Natural (un-medicated) Childbirth

For some reason, I felt that I needed to have an un-medicated birth with my first pregnancy. After 23 hours of labor and the help of a "doula"...the mission was accomplished. I learned much about myself, my body, my child, and even God, through that experience. I am now 30 weeks into my second pregnancy and starting to contemplate what I want to do this time around. I feel that I need a little more mental preparation if I am to succeed again. I'm keeping an open mind and not feeling quite as much pressure to go natural, even though I have seen the benefits, but want to give it my best shot. That is why I have begun taking a "Hypnobirthing" course. The idea of "hypnotism" may sound weird at first, but it is nothing like what you have probably been trained to think. It is really just a very deep form of relaxation, visualization, and being able to tap into the parts of your brain that can aide you in many ways...including pain relief. I have been so impressed thus far and am anxious to see what it will do for this coming birth adventure!