My husband sometimes gives anaesthetic to those giving birth. I didn’t have an epidural but he tells me you’ve got women in labour literally sitting having a nice chat being told they are having a contraction because they can’t feel it. Opt for everything to be as pain free as possible, ignore the natural birth types and make it easy on yourself.
My second was an elective C section, literally you turn up and hand yourself over. Yes the recovery is slower but the actual birth is no effort and incredibly controlled and calm.
And keep away from the types who delight in telling you the worst birth stories, they will be about.
It’s a day, keep telling yourself is a twenty four hour period and you may be one of those incredibly lucky women who do the birth thing fast and easily and then it’s way less than a day.
I went into hospital with my first at 7am buying the papers en route, went into labour properly by late morning and my first was born by 3.15pm. Was back home eating all the previously banned for pregnancy food by 9pm. Recovery was really fast from that birth, think I was out and about shopping a couple of days later.
The reward is seeing yourself and your partner in miniature for the next however long it takes for them to get bigger than you, and it’s great.