re: What medications would you recommend for Labor? (First timer

this is pretty much our info... as I said, if you have the epidural and the oxytocin drip, that will speed it up. I was talking about epidural alone

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a542571/epidural

Quoting Jas Mum of 4:" epidurals slow down your labour, I had one with my first, couldn't feel to push and had to have forceps. ... [snip!] ... Go into labour with the attitude that it's gonna hurt but, it's REALLY going to be worth it... and see how you get on"

Not in every case. I stalled at 4cm for 4 hours with my 4th. I got an epidural and 40 minutes after the anesthesiologist was done, she was crowning. Sometimes an epidrual can speed up labor; especially if anxiety is what is preventing labor from progressing.

No epidural, and stadol, and relaxation and breathing properly is my formula of choice! Stadol gave me a nice nap while I progressed some more.