I had an epidural with DS#2. I had a traumatic, long first labour with a terrible recovery (due to blood loss) so I chose an epidural the second time around to give me a chance to rest as last time I was a write-off for weeks afterwards.

For me it was nearly completely painless, but I still felt pain at the top of my ribs where the epi couldn't reach. It was still heaps better though! I could feel each contraction, but they just didn't hurt.

Re: your question about how much pain you have to be in before you get one, it just depends on your hospital. I was managing the pain really well, but I asked for an epi at 5cm and when I told them about my first labour they didn't hesitate and organised one straight away. I think private hospitals are a bit more sparing with epidurals due to the costs, but again it will depend on the hospital. Maybe you could ask your hospital at your next visit?

Yes I did have to just sit around for the next couple of hours, but it was so relaxing and enjoyable that I didn't mind at all. My epi started wearing off when it came time to push and I pushed my DS out by myself within 15 minutes.

I personally had a good experience, but not everyone does. I probably could have gone through labour without it because I was handling it so well using lots of relaxation techniques and deep breathing, but because of my previous trauma I felt an epidural was what I needed to make the whole experience positive for me.

It is definitely worth looking at natural pain relief methods first as they really do work.

HTH