I would also recommend a TENS machine, the trick is to put it on early, and have the pads in the right place. I was totally skeptical about them beforehand!! Cheapest place I found was the New Road clinic and it was enough for me for 15 hours. Then had meptid as I'd been almost two days without sleep and was stalling at 2-3cm. I dozed but was still with it enough to press the boost button on the Tens! Came to 1.5 hrs later feeling much perkier and things kicked off nicely! Moved onto G&A when the battery on the TENS went (They found me a spare a while later) but then kept going with both. DD2 born 7 hours after I woke up, and I kept the G&A. I think the promise of food was a good incentive too because I was getting hungry for proper food (and a pint!) while I was pushing

My ds latched on fine and slept no more than dd who was gas and air only so I can honestly say it did not effect him at all.

However I couldn't say for certain that he was okay because of small dose probably but I may have just been lucky.

i was over dosed on pethidine and it ruined my first 3 days off motherhood, i cant remember the birth of ds and his first 2 days, it was horrendous, am now TTC dc#2 and will be electing c-section or epidural.
Good luck

Waterbirth would probably be good for you. Also you can insist gas and air is not taken away from - that is unacceptable.

Warm water works better for me than g&a. I can still remember the relief at getting into the birth pool. Aaaaaahhhhhhhh.

Have you considered hypnosis at all? It's not too late!
Have you considered a waterbirth?

Love my TENS machine - used it alone to get to 9cm before even starting gas and air this time around (in combo with natal hypnotherapy and waterbirth for final part) ...such a different experience to the first two births I had where needed epidurals.

I would second a TENS machine, which aren't too expensive to hire/buy.

I had meptid with my first - I hated it. It didn't help with the pain, it just made me feel out of control. I was actually banging my head against the wall! It turned out I shouldn't have had it because it was an ultrafast first labour and I was already in transition (they didn't do a great deal of checking I have to say, he was almost born in the toilets).

Baby was very drowsy and didn't latch on for days, he had to be fed sips of milk from a medicine cup for the first few days.

My subsequent two were without any pain relief and I much, much preferred that. Plus, your second child onwards is less scary because you have a better idea what you are doing. Anyway, I'm hoping my fourth will also be pain relief free, but I would never say never.

slushy, how did you find breastfeeding? did the pethidine leave baby drowsy or was he ok?

I had half a dose of pethadine (as mw thought I was going to be another day or two)on ds back to back I had it about 30mins to an hour before giving birth my son had no ill effects I didn't feel drowsy and it took the pain away from pushing but not the sensation so I was able to push him out easily considering he was back to back. However if I had had more than half a dose I doubt I would have liked it as half was just enough.