Question:
Are there other pain medicine alternatives when giving birth other than an epidural?

I'm due in February and I've read about the pro's and con's of an epidural. I just wanted to know if there were any other alternatives for the pain. Just trying to hit all the bases.

Answer: Yes there are. You could have IV pain meds during delivery. You could also have a block done on the nerves in the pelvic floor just prior to delivery. I've had two kids and honestly the most painful part was the contractions before delivery. I had back labor with the first(which I could not have stood without the epidural) and stomach labor with the second(which I could have endured with just pain meds, but the anesthesiologist kept pushing for me to get the epi so he wouldn't have to come back later if I decided the pain was too much)