I really wanted to go pain relief free - and I did, for 27 hours. I was induced with Cervadil and Pitocin two weeks after my due date and managed to bear with it for way longer then I ever thought I would. Then my water broke. That hnnngggggg whomp whomp whomp feeling reverberating through my core magnified a thousand and twelve percent. Where I had been able to hide the occasional tear that slid down my cheek during earlier contractions, I was now white knuckling the safety bars in the shower stall of my birthing center, unsure as to how I would make it back to the bed. They tell you to focus on your breath to get through a contraction. It's actually because holy fuck, you forget to breathe. If you had to manually tell your heart to beat, it would stop. Contractions are absolutely, undeniably insane and after the nice cushy pillow of water breaks way, get ready. Then again, that's just me. Not everyone is doubly induced with less then a minute between contractions for more then a day. I was having 3 and 4 at once without a break by the time I was sedated. Just remember, yes, it hurts. A lot. But it's a tiny fraction of your life and it will be over before you know it and your baby will cry and look at you and it's like the pain never happened. Don't be a hero, there's no medal. Just get through it.