Hi, at the opposite end of the scale, I had both my babies in the last 12 months and used hypnobirthing for both very successfully - plus a little gas and air at the very end. My second baby was 10lb! Pre attending a course (that i paid for) I would have been the first to go for an epidural but that's because no one had honestly talked to me about what to expect and I was frightened. Research suggests that frightened women experience a lot more pain. What do you think about investing some of the money spent on epidurals on better briefing / alternative birthing techniques?