Harry was the only one that would be mostly considered as truly natural. I didnt let them put the synto drip in until after I had delivered the placenta, so by all accounts, it was all over and done before there was any kind of intervention (and thats a JIC measure basically). The other 4 were all AROMed - I have tough membranes. Hehe.

"Active" labour times would be 12h, 8h, 18h(staff got too involved - then got "too busy"), 5h and 4h.

Pain wise - well I know it *looks* bad there, and I am not going to pretend it ain't painful. But its not a traumatic painful. I've said to a few people before that you and your body would be more traumatised by surgery than natural labour (not singling out c-sections at all. I get over labour and birth faster than my husband has got over endoscopic keyhole surgery on his wrists where he felt nothing of the process - its just how it is). Although I am going to qualify that now with uninterfered with labour.

Ironically, I fear needles more than the pain of labour. I like to look at it like the band-aid treatment. Once its done, its done. Wish I could tell you more - but instinct is pretty hard to explain.