i'll be 25 weeks on monday but i cant stop thinking about the labour and birth! reading my pregnancy books non stop about the kind of pain relief etc but i dnt no which to choose! i no i have a while to wait yet but never no when jnr might want to show!!

i definately dont want an epidural, the thought of having no control over my bottom half frightens me! part of me wants to just use the gas and air as i will be more alert and eager to c the baby after whereas with other pain relief all u want to do is sleep coz ur off your head on pain killers haha!

what are ur views on pain releif and which will u ladies choose?! xx

Me too, I saw a picture in one of the books the midwife gives you and its scared me to death

lol! what pain relief are you goin for?

I don't think we have gas/air as an option here - could be wrong - but have never heard anyone I know mention it. I am contemplating a home birth, so if that is the way it goes, then I can't really have any pain meds! I don't know - trying not to think about the pain to come!!! OMG!

there is a post about this exact thing i would read what is being said there is alot of good info labour :(

Some sort of magic way to get the baby out

i thought the epidural alone you would still be quite conscious and able to know whats happening, but the other drugs like pethidine and morphine can make you totally out of it, i had all 3 last time i think and to be honest don't want any painkiller injections but would opt for an epidural if possible. i was in labour from the Sunday afternoon until the Monday night until baby was born at 6pm and i didn't get an epidural until 4pm on the Monday and was so relieved after i got it, it was like someone had hit a switch and i was pain free ! xx

I agree.

If I were having a natural birth I would have an epi but no pain meds. It is my assumption that the pain meds cross the planceta and baby is "groggy" when born. Where as the epi none of that is passed to the baby.

Epi is my BEST FRIEND in labor...I try to wait until I cant take the pain any longer...but my pains are too strong....I have a high tolerance for anesthesia so they have to give me a few epi shots before it kicks in...1st pregnancy...they only gave me 3... I was able to move a bit and I felt the contractions ONLY when they hit high but I didn't feel pain when baby came out...with my 2nd they had to give me 5 lol...I was a bit HIGH off it lol for a few minutes before I was able to go to sleep for a bit...then I started to feel the contractions again when they were high (like hitting 100% in the machine)...I felt alot of pressure but no pain again...however, I was not able to move my legs..but that was ok with me...it is no big deal to me...because I was in bed the whole time...busy with the labor...and after that I just went straight to sleep for observation and the medicine wore off in the process lmao.
oh I forgot...my 2nd ripped my private a bit but it didnt need stitches...I didn't feel pain but I did feel it pop...so I knew what had happened...
it all depends on the person hun...some women can move some cant...some only half of ther bodies get numb...some feel a bit of pain and some don't feel anything at all...some like it and some dont...
and some LOVE IT LIKE ME!!!!! EPI!!!!!!