Birth, Natural or pain-killers? Options

[CloudNine]

I've searched this topic and I've found nothing on it. I think I would prefer pain-killers because of how much it's supposed to hurt but I also am a chicken when it comes to needles (epiderals would scare the crap out of me lol) so I was thinking about the natural birth? My mother had a natural birth and she said it was painfull at first but it eventually goes numb. What is your opinions?

I've also heard of natural births in a tub with water which sounded a little strange to me.

[Chii]

wouldn't that almost drown the baby when it comes out though? 

i would want pain killers in the hospital.  but maybe natural.  if i could handle the pain (which i probably couldn't) then i'd just do it naturally.

but my mom said the used pain killers the first time (for my brother) and the second time she could handle it (with me) and she gave birth naturally.  i guess i could do that 

that wouldn't drown the baby when it's born, the umbilical cord is still attatched which gives the baby air and food. studies have shown that babies born in a tub or in water are calmer.

on july 1st, my half sister in law gave birth to a baby boy, she had a natural birth because it was too late for the pain killers...she said it was the worst pain imaginable she also said that there's this monitor thing that shows the contractions and how bad they were, hers were off the charts... but she was only in labor for 5 hours so it can't be that bad.

i'd have a natural birth even though when i got my ears pierced a second time i felt like i was going to die ...because my boyfriend's genes are kind of the weak side and my skin is allergic to certain medical lotions so i wouldn't want to risk hurting my baby with pain killers.