Me (explaining to her husband why my patient is comatose in between her contractions during her long, unmedicated labor): "It's mother nature's way of conserving energy so she can deal with her contractions and then have the strength to push."

Husband (gazing at wife who has abruptly awakened and is now breathing through contraction): "So, it's like sleeping with a snooze alarm."

Me: "Yeah.  A snooze alarm from hell."