An episiotomy was one of my biggest fears too, second only to induction, so I can understand where you are coming from. One thing to remember is that an episiotomy should only be used to expedite delivery so if your OB recommends one it is usually because they need to get baby out straight away (and not always with forceps, sometimes the epis is enough on it's own) so at that point it may be risky to delay things and opt for a CS. Of course you can always say no to any medical procedure, they do need your consent to cut you. Hopefully this will all be a moot point though and you will need neither