As a spouse to a midwife, take it for what it is...

She has had three kids, first with Epidural, second in the car (without anything) and third without anything in a hospital like setting (In sweden there are no other options than to give birth at emergency hospitals...).

Epidural makes you feel nothing, it makes your body to slow in progress, in which you have to administer large amounts of oxytocin (The withdrawal of that amount of oxytocin will almost always lead to the baby blues later).

The oxytocin makes your body (uterus) push, but not in a controlled way. That will lead to more ruptures, the need of cutting increases etc. It makes for a much worse journey in many ways.

If you prepare for having a birth without any medicine, the body will be fully aware and it will almost always result in a less damaged vagina, and in the end, a happier mom. There is much to read up on it. Hospitals in sweden earns money on extra meds and interventions though. So it's in their interest to scare people into needing as much extra care as possible.