeling like I needed to push but was told not to just yet, finally at 930pm my 3rd midwife for the day! Checked and said I was 10cm time to push! 45 minutes later and about maybe 6 pushes later dd was out! No tearing at all just a couple of grazes! Dd was 8pd8.5oz too!

Long long labour but so worth it!

Well at 37 weeks i was made by the hospital stay in town (my local hospital doesnt deliver) because i had had pre labour and chronic braxton hick from 24 weeks onwards. At 37 weeks bubs movement's pretty much had completely stopped. At 39 weeks after multiple scans and trying to tell the docs something wasnt right they had figure out i had low fluid, i had also developed pre e and bub had stopped growing so i was booked in to be induced. Friday 18 i was given a stretch and sweep and saturday 19 at 7am i was induced i was already 4 cm and my waters where bulging so they broke them for me. 15 minutes into the medication in the drip my contractions where 5 mins apart lasting for a minute. They stopped the drip 1 hr into the induction because my body had taken over. 15 minutes later my contractions where 1 min upart for a minute. I had the best midwife i could have asked for and my partner n mil where great support. I was back n for between the ball and shower. I seem to have not care about the midwife seeing me naked in the shower but once i was out i didnt want her looking at my bum. Got to 7 cm pain was horrific got the gas and then all was good and under control. my mil had gone to get some kfc for lunch and had brought it back. I was extremely high off the gas by this point i could barely function but i can remember half yelling at by partner to give me kfc chips and orange cordial which he did like a good man without question. I still remember how good it tasted (so dam good) then the pain started to become one long contraction by then i was at 10 cm and after about 10 push her head finally came out but i had to stop pushing right as her head came out because she had her arm crossed across to her other shoulder. Thank god i did because i would have dislocated her shoulder and would have had sever tearing. At 3:19 pm staurday 19/03/2016 i gave birth to my little 6lbs 11ounce baby girl Ella Joan Elsie. Once she came out she was beyond adorable drank like a trooper. The midwife i had said to me i was honestly one of the toughest and calmest people she has ever had over 30 years and i had one of the most involed caring partners she had seen during labour. All in all i had a crap pregancy but a great labour.

I went in for my routine 37 week check, they put me on a monitor as baby's heart beat seemed a bit irregular, all was fine on the monitor. They did a check of my cervix (I was the USA then). Told labour doesn't look like it would come just yet. They sent me home.

Go home same day, hung up some curtains (was 'nesting') and my water broke and was trickling ?. Rang hubby who was at work he said he'd be there ASAP. Relaxed on the couch. Skyped family and friends. Had tea and cake. Contractions were getting more frequent. Went in to hospital (a couple of hrs after waters first broke). Confirmed it was my waters. Had a 4 hr labour using hypnobirthing and happy the hospital didn't push any interventions. Healthy baby except for jaundice. Minimal tearing and good recovery. The jaundice and breastfeeding pressure was the worst part as there was pressure to produce lots of milk from day 1 from the nurses or to use formula. Found a supportive LC who advocated for me. My birth was the good part of my hospital stay. I'm really grateful for my hypnobirthing classes too as it was a great experience.

3.30 Monday morning woke up with period like cramps, got up to pee. Went back to sleep. They got stronger and turned in to contractions lasting til Wednesday night. 7.15pm that night called midwife as they were getting pretty close and they said to come in. Was admitted and checked, 4cm dilated. Being first baby my midwife said to get ready for a long night. She even estimated bub will come about 5 or 6 the next morning. Got on the gas, in and out of bed and shower, furious at df for no reasons thabks to the pain. Midwife broke my waters (best bloody feeling in the world as bub's head was pushing down). Back in showers and then sat on toilet, felt like i needed to poo. Told df to call midwife NOW. Told her i reeeeally feel like pushing and begged for an epidural. She checked and i was ready. So no epidural - on the bed sucking down gas. At one point i was yelling at her that i cant see, i cant see, im going to pass out. After next push i realized it was coz my eyes were closed... about 20min later at 10.39pm Chloe was born at 39+4, maybe after 8 or so pushes. Midwife was shocked it all happened so quick. Apparently i was talk of the ward that night.

