I went in with a plan in regards to medication... I wanted an epidural and all the drugs in the world... however things don't always go according to plan!! I was offered a shot of morphine to ease the edge off contractions... as I have never had this drug before I think I was a little "high". I asked the nurse if I could still have an epidural once morphine has worn off and she said sure. However.... whilst on the morphine I dialated to 7cm and the nurse refused to give me an epidural.. so all I ended up having was the gas (which did not much after my waters broke). My advise is stick to your plan if you don't like too much pain. However I must say that I was impressed after the birth that I survived with just gas. You will know when the time comes what you would like in terms of medication etc. Goodluck