I don’t think it is explained very well what the pain is for. People just get frightened of the pain. If they could see it as something useful...the pain is there so as you can help them out, it’s not frightening at all (p58).Women described their desire to be in control, but thiswas different for the individual women. For some, controlmeant staying on top of things and deciding what theyneeded, whereas for others, control was the decision to34Not having any experience of labour, I needed the midwife to tell me what to do. Because she was in con-34‘private’.hand over management to the midwives.trol I felt I was too’ ( , p33).