You will probably have a catheter into your bladder. An epidural means you can't tell when you need to empty your bladder, so this has to be done automatically for you. You might feel very out of control. You have three tubes going into your body and you have to be told when to push if the anaesthetic hasn't worn off by the second stage of labour. Your midwife and doctor effectively manage your labour for you.
Epidurals can increase the length of labour, especially the pushing stage.
Your baby's heartbeat will be monitored continuously, using a transducer strapped to your abdomen, or a smaller transducer clipped onto his scalp. There's a greater chance of needing to have a forceps or ventouse delivery because epidurals often prevent the baby moving into the best position to be born. If the epidural needle goes beyond the epidural space, there will be a leakage of cerebro-spinal fluid after the tube is taken out. This fluid buffers your brain and even a very small leak will give you a terrific headache. This is usually treated by taking a small amount of blood from your arm, perhaps the day after your baby is born, and injecting it into your back to seal the hole made by the epidural needle.