I see a lot of first time moms here, so I thought I would give my best piece of advice regarding epidurals. If you want one... Do not push because a nurse tells you to. Push when the Doctor is in the room and HE tells you to.. Because that means you are ready to actually push! (Contractions will bring baby down all on their own) You can't feel anything so you have no idea just how hard you are pushing.. You can easily over do it and your recovery will be absolutely hell! A nurse had me pushing for an hour with my baby's head stuck at an angle in my cervix and he was going nowhere! The Doctor came in and immediately had me stop pushing so he could straighten the baby.. And he was born within minutes.