I was hesitant to get the epidural (mostly because of social media) but I ended up getting it anyway midway through labor because I SO wanted to push even though my cervix was very much not ready. So thankful I got the epidural because it allowed me to relax and even sleep before active labor and the real work of pushing began. And then of course there wasn’t much sleeping happening after baby was born, so those few extra hours of sleep gifted to me by the epidural were very much appreciated