Very interesting article. I'm tempted to post it to facebook, but not feeling quite masochistic enough to deal with the storm of raining opinions. 

And, for the record, for you never know who is wandering about your site, none of this is from a place of judgement of anyone else's decisions. Interventionist births do not make bad mothers, nor are women who go through natural births better, stronger women. Just my (generally changing) opinion.

A few points I agree with/understand to be true from other sources:

1. Epidurals increase labor time, making birth last significantly longer.

2. Epidurals increase the need for intervention, like forceps (which scares the bejeezus out of me. You're going to put forceps in my vagina, then clamp them on to my baby's mushy, tender skull, and yank it out by it's head? No, thanks).

3. The pain of labor can (not, notice, always does) create the chemicals for a stronger, instant connection. I know a woman who had two babies without epidurals. The first one was a long and painful labor, the second was short and easy. But she had a stronger bond with the first instantly. With the second, it came later. Not for everyone, but I think there is real value in working and fighting for someone. Sort of a, out of great pain can come great joy kind of thing.

4. The best thing for moving the labor along is to be upright and pushing, but epidurals keep either of those things from happening.

I don't agree with the statement that labor prepares women for the pain of motherhood. That just sounds like something a man would say, and it kind of ruins is scientific approach.

I think perhaps there is more middle ground than either side presented indicates, but that's generally the case with polarizing opinions. I think that epidurals have their use, but I also think my body was made for this. A woman I know described her birth with an epidural as "pressure, and then....blibbityblehh  (supposed to be a sound of a slithering kind of noise, sort of ). 

And that's just not enough for me. I want to be totally aware of my child being born, of the amazing act my body is performing out of instincts I don't understand. I want to be actively pushing and a part of the process, not lying down drugged while my body acts without me (and I may have that part wrong, I am not an expert. Feel free to correct me). 

The comments at the bottom of the article were very interesting, too, so if you've any interest in the subject you may enjoy reading them. 

Besides, how can we brag about how tough women are to be able to stand childbirth, if we're not actually feeling it?