I had an epidural with DS1 and used gas only for DS2. After I had the epidural, I had no pain at all, BUT my second birth was by far my favourite. If I had known then what I know now, I would never have had an epidural. The choice of pain relief is a very personal thing, and this is my experience (not anyone else's), but here are the reasons why I wish I hadn't had an epidural:

- it prolonged my labour and inhibited my ability to push which caused DS to become distressed, which meant forceps were needed, which meant a tear, which meant an episiotomy, which meant stitches and weeks of pain.
- I have had recurring haemorrhoids since that labour, and I feel that the inability to feel myself push was the main cause of that
- I had to have a catheter which restricted my movement for 24 hours afterwards
- Having had drugs in my body caused me to feel unwell (esp since I have low bp anyway, and that lowered it so much that I had to push lying down or I was dizzy and sick from low bp), so I was pretty immobile for the first couple days afterwards and didn't feel well
- I know now that I was given misinformation about how much longer I would be in labour, and that the pain I was feeling was due to me lying on my back which is not a good position to be in labour. Never make a decision on pain relief while on your back, read New Active Birth, find a position which opens your pelvis and feels comfortable and try that without drug first.

In contrast, DS2 was a 3 hr labour, with a tiny tear but I felt no pain from it afterwards, and despite having been sick with gastro for 4 days before going into labour, and being dehydrated, I felt awesome afterwards. I could get up and walk around immediately and I felt really well and able to look after my own baby and myself. Sure I felt pain during labour, but it was manageable with a good position and concentrated breathing (this is why the gas helped I think, I focused properly on my breathing). Plus, the amazing feeling of achievement and empowerment I felt from birthing the way I wanted to was the best feeling I have ever had. If I ever give birth again, I would want to have an experience like my second birth (no epidural) and not my first.

This is of course JMO, but I hope it helps you to make a decision. I strongly recommend reading up on natural birth vs pain relief, read New Active Birth as a starting point, and know what you want ahead of time (you are in no position to make a decision when pressure is applied and you are in labour). All the best, I wish you a great birthing experience.