I personally did not have a very good experience with an epidural. I was in strong labour for 12 hours before having it, then it slowed my labour down, I hated the feeling of being stuck on the bed, then after 2 and a half hours of pushing I was exhausted and ended up with a high forcep delivery, for which the epidural was not working so no pain relief during the forcep delivery even though a top up had been administered.

I do have alot of friends that have had epidurals and loved it, so I think it really does come down to research and figuring out what is the best option for you.