I have a few questions

Anaïs • Pregnant with my first! Baby girl is due December 5, 2016 😍😁
First question: Other mothers keep telling me that I need to be prepared to tear and that I'm going to tear no matter what and will be stitched up, and I'll hurt and blah blah blah. Is that even true??
Second question, for mothers who have given birth while using pain medication: I probably won't be able to get an epidural due to spinal rods in place because of a past surgery, but I've been told I can get pain management medication through an IV. Does anyone have experience with those and can offer some insight?
Thank you ❤️🙋🏽