Preparing Body for Childbirth

I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but I am planning on going the all-natural route for this childbirth thing. Yep, I'm crazy. There are many personal reason I want to try it naturally. Here are just a few:

1. I HATE the thought of needles going into my back or my gums. I get cavities filled without medication.
2. I want to be able to feel what is happening with my body.
3. I want to be able to push as great as I can.
4. I want to be able to walk around, try different birthing positions, spend lots of time in the tub, etc. I can't do these things with an epidural.
5. My body is made to do this.
6. I want to be able to shower immediately after.

Watch me beg for an epidural the minute a contraction starts. Ha! Who knows. I'm definitely NOT against it if I need it.

All that being said...I'm trying to really prepare myself for this. I am not going into this most difficult thing I'll do physically light hearted. I know it will hurt like hell, I know I will beg to die, I know I might tear, I know I will get so tired I will want to give up. I know these things. I'm not kidding myself, but I'm going to give it my all.

I want to prepare myself physically as much as possible. I've heard really great things about prenatal yoga. I'm planning on going to my first class this Thursday. This should be fun considering I'm the LEAST flexible person in the whole entire world. I can't imagine how much I will humiliate myself, but screw it. I'll get better. I also really need to get back into this running thing. I've been slacking lately, and I'm not sure why. I think running is hard at this point, but I've heard giving birth is harder than running marathons, so no telling how I will handle having this baby..

All I can say is pray for me. I've still got a few months to go (3-4), but time is flying by, and I'm getting more and more anxious about this birth process. I keep daydreaming about how the series of events will go down. I keep wondering if I will go into labor naturally, if I'll be induced since he is already measuring so big, if I will be at home or work or grocery shopping like my mom was when her water broke with me, if I will have to have a C-section, if it will be during the week or weekend, etc. It's fun to think about these things, but the closer it gets to show time, the more panicky I get. I'm sure this is normal, though.

Question for the moms out there: How/where did you go into labor?