Wow, my sister has backed me up! She's a speech and language therapist, working with children, and does a lot of work on how brain stresses at birth can affect speech (yeah, she did get the family brains!) and tells me that an epidural means that although the mum can't feel the pain/stress, the baby could be and you need to feel what the baby's going through or something... well, sounded all reasonable to me! My argument was that if I can't take a painkiller the day before for a headache then how on earth are stronger drugs better a day later! She said that when DH was in the room too (at my parents', not at the wedding) so although he's OK with the thought I want him really on my side at the time.

Although she and one other girl are the only two people I know who want drug-free births, but knowing that my sister and I have similar pain thresholds it's good to know that she thinks we can cope with it too!