Cons: it didn't work properly and I was in a lot of pain, and subsequent births without epidural showed me that even the small amount of PR it had given me had made me be out of touch with my body and less able to help myself. It also triggered the midwife to begin a cascade of interventions that dh and I had to fight hard to prevent happening.
Pros: I was exhausted after +24h of full-on labour, and had stopped dilating. The first brief period when the epidural worked relaxed me sufficiently that I dilated 2cm in 20 minutes, and was fully dilated within 2h. And the fact that the epidural had been incomplete worked to my advantage in the end, because I was able to push ds out without further intervention.
I didn't feel a failure for having had an epidural. I was shattered: I had not slept in nearly 48h, I had been in active labour for 36h, walking for 30h, and sucking on the G&A for several hours, and was still only just over 3cm. It was the right decision. Perhaps if I had been better supported beforehand I would have progressed faster, not been exhausted so soon, and not needed the epidural. Or perhaps not.
In preparing for my subsequent labours, I bore that in mind and ensured (a) that dh was aware that I might not ask and therefore he had to offer, and (b) that I asked for whatever I needed or wanted. I did not need an epidural in those labours, but was open to the idea of having one if necessary.
I don't regret having an epidural any more than I regret having a waterbirth. Both were good. Hey - I birthed my children, I, and not the midwife nor the anaesthetist, nor the auxiliary who filled the pool; they were all my helpers and supporters.