My third (three years ago) was born without so much as aspirin, and I was flat on my back. I didn’t have access (or the money) for something more natural, but I was too late to the hospital for an epidural (I go VERY VERY FAST from 5 to 10, and I got there at an (because I hate hospitals)(probably because I only know the military kind)and the doc, who was late, ended up using a vacuum to help the little guy out before distress…

What can I say? I don’t know the difference, since I’ve never had an epidural, but my only regret with NOT having an epidural is that, without a midwife, I ended up with monstrous hemmorhoids from the pushing. Recovering from everything else was a cinch. Yea, it hurt. And I vividly remember thinking, because we were not planning a fourth, “Thank God this is the last time I have to push out a dump the size of a watermelon.”

It burned like my vagina was on fire, and then I was holding a beautiful baby boy, and nothing else mattered.

The thing I haven’t seen anyone comment of was to vocalize if you need to. Keep the tones low, but be as loud as you need to be. Thankfully my hospital is used to weird natural birthers so it wasn’t a big deal, but I’m told I was LOUD. Who cares, I was pushing out a nearly 10-lb baby from my 5′2″ frame.

The worst part was the hour afterward where I was exhausted and my bum hurt, but a couple of motrin and a nap and I was literally back to normal. The difference was like night and day, it took forever with my other births to feel mobile again.

Have you read Ina Mae Gaskin’s book, Ina Mae’s Guide to Natural Childbirth? She offers LOTS of suggestions for ways to make childbirth more manageable. She’d rather you weren’t in a hospital at all, but if that’s where you want to be you can still read her book and gain valuable information.

A lot of your commenters have mentioned having a doula present. I’d definitely agree with that - having a trained woman present to support you is incredibly helpful. And I have a super-supportive husband, too! The doula isn’t at all to replace your husband, she’s in addition to him.

Have you considered birthing outside the hospital? Natural childbirth really is a LOT easier if you’re not in the hospital environment. For what it’s worth.

Good luck!

I had my husband read out loud to me during the birth. I find his voice very soothing and it gave me something to think about other than the pain.

When contractions did come, I gripped his hand, breathed deeply and slowly (though with no particular rhythm) and silently counted inside my head until it was over. I don’t know why counting helped, but it did. Another little mental thing to focus on other than pain, I guess.

I liked sitting up in the hospital bed.

Although I freaked out when I learned I wouldn’t get an epidural, by that time I was already at 9 centimeters and had gone through the worst of the labor drug-free without even realizing I had done so. I pushed just a couple of times and the baby came right out. It probably helped that it was my third baby. Although I managed to do it naturally just fine, I don’t know if I could have stood it if I had had to push for hours, like I did with my first.

Good luck!

But that’s not why I’m commenting. I felt the need to share how worrisome it is to hear something like a gasp while a needle is in your back.

During my third pregnancy (one I actually had time for an epidural..my quickie was number two…he’s always been fast at everything) the guy (not a woman, of course) giving me my epidural said s*** as he was poking a needle in my back. I think I stopped breathing. Come to find out, he was cursing about some packaging or something.

I was not happy.

So, I can understand about not wanting to go through that again.

Good luck with baby #4!