I want to try normal delivery with epidural but I just saw the epidural needle is very thick and long. This is my 1st pregnancy and I am already having mental breakdown due to contraction & labour pains. I had nightmares everynight and cannot sleep from 2am to 6am daily! So seeing this thick needle makes me even more stressed and scary now. I am really scared of pain extremely. How do they administer into the spinal or epidural space? Is it going to be very painful when they insert into the spine? Any anesthesia to numb the spine area prior insertion of the epidural needle?

My contraction started at home so can imagine how painful i was by the time I reached the hospital. When the nurse brief me on the risk of epidural to get consent I said just give it to me now now now! But they said have to wait for the anaesthetist to arrive, laughing gas doesn’t work for me. So when I have my second child I opt for it in advance even before the pain comes. In both cases I don’t remember much if the injection is painful, but the contraction is definitely very painful. I have friends who give birth naturally without epidural, I can never understand how is that possible.