With my first child I had eclampsia and everything was high tech, second child similar but not so high tech as attitudes were changing. By the time my third child was born the fashion was for childbirth to be as natural as possible but he was lying wrong so I was in agony and the labour suite was so busy I was left on my own. (I was already in hospital so even OH was not there). He got stuck and was born in a rush when I was cut. As with Christine's grandchild he had swallowed and inhaled meconium which damaged his lungs and left him with bad asthma to this day.

Worst of all, I was exhausted so did not have the glow of connection I had with the other two. Luckily he was my third and I knew the feeling would come but what if he had been my first, I would have felt so guilty.

The whole thing was much more traumatic than it should have been. Labour is just a stage you need to get through, I can't understand the mythology some people put round it.

Alison