Nonie, I agree with everyone else, don't listen to these people. You have no idea how YOU will cope with your labour until YOU are in labour! It is ridiculous to try to paint everyone with the same brush.

With my DD I really, really wanted to try to have a drug free labour if it was possible, I was really scared of having an epidural (my grandfather had one for a minor surgery once and woke up paralysed from the waist down - for the first few days they didn't know if it was going to be permanent or not, luckily it wasn't, but it has really turned me off epidurals) BUT was going to wait and see how I went and keep an open mind.

As it turned out, I had a reeeeeeeeally long labour (72 hours), I did most of the work at home, by the time I got to the hospital I was 8cm dialated and only then did I have some gas. That's all I needed. I am very proud of the way I laboured, even though I thought it was never going to end!

Everyone is different, don't listen to people who are trying to put you off with their negativity.