20+ hours of back-to-back labour, and it was brilliant because 1. it allowed me sleep between contractions 2. I could feel the contractions but not the pain. It felt like a miracle. The UK practice of getting new mothers home as fast as possible, often following very long labours meant that without the epidural I would have had charge of a new baby after 50 hours of no sleep and severe physical suffering. One further thing - I attended NCT classes and the teacher was really not keen on discussing the possibility of epidural, and talked about women 'succeeding' in having natural births....not helpful! I really agree with JuliaBts (comment 5 from the top) - feeling in control and respected so you're not tensed up is the very best starting point. If your partner drives you to hospital, make sure you're as comfortable as you can be in the car and get your partner to drive steadily and sensibly and try to keep calm - you don't want to arrive at the hospital pumped full of adreneline through stress as that might well interfere with the hormonal processes your body's going through! Let any midwives and medical staff who are involved with your labour and delivery know your wishes and, crucially, be friendly and polite to them and you'll get respect and support back. Humour and smiles and gratitude help loads to bond with your delivery team, which is a brilliant starting point for whatever happens during your labour. I