I had fast labours so the contractions were on top of each other from the beginning. I remember with DS2 - who was a 3 hour labour - saying to the mw "where is my 5 minute break between contractions that I was promised. I want my break".

And with DS1, after being in denial about being in labour and telling them when I arrived that I wasn't in labour yet, after I'd been there a while, they asked me to lie on my back for an internal and a contraction hit while I was on my back - "oh, I think I'm in labour" I said. They all laughed - I was the last to catch on!!