I've had both a medicated birth and a 100% natural, non-medicated birth.
Suffice it to say that when you medicate with things like pain meds, epidural, etc., you eliminate a lot of the pain during labour, but experience it afterward. Whereas when you have no pain relief during, the pain is gone as soon as the baby comes out. I was with midwives in hospital second time around and left 3 hours afterward. I could have walked out but sat in the chair with baby on my lap.
100% preferred my natural birth. No question. I liked being able to feel every part of the process and knowing definitively what was happening each moment. My son was 8lbs, 1oz, so 1.5 lbs bigger than our daughter. I had a minor tear that healed without a stitch.
The recovery was fine for me both times; yes there are after pains and achiness, but nothing unbearable. If you need to take it easy, just do so, listen to your body. If you need to take a pain reliever, do so. I did not personally need that, but at least the option is there.
I loved the iced pads with calendula tincture as they were very soothing the first 2-3 days postpartum.
We live in a world that teaches women to be terrified of labour, when women have been doing it naturally for centuries. You're stronger than you think. One quote that helped me was "the pain is not stronger than me, as it is of me." I was determined to go natural, and I did it.