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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I had a long labor (45 hours with 4 hours of pushing) without an epidural and I don't regret it for a second. I was really committed to doing it without drugs, so never asked for them - but I honestly don't remember it hurting *that* badly except for the crowning. That pain I can't even describe, but even that was manageable because it felt so productive and I knew my baby would be out soon. My labor was exhausting and I distinctly remember silently wishing for a c-section, but it never occurred to me to ask for an epi. Moral of the story: everyone handles labor differently. But if you want to go med-free you need, in my opinion, to be 100% committed and you need to be prepared (doula, educated partner, coping mechanisms, etc.).[/quote]

I'm glad to hear someone else felt this way (silently wishing for a c-section)!  My first unmedicated birth was much shorter than yours - about 6 hours of painful labor, with 45 minutes of pushing - but it was painful and intense.  No breaks between contractions, and each lasted way longer than a minute.  During transition I could barely catch my breath, and that's when I remember silently wishing that someone would just do a c-section and make it all stop.  But - like they say - the moment you feel that way (that you can't handle it any more) is usually the moment when you are fully dilated and ready to push.  Soon after I remember thinking that, they told me to start pushing, which was such a relief.  I do not regret no epi at all.  It was a short amount of time to be in pain relatively, and I recovered quickly, felt fully part of the process and mostly in control (until that wishing-for-c-section moment!).  Second birth was epi-free as well, much quicker, and the contractions much more manageable.  Fingers crossed for the third.[/quote]

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