I adore my partner, and am so very thankful that he is the person I get to raise our son with. He was incredibly supportive when I was pregnant, and was a vital part of my labor and delivery experience. He walked the halls with me; he helped me in the birthing tub; he held me while I swayed back and forth through contractions; I mean, he did whatever he could to assist me bringing our sin into the world. Still, I had some thoughts about my partner during labor and delivery; thoughts that weren't, well, always kind. Sorry I'm not sorry, I guess?
Of course, every labor and delivery experience is different. I know so many women who birthed at homes in tubs or pools, completely calm and even in minimal pain. I'm sure their thoughts are very different from the ones I experienced when I was in labor. In fact, I'm sure the thoughts going through every woman's brain when she's bringing another human being into the world vary depending on circumstance. However, I would also argue that there are some universal feelings most laboring women have, and I definitely experienced the majority of them. Because my labor and delivery were very painful (for the 10 hours I labored without any drugs), and my birthing experience was complicated (I birthed a baby that was alive, and a baby that wasn't) I had a wide range of feelings and thoughts, mostly directed at my partner.
While the following thoughts are definitely valid, especially in the moment, they usually didn't last very long. Well, some of them, anyway. Labor and delivery unleashes a rollercoaster of emotions, and I seemed to be going up and down that rollercoaster at an unbelievable pace when I was bringing my kid into the world. So, if you've been through labor and delivery with your partner, and these thoughts bombarded your brain on the regular, know that you're not alone and it's normal and, well, your partner shouldn't take it personally.