mumof7, you are SO right: the mode of delivery just pales into insignificance compared to the whole of a lifetime of mothering . As you of course know... I realise your head knowing something does not necessarily make your heart feel differently though.
Epidural and spinal anaesthetic catheders are sited in a different space within the layers of the lining that seperates your actual spinal chord from your bony vertebrae; spinal is 'deeper', if you want, gives a much deeper anaesthesia than an epidural where it is possible to aim for a 'mobile' epidural.
With my epidural I could move my legs in bed, although I do not think I could have actually walked (not that I wanted to!). When it came to pushing, I could kind of feel DS1's head as a large lump, but had no pain - didn't feel myself tear or being stitched up either... I could feel in what direction to push IYKWIM? But had no 'urge to push', in fact I did not know what that was until I had DS3 - OMG!!
With the spinal like I said, I just felt like wood - they could've taken my leg off, I would not have known. Most odd sensation - I did not like it, but it is preferred for CS as it makes the level of painrelief/muscle relaxation more predictable for the surgeon. Interestingly, my dad had a spinal for... ahem prostate surgery and he had v much the same experience, dead wood from waist down, felt v odd in a kinda way...
Getting an epidural/spinal sited is much the same procedure if you are at the receiving end - the anaethesist will of course need to know what they are doing...
I found neither particularly uncomfortable or difficult to get done other than that the epidural had to be done between contractions...