Belle while a birth plan is good tool it is not, and should never be used as, a substitute for making choices (about caregivers and birth places) that are congruent with how you want to birth.

I get very nervous when I hear birth plans being talked about like they're a sort of "insurance policy" or first line of defence against the things you don't want. In fact, they are a last defence. Your very first defence is making smart choices to minimise the likelihood of your having to deal with these things blindsiding you in the birthing room. And you cannot make those choices in an informed way without having some idea of what your odds are of having those interventions with the obstetrician or hospital you are using.

And it is often not a matter of just having these things on your birth plan and they are automatically respected either. There is a massive power differential at play in hospitals and women and their partners are not on their own turf. This means they are usually less confident in their decision making, less assertive with "authority" etc...lots of issues for many people here.



Belle this actually fairly unusual. The public sector is more transparent because they are run by the government and by extension tax payers. So the Health Department requires that public hospitals disclose their stats. There is no such onus on private hospitals.
Tobily I was merely trying to point out that the more you look into preparing yourself for the birth the better of you are, for example selecting a hospital based on recommendation and research, preparing a birth plan and at the first visit to the hospital or carer to include the stats of c/s which is being discussed in here. Everyone who has prepared a birthplan may view the use of it differently. Choice was not the issue I was getting at at all. As I said my first post was personal about my choice and after reading the whole thread I am entitled to move my decision to saying the information should be made available as people in here have made valid posts as to why. My last few posts in this thread I have been trying to put that point across about more information as I think its good to help others so pregnant women can be made aware of the information they want so they can think about where to have the birth and their carers, afterall when you are pregnant you do think about these things. Im lucky that North Shore Private hospital is prepared to offer that information at their parenting classes.