Tori M. wrote:

My advice is that you should go as long as you can without any medication
and then if you can not handle it anymore then go straight to an epidural.
I did not really find it all that painful more unnerving and it bothered me
that I could not pinpoint the discomfort. Also it bugged me to be moved
arround but the nurses kept wanting to reposition me and that is when I
finaly got an epidural I was fine when left alone in one spot. Also make
sure you have plenty of suport on hand. you may not want anyone in the room
with you but if you dont ask anyone to be there then if your husband does
not end up suporting you as much as you need then you will probably want an
epidural sooner. I wanted someone to hover over me and tell me it was ok
but I did not really get that and got an epidural instead... I was honnestly
planning my next child while I was in labor if that tells you anything It
did not feel like being stabbed or even like when I had what they thought
was a gall bladder attack. It was not even as bad as some twisted ankles I
have had... I guess the best way to describe it is that it is a "differant"
pain. It does not compair to any other pain I have had.

You've identified two huge factors that affect
the experience of labor pain--interference with the
mother's choice of position and movement, and lack of
support. That's part of why it's uncommon to find
unmedicated hospital births and uncommon to find homebirthers
who wish they'd had drugs. They mess with you a lot
in the hospital, and at home you're the boss. (You can
limit the amount of messing they do in the hospital, but
even the least they'll do is almost always a lot more
than you'd have to deal with at home.)

Best wishes,
Ericka