hour labour not because of any problems or complications but because of the situation at the time. I was given the epidural 45 hours in and believe me I had no choice, up until that point I'd had nothing. For a first time labour you have to remember several things: 1. Don't beat yourself up, the birth you planned may not be the birth you get. Don't feel guilty about choices you make, you do what you can in the circumstances you are given. 2. Be strong about what you want and say it. 3. Have a supportive and attentive birth partner with you, make sure they know exactly what you want and get him/her to write down any instructions and/or developments, eg. what time checks by midwives done, what time medicine given. 4. The pain will be what it will be, if you are in pain do what you need to get through it, scream, shout, go silent, sit, stand, lie down. 5. Relax. I agree with regordane above, in the majority of cases labour is not horrifying, neither is giving birth. This is something your body has evolved to do and women have been doing it for millenia. Funny how you never hear the positives. I think the section on epidurals could be more nuanced - if you have a skilled anaesthetist you can still feel the contractions - it is untrue that you feel nothing and are reliant on the midwife - I had an epidural following