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Active labor, after they hooked me up to Pitocin. Bleh.

When I got pregnant, lol.

Really though I got it at 6cm.

Uh, before I got pregnant.

I asked for it at 6, made it to 8cm without it, and still had to wait another 1/2 hour before getting it...all of 20 minutes before I started pushing.

6cm after 20 hours of natural labor

At 7cm!

I decided to get an epi before labour! But didn't get it until 10cm (not by choice!) hehe.

7cm when I could no longer take the painful contractions. Wish I could have waited longer but enjoyed being able to relax with the epidural.

I was pretty sure that I was going to get it before I got pregnant. I had a brief interlude of deciding to go all natural while I was pregnant but that didn't last too long =P

I thought (and the doctor thought) that I was still in active labor. I had been in labor for almost 3 days at that point, so I finally succumbed and agreed to the epidural. It turns out I was actually just starting transition. If I had known I was in transition I wouldn't have gotten the epidural, since it's a pretty short (but horribly painful) stage. In any case, it worked out great for me, so I have no real complaints.

@Minnie_Girl: two days of back labor...daaammnn way to go! My epidural stopped working a few times but active labor was only about 12 hours (and early 18 hours, but it didn't get bad until active labor set it). I was begging for an epidural like 3-4 hours into active labor...I don't think I could have handled 2 days! Huge snaps for you!

I labored without pain meds for 12 hours while on cervadil. At that point, they checked and found that I hadn't dilated at all. They offered me a foley catheter induction followed by pitocin, and I accepted the epidural at that point. I had and still have confidence in my ability to handle natural labor. I had no desire to handle the physical stretching of my cervix. Nope! I took the epidural, went through hell when it failed, and then delivered a baby with an apgar of 1 who spent a week in the nicu. SO much fun!

I always knew I wanted an epi. I get severe migraines, and have gotten them my whole life. So I knew how I deal with pain. I'm not good with it, I don't like it, I don't want it. I did the research and decided an epi was for me.

My doc won't let you have one in early labor...I'm hoping to get to about 6-7cm before I get it. The nurses said DEFINITELY get it before transition if you're getting one, because that's the worst part.

eta: I totally misread this. I already know I'm going to have one, I'm just hypothesizing about when I plan on having it!

at 5 cm, right after they administered pitocin. that first contraction after pitocin was terrible.

before i got pregnant. They administered it to me at 8cm. I almost wasnt able to get one because I wasnt in a L&D room yet. my DH and sister demanded one for me, so they did it in triage.

My answer's a mix of three of them. I knew I wanted an epidural before I got pregnant. I came into triage at 4 cm dilated and got my thing which fast tracked me to get an epidural by the time I was admitted. I had to wait an hour or so after being admitted to get the epidural because it was a busy night/day there. So, I got it around 5cm dilated.

I knew I was open to getting one, but was going to try to go without if possible. I got one at 5 cm, about 4 hours after my water broke.

Wanted to go natural but was induced 2 weeks early for high BP, low fluid and heart decels. Held out until I was 6cm. At that point my contractions were 90 seconds long with a 20 second break - basically transition. 5 hours later I was complete. I wish that I was able to hold old longer! Hiring a doula next time!

Waters broke at 530am, went into established labour at 1130, was at 5cm at around 8pm. We transferred to hospital at 11pm and at 1am I hadn't made any further progress so my midwife made the call to give me pitocin at which point I got the epi.