hardly any pain. no tearing. no excessive bleeding. it was ACE! Studies have shown pain is mainly in the mind, and therefore relaxation techniques are very very powerful. I used breathing learned from yoga throughout my 2-day labour and it helped immensely. I had a back to back labour and was unable to lie down due to back pain. I spend my time sitting on a birthing ball with a tens machine. I was able to get to the end without any drugs. It's also a long labour with a day of back to back before my baby turned inside. (What a difference it makes to pain once they've turned)! Birth pools are really good too, but the one in the hospital broke down when I gave birth. But I get to sit in a normal bath tub and I can feel the difference it makes. I used a tens machine early on which was excellent, then I sat in a water bath which worked for a while - but the pain suddenly ramped up so I went for the suggested epidural, I had the problem of the epidural not working at all and the baby was stuck pushing into my lower back... You can plan for the birth but you never really know how its going to be until you are there. You really won't know what's going to work for you till you're there actually doing it. I know quite a few parents who spent a fortune on