Thanks so much for sharing ladies!

I don't mind reading all types of birth stories but if yours could be a trigger, please put it at the top just in case others don't want to read them ?

I went up to the hospital on the Tuesday lunchtime (8 days overdue) as I felt his movements weren't as strong as normal. They monitored me and agreed. His heart rate etc was still normal but the movements weren't as 'robust' as they liked. As I was due to be induced on the Thursday anyway they decided to go ahead and do it then. I had the Cervidil tape inserted at 3pm, and was admitted. I had a few niggly pains from about 7pm but nothing major. Then my waters broke at 10pm, so much water!!! I was shocked! The pains then started to become a bit more intense at about 4.30am on the Wednesday and I was taken to the birthing suite at about 6.30am to start it all off. They put the Syntocin drip in to keep the labour happening. I got to about 3cm with the gas, and after a while I was really struggling not to push. Every part of my body was pushing and I was trying hard to fight it. They kept turning the Syntocin up to bring the contractions stronger and closer and the gas just wasn't cutting it so I had an epidural. I didn't like the way I was feeling on the gas, I was so out of it I felt like i was on the ceiling most of the time. After the epi, I was able to calm down a bit and went from 4cm dilated and half effaced to 10cm dilated and fully effaced in 4 hours. When it was time to push, Toby was still quite high up so it took a lot to get him head down. When he did move down, he would then move up slightly whenever I stopped pushing. After an hour he still wasn't down so they were trying to decide between a Caesarian, or trying the vacuum. They prepped for a Caeser, getting bits and pieces ready but decided to try the vacuum first. Because he hadn't crowned they had to put the vacuum up and inside which hurt and I kind of went into my own space then. Another 15 minutes of pushing and he was here, the cord around his neck twice and he'd managed to tie a knot in the cord as well. It took a little while for him to take his first breath but he did and then cried and was quiet again after that lol. They kept him in special care nursery for the night to monitor him but all was fine. I was stitched up after an episiotomy and a tear, and was on the ward at about 4am. It was a long, tiring, emotional day, and I will never do it again, but he is so worth it.

Baby 2- I was high risk due to blood tests showing I was high risk for clotting. Dr was worried about a stroke so I was denied a vbac and booked in for a c-section at 39 weeks and put on asprin.

I was sitting up one night when I felt a familiar cramping. No amount of moving, relaxing or showers dulled them so the following morning, after about 7 straight hrs of cramping I drove myself to hospital where the midwife said it was just small tightening showing up on the machine and was likely just braxton hicks or irritable uterus so sent me home. I had just gotten my shoes on when she came back in and said my dr found out I was in there and wanted to see me so I had to wait for her (she didn't seem too happy about this). My dr asked a few questions, felt my tummy and asked if she could check my cervix. I said that's fine. She then ordered another 20 minutes of monitoring as my cervix was short and soft, not good for 31 weeks. The midwife hooked me back up and not even 15 minutes later my dr was back. The midwife showed her the measly nothingness on the monitor thing (small tightening again) and my dr wasn't convinced. She asked again if she could check my cervix because she had a feeling that my boy was a quiet achiever. The midwife was basically rolling her eyes. Dr checked me and then said "just as I thought. I hope you didn't have any plans today because you're not going anywhere." Then she turned to the midwife and requested a room for me and a list of some drugs which I found out was to stop the contractions.

Hubby came in and we had a meeting with the paediatrician who talked us through what a 31-32 week prem will need and got a tour of NICU.

I was on bed rest with monitoring and drugs for 4 weeks Mon-Fri with weekend reprieve at home to help with my mental health. I was only allowed up for toilet breaks. Finally, at 35 weeks I was allowed home to enjoy Christmas with my family, diagnosed once again with irritable uterus. Christmas day was spent having contractions 20 minutes apart but then they dulled for a couple of days. On the night of January 3rd they were back. I spent the night groaning in the shower. Come morning I told hubby to go to work because the hospital would likely send me home with irritable uterus so I'd just wait for it to subside at home. Come 9am the pain was so intense I couldn't breathe through them. I dropped DD off next door and drove myself to hospital.

