Back when I was "preparing" for labor, I read all kinds of helpful stuff about managing labor pain. Like how I should practice by holding an ice cube in my hand as long as I could. Really? As someone who has Been To The Mountain And Back, that was totally unhelpful. Holding ice prepares you for labor pains my ass. Not the same thing, people! Not the same thing.

So what IS helpful? An epidural, obviously. But perhaps you want to attempt an unmedicated birth. Or maybe you just want to postpone that epidural as long as possible -- people have good reasons for doing that. Here are some pain management tips that will at least help you through the first few hours of labor before things get really insane.

I think it's pretty safe to say I was not prepared for labor. Oh, I sure thought I was. I read lots of books, and I did exercises, and I did loads of visualization (i.e., daydreamed about how Zen-like I would be in the face of contractions -- unmedicated!). But as long as you're unwilling to face how mind-blowingly painful and unpredictable labor can be, you're going to get your ass kicked.

I got my ass kicked.

Literally. I had back labor, which felt like a sledge hammer slamming into my tail bone over and over again. I did not anticipate that! It made me do crazy, crazy things. 

There are some women that love being pregnant. I have one friend with five kids that even loves the whole labor process. Other women (like me) might like the idea of growing a human in theory, but don’t care for the whole process of it. Seriously -- I missed my ankles too much to thoroughly enjoy pregnancy. Then there are the women that are allergic to it.

Yes! Allergic to pregnancy. Zuleika Closs, 26, developed a burning, itchy rash all over her body while she was pregnant with her now four-month-old son Emmanuel. They came on when she was about 20 weeks pregnant, and while they are still fading, she will likely have scars for the rest of her life.

Any mom who has a birth plan in place wants to do everything in her power to stick to it, but sometimes things don't exactly go as planned during labor & delivery -- as one mom named Emily knows all too well.

Emily shared her birth story of her second son with CafeMom Studios, and she explained how she was determined to give birth to him vaginally since she'd been put under and had a C-section with her first child. She wanted to be able to witness her precious boy coming into the world no matter what happened -- which is why she had no choice but to muster all of her courage when she begged for a second epidural, and her midwife refused.

Molly Sims may not be the most high-profile pregnant woman in Hollywood, as stars like Jessica Simpson seem to soak up most of the spotlight, but she is one of my favorites. Though she's an excited first-time mother, she also has a refreshingly laid back attitude about the whole pregnancy thing -- especially when it comes to pain management during labor. 

In a recent interview with Access Hollywood, she talked about how she's preparing for the arrival of her baby with producer husband, Scott Stuber. “We’re just reading and taking it all in. I’m definitely going to do a birthing class, which we’re just about to start. I’m going to learn how to breathe and be zen." 

Which sounds great, but also made me roll my eyes a little, until I read the rest of her statement. 

A few months ago, if someone would have asked me -- and trust me, someone would have asked me -- how I planned on giving birth, I would have said natural. Not, like, at home in a birthing tub natural, but sans any drugs natural -- no inducing, no pitocin, and definitely not an epidural.

I've never had anything against epidurals. Plenty of people I know have had them, and both they and their kids are perfectly fine. Before I got pregnant, I was planning on getting one myself. But the more things I started hearing about epidurals (how they totally numb you from the waist down; how you might not be able to push), and the more I realized that I'm not very good with drugs, I thought: Maybe it's not for me.

But now that I'm getting closer to my due date, an epidural is looking awfully attractive. Oops, did I just say that out loud?

Okay, so for the past few days, I've been getting educated by Alice and Eden on the end of the third trimester and getting labor started naturally via CafeMom Studio's Mom-Ed: Childbirth videos. It's been super helpful, super interesting stuff, but I've gotta say -- today's video takes the cake. The ladies talk about what happens once labor starts. And it's so not what I thought. Check out the video, then let's discuss.

Pregnancy is a game-changer. Not only does your life change forever, but your day-to-day becomes much different. One of the most stressful things can often be how hard pregnancy can be on the body. Sure you may be glowing, but those aches and pains, heartburn, and hemorrhoids are making you cranky. To top it all off, you can't just go taking a lot of medicine since many things aren't safe or the effects aren't really known when it comes to the baby inside your belly.

If you're planning on going a more natural or home-based route, or just want some easy pregnancy-safe OTC meds, I've got some suggestions approved by doctors.