qtmama replied: "I remember googling this same question a little over 9 months ago. At 37 weeks I was induced for high blood pressure too. When I knew that I would probably be induced, I was terrified that my plan for natural childbirth would go down the drain. We've all heard terrible things about the pain of pitocin induced labor! I talked to my midwife, and she said I could try natural still. I was already 3cm dilated and 95% effaced when I went in, so she said it might go quick, as many labors do involving high blood pressure. She said the epidural also helps to speed up labor for some reason, only in the case of high blood pressure, so not to give up my plan of natural childbirth, but not to rule out the fact an epidural may be helpful - just wait and see what happens. A doctor had to be on call as back-up in case I needed magnesium sulfate...or a c-section. So I got hooked up to the pitocin at the lowest dose. I asked the nurse if people ever have natural childbirth without an epidural. She told me she did, but back then she didn't have a choice and not to do it. I was going to go for it anyways. After 5 1/2 hours of fun contractions (exciting because they weren't painful yet), pole dancing with my pitocin drip, sneaking fries because I was starving, my midwife decided to break my water. They had gradually increased my pitocin to still a relatively low dose, but they didn't want to give me too much more because, like I mentioned already, I was already 3cm dilated and 95% effaced before they even started the induction! (I only had braxton-hicks contractions before that so I was surprised when my midwife told me I was that far along!) After my midwife broke my water, things quicky got serious. After about 2 1/2 hours, I was in miserable pain. I couldn't stay on the ball anymore, hands and knees wasn't helping, and I couldn't stop vomiting. And this sounds crazy, but I was actually relieved to vomit because it took the pressure and focus off of my lower abdomen where the contractions were at that point. They decided to check and see where I was because I was starting to think about drugs. If I was 8 or 9 cm, which I thought I HAD to be, I didn't want them, but if I wasn't that far, I would consider them. I was surprised to hear that I was only at 4cm!!! Typically you dilate about 1 cm every 1-2 hours. I knew I couldn't stand to be in that much pain for at least 6 more hours. My contractions were too close together, so they turned the pitocin down to the lowest dose again, but it didn't help. So I asked for a dose of stadol in my IV. That was a joke. It helped me to relax in my 1 second between contractions, but I still felt every one just as bad. I was so tense it was ridiculous. All I could do was lay on my side with my eyes closed. I didn't know anything that was going on around me. I tuned out my husband, I didn't want anyone to talk to me or touch me...and screaming was out of the question. That would have been too much work. I just felt like I was trapped in this black whole. I remember telling my husband, "Remind me later to tell you why this is a scam," meaning the pain meds! And that's all I had time to say to him because the contractions were so close and I couldnt talk during them. I just layed there while the nurses told me I was their ideal patient, but on the inside I was thinking, "It's because I'm in so much pain but too out of it to tell anyone or to move!" I decided not to get another dose because it didn't really help and just made me tired. I was still so tense. I remember telling myself " i just need to try to relax. just breath through the contractions and imagine myself opening like a flower" or whatever it was the childbirth books said. So, I made a conscious effort to relax and take slow, deep breaths. The second contraction I did that through, I felt like it just kept moving down through my vagina. I felt like it was my daughter's head, so I told my husband to go get the nurse. She came in, and the first thing I said was, " I hope that's my baby's head, because if it's not and that's how the contractions are going to feel, then I want an epidural!" And I was serious about the epidural at that point. But as soon as she looked, she said, "that's your baby's head, it's right there!" She called my midwife, who had gone to take a nap in her office (it was 12:45am when I was 4cm and got the pain meds so she figured it would be awhile too!). She got there pretty quick. I only pushed through 3 contractions before her head was out. From the time the nurse came into the room when my husband went out to get her, to the time my daughter was out, was only 25 minutes. I remember thinking "I can't do this for 2 hours (average pushing time for first delivery), I've got to get her out now!" I went from 4cm to time to push in 50 minutes. I wish I hadn't gotten the dose of stadol. If I had only known how fast I would progress! And I'm sure glad I didn't get the epidural. It"

happy0623 replied: "my sister in law was the opposite...used nothing the first time around..and I was absoultely amazed at how well she did. The second time around..she used an epidural...and I would almost say I think she seemed like she did much better without it."