Okay, firstly sorry if I repeat what someone else says, my attention span isn't great these days so I only got halfway through the comments... (okay, I've summed up at the bottom kinda for those who want to skip the waffling.)

I loved River's birth. Loved it.

Someone described a contraction to me before birth, and I found it to be spot on. They described it as a wave. You can feel it coming, so you get into position and ready to breathe, it peaks, and then it ebbs away again and you can relax. Knowing when it was coming and being able to mentally prepare for each one really helped.

I gave birth in the water, and that made a big difference for me, contractions 8mins apart and very very intense on land, 4mins apart and much easier to bear. Everyone's different, but try different things in early labour, and when you find what position/s works for you, that's great.

I had my husband and a birth support partner who's a friend/student midwife. She was brilliant. So was dh actually, not that there was much he could do. I can't recommend enough to have birth support who you trust. I knew that my friend would take care of dh, and that she shared my philosophies about birth, so if she thought I wasn't coping and needed to rest or intervention, I'd trust her judgement. I had underestimated the value of having someone to encourage and tell you you're doing well and the baby will be there soon.

I also told myself labour wouldn't last forever, I actually told myself right from the start 'it'll be over in less than 12 hours', which isn't true for everyone. I ended up with 30min to spare! Knowing it wouldn't last forever helped so much.

Something I hadn't realised was how much your body is able to accommodate labour. I imagined myself chatting inbetween contractions, listening to music, having backrubs...instead I went into a 'zone', where my hormones kicked in, and I focussed so much! No chatting, no music, no touching. My body knew what it had to do, and it did it very well. I'd thought drugs would be a temptation, but I realised I didn't need them, my body did so well on it's own.

Right, well, ramble ramble ramble. Let me sum up what my experience taught me:
- the pain comes like a wave. You see it coming and ready yourself, then relax when it's over.
- your body takes over. Your hormones are far more capable than you imagine.
- good birth support is invaluable. Someone to encourage, and remind you of the end result.
- you won't know what positions are comfortable til labour starts - but it's good to have ideas to try. Take your midwives suggestions too.

Hope that helps, nothing can prepare you entirely, but things like breathing and knowledge were very helpful. All the best!