Check with them before you start munching in the labor and delivery room. Take pain medication. If you have tried and cannot endure the pain of birth, ask your provider about pain medications. It is wise to know which medications are available prior to labor and your feelings about taking them. Even if you have opted for natural birth, you will not know what to expect from your body and mind until you are in the delivery room.
Every woman has a different threshold for pain.
Listen and respond to your body. You will learn vital information about how birth occurs and what to expect from your body. Make a birth plan. Anticipate the things that make you feel comfortable and the things that don't. Give a copy of the plan to your provider and have your partner give one to the nurses upon arrival.