Epidural..does it hurt?

hi there im almost 23 wks pregnant with my first baby. (yay) its been a real bumpy road. at my 6 wks apt i found i had a huge tumour that if not removed could either kill me my baby or the both of us. I had major sugery at 16 wks preg. to remove the tumour and everything it had spread onto( it was boarderline cancer stage 4). My dr.s all say that i can still deliver naturally, which is great cuz i want to. I didnt want to use any drugs especially after all the ones i had to take with my surgery. Im scared that because of my surgery im very sensitive and it will hurt even more when i get contractions and have to push. ( it hurts alot still when i sneeze cough laugh and push(to go to the bathroom ) to much info i know im sorry) but im also terrified of needles. does it hurt when they put it in? what are the pros and cons of having an epi? thanks!!