Natural birth or C-section

Hi, I have been given the option to choose the way I want to deliver our baby and I am scared of both of the options. I had an ectopic pregnancy removed through laparoscopic surgery in 2018 and it hurt for 2 weeks after having it, the pain was severe enough to make me cry when walking. Regarding natural birth, I am afraid I will not be able to push for too long so I am really scared, my doctor advised me that I could handle it, but I'm not sure I can do it. How would you rate the pain of your previous births? Does the epidural work for natural births?