Thank you for all your replies.
So many different experiences! I also had a lot of trouble getting Louie round the 'u-bend' lol, and can relate to hating the feeling of getting him a tiny bit further out then feeling him pop back in a bit when the contraction finished. I also had my legs up in stirrups because of the trouble I had pushing him out. And he had a big head!
Also someone else said about feeling scared they were gonna poo so they held back a bit - I can so relate to this! I actually did poo
lol, but even after this I was still scared I was gonna do it again! That was like a hurdle in itself that I had to get over mentally - I knew that if I pushed hard enough I was gonna poo myself and I had to mentally come to terms with that before I could push anymore. (This was right at the beginning of the pushing stage). I remember I kept saying to the MW's at each contraction - "I'm pooing again aren't I!!! Just tell me!" LOL, she kept saying no and that it was my bumhole dilating making me feel that way but I didn't believe her!
I think if I'm lucky enough to get pregnant again in the future, I would consider an epidural just because for me, I'm so frightened of the pushing stage because of my first labour. But at the same time, I'm not sure I could have pushed him out naturally if I hadn't been able to feel the contractions. It would be tough for me to decide what to do when the time comes if the contractions were like my first labour, because they are manageable for me with pethidine and gas and air, it's just the pushing stage that was horrendous and by the time you get there and feel you need it, it's too late! I hope I'll be lucky like a couple of you ladies and my second will just slide right out!
Someone else said (I think it was Zedfaca) that you might not be able to feel perineum tears at the time but you sure can feel labial tears as they happen! I can't comment on perineum tears as I didn't get any, but one of my labia ripped clean in half and I felt every second of it, it was agony! I got a lot of other grazes all over my foof as well. I felt like such a wuss saying how much pain I was in when I didn't even need stitches, but the grazes were like deep cuts that just couldn't be stitched, I'm still in a bit of pain from them today.
I'm amazed at all the different types of labours we've all had - thank you all for sharing! xxx