Hi Sarah,

I had the same plan as you with our first. No epidural, but gas and pethidine would be ok.

I found walking helped me with the pain and hot water on my back was absolutely heaven. You will find that you will get yourself into a position that is right with you and comfortable. I was ****ed off when they made me stay on the bed with a monitor strapped to me but i just sorted myself and found a position that helped relieve pain abit.
I didnt end up using any pain relief which wasnt my plan as mentioned before but i didnt find the pain to bad. It wasnt good but it wasnt unbearable. I always thought i had a very low pain threshold to. Lol dont know what happened.
Just remember when the contractions start say to yourself "right, im going to just get on with it and get this baby out". It worked for me.

Good luck with it, and try to relax through contractions to.