It's probably very individual, and probably changes with each birth......but I found water BLISSFUL!!!!! I really enjoyed DS1's birth, and that's mostly down to using water for probably 9-10 out of 14 hours. I used the shower earlier on, and then the bath when I was getting past 5cm (approx) and getting a bit desperate. And then I used gas in the bath from transition, it was fantastic!

A great experience for me . But I guess it's one of those things that you don't really know until you're in the moment. Sorry, that's not very helpful!!!