Labor and Delivery: No pain, No gain...RIGHT?

As part of my activities last weekend. I got to talk to some of hubbies cousins and friends...
Many of which are moms, so we had the how are you feeling talk, when is the baby due...oh you are almost done discussions.
Well, in the process of one of these discussions...I heard a few epidural horror stories.
So if you are preggers and concerned about delivery...you should probably stop reading now...

No seriously they are not good stories...stop.

You have been warned!

As we were standing around talking, they asked me if I was going to get an epidural. I am still on the fence. My sister had both of her boys natural. Although, I have no idea what her first delivery was like her second one was pure torture in my opinion it brought me to tears, she was in labor for about 10 hours, she wanted to go natural but ended up in so much pain by the time she was in active labor she agreed to have the epidural it was too late...it was time to push and so she never got it and she tore... I was in the room the whole time because I was her labor partner, since my mom was out of town and the dad was away as well.

My hubbies cousin, told me good luck in going without one...she said as soon as she walked into the hospital she told them she wanted one and had no problems.

My hubbies friend's wife on the other hand had a different story. Out of her 3 deliveries she has only had one good epidural. The first time she got it, the anesthesiologist put the epidural in between the wrong vertebrae so that her legs went completely numb but she could feel the contractions and the birth. Then with her last child the epidural only took effect on half of her body...so she still had some pain and could feel everything on half her body.

In the end the other women were like ok...stop talking she has never had a kid she doesn't need to hear this but I am fascinated by the stories...it's like when something is happening and you know you should look away but you just can't...I figure with all the stories I am more or less prepared for anything...or hoping I am...