Some people are very weird about them, and theres loads of mum shaming for wanting and getting an epi and I think its disgusting.
I didn't want an epidural and my entire family was against them. I got to 6cm without any pain and the nurses couldn't believe it, but they wanted to speed me up for medical reasons so I got hooked up to pitocin. As soon as I was hooked, the contractions were un believable. I laboured on pitocin contractions for 23 hours with contractions every other minute.
I tried my best without an epidural for 23 hours but I was absolutely exhausted with 1cm progression. My family persuaded me for an epidural and I tell you, it was the best decision I made. I managed to progress the last 3 cm in 6 hours, in comparison to 1cm over 23 hours. Now from my experience, I didn't get an epidural because of the pain but because of the absolute exhaustion. I napped through the last 6 hours and I believe this is what helped me dilate. I didn't sleep for two days after that, so it's a good job I napped!
My advice, absolutely do what you want to do but I wouldn't rule it out. I thought I would be a failure because of the way mums talk about pain relief... it seems to these mums that you cheat your way out of the experience and I think its bullshit. It is still HARD. And thank god I had an epidural, because my chunk of a son had shoulder dystocia and it was absolutely horrific to watch, thank god I couldn't feel it. My mental health suffered because of this and it would've been worse if I felt it. However, this is my experience and I am just being brutally honest. My initial birth plan: unmedicated water birth... HAHA.
For my second, I would like to have no epidural but I wouldn't say no to one next time, simply out of fear that something will go wrong again. I would like to try for a water birth (I was 'high risk' last time so I wasn't actually allowed one) but I don't know my options now because of the unfortunate experience I had. I was absolutely against epidurals for my first.
Overall, the epidural allowed me to sleep, regain my strength and help me dilate. I have nothing but praise for them now and I am not ruling it out next time. I wish I got one sooner, because going through everything that I went through for 23 hours was pointless.
My mind changer which I read in a birth blog: 'there is coping with pain and then theres suffering' and this was the sentence that changed my mind to get an epidural.