I was about 11 hours in when the consultant suggested a section - I sat bolt upright and said 'no'!  Maybe I was wrong but I reckon the damage was done by then.  The whole thing was a farce, hottest night of the year (31st Aug) and I had to have all the windows shut 'cos I had hysterics when the moths came in.

I'm lying there in all my glory, lega akimbo and this voice said 'are you Carol X' and when I confirmed she told me her name and had sat behind me in Secondary School.  She was Head Midwife and looked at my notes and said - have an epuidural if you're not going to give into a section, which I did.

Having given birth I asked for a drink of cold water - no cold water - temporarily switched off due to works and - this is totally true - from behind a tarpaulin at the end of the room came a male voice (one of the builders) - 'I've got some Irn Bru Hen if you'd like that' - which I accepted gratefully.  Two of them came to see me with a big bouquet of flowers because I was on my own (husband offshore, best friend fainted when they broke my waters - sent home in a taxi).  I look back now and laugh and it was a good story to tell at the time.

I broke my pelvis, and much more, when I was hit by a car - up in the air hit the ground and bounced.  As an adult what peeved me most was the loss of some of my teeth (back ones) because my jaws were broken.  I had saved for yonks and had the appointments for my new 'American teeth' when I received my diagnosis, so I thought s*d that and spent it on my house and my garden.  How did you break yours?  Very painful, isn't it?  I remember the day the physio came and I had to get out of bed, nightmare.