I just found out today that the hospital I will need to give birth at (which already happens to be a 45 minute drive away because I live in a small town and the hospital here does not do births...) is unable to give an epidural. I was counting on it... I've had one before, it worked well for me, I don't want to go without pain killers and I was truely counting on having this option and now I am even more terrified about giving birth in a hospital 45 minutes away that I can't even have an epi at... I will admit I don't know what my alternatives are at this point... I have signed up for prenatal classes and will assess my options when they go through them there before I officially start freaking out... Again, I don't know what the alternatives are but from what I have heard of some of them they leave you feeling high or out of it. My experience with an epidural was good. No high, no pain. I don't want to be doped up when I hold our baby the first time...😔 If all the alternatives will leave me doped up I am seriously considering asking if they will schedule me for an induction in the city (3 hours away) where I can get an epidural... But I don't know if there are other risks that would accompany that which could outweigh the benefit...

Any ladies with experience on alternative pain relief options that you were given to the epidural? Did they leave you feeling doped up or did you feel fine? Thanks ladies.