Due to medical reasons I was induced and my contractions started at 40 seconds apart. I lasted for 1.5 hours and after being told i was 4cm dilated and had hours to go i opted for the pain relief. It took 45 minutes for the epidural to arrive and in that time i dilated another 4cm, though we did not know this until after the epidural was administered. In that time I was in complete agony and felt absolutely no control at all. I could not breathe and no amount of reassurance from my dh or great midwife could help me. I was so thankful for the epidural as it meant I could finally relax and 'enjoy' my daughters entry into the world. I did not feel her grand entrance and yes I did push for 2 hours more than likely due to the epidural but i honestly would not change a thing. Even though I was prepared for an epidural i did feel like a failure at the time because my labour was only 6 hours in total but in hindsight I was relaxed for her actual birth and have wonderful memories of this special moment. It is entirely a personal decision but if you think it will give you more control then it may be the best thing for you.