I hope that people post about their good experiences here to reassure you. I know what you mean, I was set on an epidural and then my NCT class was down on them, and I read about all these other things, and it freaked me out.

But I see people post positive things about epidurals every day here. Yes, there are risks. But what's most likely? You have to ask yourself that because childbirth can not be predicted 100%. So what's the most likely thing to happen? That you get pain relief.

I'm scheduled for a c-section and even with that, there are uncertainties. It could end in a hysterectomy or heart attack. But in all likelihood, I'll come out of it okay and baby will be safe. So that's something to hold on to.

Make the best decision you can with the information that you have. And trust that you will be okay.