The midwife was a mole, again monitoring me for 5 minutes and saying it's nothing. My dr came, felt my tummy, checked my cervix (3-4cm) and asked how soon could my husband get there. I said I dunno bout half an hour to an hour. She said tell him to make it half an hour because baby will be here within the hr. I rang hubby, then rang my mum and my best friend in tears so they could talk me out of the panic I was feeling and called MIL to pick up DD from the neighbours.

The mole midwife slammed my catheter in and got me dressed in scrubs.

Then the dr, anaesthetist and paediatrician all came in in scrubs.

While being wheeled in we were held back due to an urgent c section. The drs spent this time joking with me trying to calm me down. Finally it was our turn and when they cut him out the whole theatre erupted in 'wows' and I asked hubby wtf was going on, but the doctor answered saying baby was huge. They showed him to me but he just looked little to me. He was also very blue so I didn't get to hold him and I watched as the paed got his colour back. The drs were all placing bets on his weight. He was 8'1 and 36 weeks gestation.

I again bled a lot and gave birth to clots the size of my fist and baby had terrible jaundice but we got out healthy.

Baby 1- my hubby was FIFO and the night before he was due to go away for 6 weeks I had period cramps that never really went away. I was only 32 weeks so didn't think anything of it and tried to go to sleep. At about 6am I dropped hubby off at the airport. He could see I was in pain but I promised him it was nothing. After dropping him off I got to the end of the airport road when I got my first definite contraction. I drove myself to hospital having contractions about 10 minutes apart. When there they said I was dilating and put me in an ambulance to another hospital as they weren't equipped for prems that young. My husband was called back and I was monitored for 4 days and given drugs then diagnosed with irritable uterus when I got to 3cm and stopped.

At 38 weeks I was induced. The morning of I was put on heaps of drips as my blood sugar was out of control. I was in labour for 30hrs when my mum pointed out that my catheter bag was filled with blood. A dr was called in and he said baby had to come out now. Suddenly there were about 20 doctors and nurses in the room and I was being wheeled away. Baby came at 831pm, but not before I stopped the operation to say I felt like I was dying and the dr telling me that was good because it meant the drugs were working ?. I got an infection and got down to blood transfusion level but I didn't have any symptoms (dr said most people faint or at least feel dizzy but I was walking around and feeling fine) so they just kept me in for a week then when I begged to go home they demanded I go back after the weekend. I was admitted again, and found to have retained placenta but they were pretty confident my body was doing everything naturally that others sometimes needed an operation for so I was allowed home.

Baby 2 - I woke up at 6:30am because my tummy was sore, went and jumped in the bath and thought yep these feel like contractions but very far apart. Very painful contractions continued all day but were about 40 mins apart until 11ish when they dropped to 20 mins apart. By 1am they were 10 mins apart so I called my mum and asked her to come sit with my 2 year old and called the hospital who said come in.

By the time mum got there contractions were less than 5 mins apart so we headed to the hospital.

We got to hospital at 3am and as soon as we got into the birthing suite I said Okay I'm ready for my epidural now but the midwife just laughed and said you're too happy for an epidural, try the gas.

My partner ran me a bath, we turned off all the lights, set up my phone to play some music and I had the best hot bath getting high on gas and singing my little heart out. The midwives kept coming in saying we were the fun room.

Eventually I felt that dreaded "need to push" feeling so I got out and onto all 4's next to the bath. I couldn't get comfortable so onto the bed it was.

Pushing wasn't getting me anywhere and my waters hadn't broken yet so the midwives broke my waters and 6 minutes later at 6:06am my little man entered the world.

Unfortunately for me my pain didn't end there and after a couple of hours I started haemorrhaging.

At 10:30 that night I said to my midwife I felt like I needed to push again and was in agony. I was taken back to the birthing suite and given the gas where I passed out. When I came too they said that they had pulled out heaps more blood clots which were holding open my cervix.

I had to spend the next few days in hospital hooked up to a catheter, Iv for fluids, iv for blood and a blood pressure cuff having my blood pressure checked every 15 minutes.

After a 2+ litre blood loss it took a while to get back to normal but worth it ?

Are you after positive experiences or just any experiences?