It is a horrible pain, but it is a pain that you can deal with iykwim? Something that helped me so much in labour was being prepared, understandinf what would be happening to my body i found being prepared helped me so much as i wasnt scared at all.
I did end up with an epi as i was stuck at 9cm for 8hrs so that was agony, Silly me i wouldnt let her pop my waters so i had the epi, she then popped my waters and then he very suddenly came out within 30 odd mins of having the epi.

Having the epi so late on i think was exactly how i would want it again tbh, My main fear of labour was the ring of fire of baby crowning and i didnt feel that atall with the epi however i could feel him coming out just no pain, i could feel my urges to push just no pain :0 so that was perfect for me i would do it all again the same if i could evan the pain of being stuck for 8hrs i genuinley loved labour and the pain really is nothing to be scared about if you get in the right frame of mind it will help so much .

I had an epidural and it worked really well given the circumstances I was in. My midwife was aware that I wanted a natural delivery with minimal medical intervention; unfortunately I got an infection and I was having a fever during labour, and my contractions were very ineffective. After hours of labour I was making very little progress and I was very tired. To prevent exhaustion at the pushing stage, my midwife - in consultation with the OB-GYN at the hospital - recommended me to have an epidural so I could take a break and rest some. The epidural worked very well and I was able to get the rest I needed. I did not feel the pain from the contractions, but I was still able to feel the pressure from the baby. I could move my legs if I wanted to but I was too tired at that point to move; I think I actually slept. I gave a lot of credit to the anesthesiologist; I think he did a really great job as I didn't feel pain or anything when he inserted the needle and he did it in one try.

When I was planning the birth and selecting my primary caregiver, I came to the conclusion that every labour is different and that things could go sideway at any point; I wanted my primary caregiver to understand and respect my wishes with regards to the delivery, but at the same time I need to trust her when it comes to medical advises. I am glad that I took the advise of my midwife and had the epidural.

I did not want an epidural because I wanted to be able to move around and get in the shower/bath to help with pain, but I had been induced due to pre-e and was strapped to the bed with monitors and IVs (one in each arm) anyway. So I said forget that be in terrible pain (given pitocin which had me go from no pain to horrible pain within a few hrs) for no reason. The epi went in quick and smooth and worked like a charm for an HOUR! I cussed and stuck it out for a good 2-3 hours but by this time I was about 7cm after 8 hrs laboring, I then asked for another epi, this one was by another dr. and it hurt, I felt shockwaves going through my butt and legs after a couple tries and my ouches, she finally got the catheter in right and I was back in blissland. After this though my LO heart rate started to drop with each contraction and we had an emcs. I recovered from it very well though and my feeling was back very soon. I second what other posters said about the faces I think it is mostly concentration, I know that is what I was doing.

i had an epi. It does help. It takes away the pain from your lower abdomen but not from up your hooha area Im afraid but it makes you manage better. I didn't feel any different and would have one again if i felt i couldn't cope any longer as abdominal pain from the contractions is very sore