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I had nine children, go for natural, you will feel much much better after.

I have had four kids, the first I was determined to go drug-free but I caved early on.

With the second I did it completely naturally.

That being said, I'd recommend getting an epidural. I had two more kids after that, and I got them both times. Also, I'm due in February with my fifth, and I know that I'm going to get an epidural again.

Giving birth naturally is definitely a good experience, but it is absolutely excruciating. I'm not trying to scare you, but with your first child, it is going to be very difficult to go through the labor process naturally. I encourage you 100% if it's something you really want, but labor can last for days with contains, unbearable pain. I would at least recommend not getting your hopes up so high to do it naturally that you are disappointed when you can't go through with it. Know your limits.

My experience with natural experience was that I was in so much pain I simply COULD NOT walk around or move at all, I was basically paralyzed by the contractions. The pain is indescribable. Of course it was worth it a million times over for my beautiful son, but I think my delivery day could have been more comfortable had I been given an epidural.

People may argue that pushing is easier without getting an epidural, but though it's easier to know when to push without one, it definitely is less painful if you do get an epidural. An epidural basically fades away the pain you feel, you just feel a LOT of pressure.

I am very strongly against unnecessary medication, but I feel like childbirth can be so intense you do need something to ease the pain.

There are other options as apposed to an epidural, I ave given birth twice(am pregnant again), both times without an epidural. The 1st time i has gas and air and a diamorphine. This was great as it took the edge of the pain and i could feel when i needed to push. The 2nd time i just had gas and air and a hot bath at home(planned homebirth midwife present), This was a brilliant experiance, and a much shorter labour, i did not even need stitches. This time around i am planning a homebirth with just gas and air. I think you should only have an epidural as a last resort and do not be pushed into something you really do not want. Remember there is loads of other types of pain relief avaiable, it would be a great idea to research what your local hospital offers.

I was a mom who was VERY Strong in not doing medication.. well, sometimes things don't always happen as you wish.. my water broke and I never progressed so 12 hours later they told me they either start Pitocin or I can pretty much plan on a c-section. I reluctantly let them do the Pitocin to get my labor moving along (it makes labor much more painful) and I was in SO much pain I was begging for an epidural.. well, the epidural didn't take the first time so I asked for them to give a second.. it took for maybe an hour and then stopped working! My labor was SO bad I was crying so hard I couldn't even produce tears.. the pain I felt was the ripping down there rather then the contractions.. the contractions hurt But they come on for a minute or so then they fully stop and you get a chance to catch your breath.. then they come on again and hurt real bad then stop. I couldn't handle the contractions but I tell you what.. feeling yourself rip right open was like I was dying right there on the table. It was so bad I was convinced I would Never get pregnant again it was straight hell. But now 10 months later I absolutely want another child.. I will just hope to god the epidural works the next time around.

Don't rule out anything is the point.. wait and see if you can handle the pain without it.

I've not had kids, but when my mother had me, she had no epidural and I was two weeks llate after her due date, so I was a big baby. She said it was the most painful thing ever, and way, way more painful than when my brothers were born because I was a big baby. She said she was virtually blind with the pain - having gas and air made her soo nauseaous that she couldn't bear it. I know she was in labour for something like 35 hours, but only remembers an hour or two of it because of the pain. I know she got awful, awful back pains and she had to be cut. I know she has always regretted not getting an epidural.

Usually, big babies will cause you to tear or since you already know your baby will be big, they might already knwo to cut you if your baby comes at the right time. and pushing it out will be the most horrible thing ever. My mum said it felt like trying to push a football through a pin hole, which it quite literally is. Most women say you forget the pain, but my mother hasn't really, so I think it was pretty bad.

There are other less effective options that aren't as good at releiving pain, but will help. I know there are tbalet you can take, and also other types of injections you can have.

mine mum has given birth to 6 babies with no epdiural and she managed just fine a friend of mine had an epidural with her 1st but then the other 4 babies she gave birth without. It all depends on your pain threshold i said i would never have an epdidural when i was pregnant with my 1st but i was in so much pain that i got 1 in the end this time i intend to go without

I gave birth to my first child almost 7 weeks ago, and I did it without any pain meds or epidural. I'm not going to lie--it was the most exhausting and difficult thing that I've ever done. But I don't regret it for a second. I was in labor for about 22 hours and pushing for the last 2 of those until my baby girl finally came. For me, labor got harder as I went along because my contractions got more intense, and by the time I was able to start pushing, I was very tired. My baby girl was crowning for about an hour, which made pushing pretty painful for me. But many women who deliver naturally say that pushing is the least painful part because you're actually able to do something when you have a contraction, and it often doesn't take that long. In my case, I ended up with a 4th degree tear, which is probably why it hurt so much for me. But that won't necessarily be true for you. Many women only have 1st or 2nd degree tears or don't tear at all. I just had a unique delivery. In the end, though, my baby was born very alert, and she took to nursing immediately, which I fully believe is partially because the birth was unmedicated.

My husband and I had prepared for a natural delivery by taking a class on the Bradley method, so we were pretty determined not to have the epidural. When I got to the hospital, I was only 2 centimeters, which made things more difficult because I didn't know how I'd make it through without begging for the epidural since the pain was already pretty bad. But my husband was there with me every step of the way helping me to cope with my contractions by breathing deeply and relaxing through each one. Because of this, I was able to put things in perspective and realize that although I was in extreme pain, it would be over soon and that the end reward was well worth it. To me, having a supportive person there is really the key because if I'd been on my own, I probably wouldn't have done it. But he was there to gently encourage me to keep going, praising my efforts as I went.

Although contractions are very painful, it is possible to relax through them, especially if you can keep in mind that they usually only last about a minute (you can do anything for a minute, right) and that each one is getting you one step closer to meeting your precious baby. It's also a good idea to know some different positions that you can get into to help you get through them. I spent pretty much my entire labor on the birthing ball because that was the most comfortable position for me. But some women prefer standing, getting on all fours, sitting in the tub, etc. You just have to find what works best for you. It's also good to go into it knowing that it's going to be painful, but that the pain is normal and necessary. And I can't tell you how helpful it is to inform yourself about what goes on with your body when you're in labor. We did this by taking a class, and I would definitely recommend that if you're able.

Anyhow, I hope this helps. I didn't want to scare you with anything, but I also don't want to sugar coat things because I think that it's best to have realistic expectations. But if you have the resolve to deliver your baby naturally and a supportive person to help you in this effort, you can do it. Your body was made to do it! So congrats, and good luck! :)

First one I was 17 I didn't have one and it was hard. I'm not going to lie it felt at tho my insides were coming out and my baby was 8'9. My second one was only 7 pounds. I made sure that I had the epidural and I will again with this one. Good luck.

Get the epidural it relaxes you and everything you know when you have to push because you feel all pressure no pain and getting the epidural doesnt hurt. trust me when your going through labor you wont be focusing on the needle your thoughts will be else wear.

My mother had my sister and I with no epidural. She described the pain as feeling like someone was stabbing her with a knife and ripping her stomach out with their bare hands. I don't say that to scare you. I am saying that to tell you what she described the pain as. With that said, she was in labor with my sister for 36 hours and still managed to go 19 hours with me on no medicine so I would guess that there is some reasons to not get one. Good luck on your decision.

hi i had my daughter when i was 18 and i was in labor for 6 hours and did not have the epidutal. Im not gunna lie it was very painful but i have heard that the epidural is like heaven.