I think the big one for me to be proactive and not just assume that the hospital will take care of everything and you just have to go in and pop out a baby.
Too many women aren't told what they need to know before they have their babies and because for most of us, the first experience we have of birth is our own, we end up learning the hard way.
So many mums I talk to now are on their second or third baby and just hell bent on avoiding the traumatic time they had with their first bubs....but it doesn't have to happen like that!

So yeah my first bit of advice is choose your care providers carefully! I honestly think this one decision is the biggest influence on the birth you end up having. Understand the differences between midwifery and obstetric care, and GET OVER the idea that because private care = better care for medical conditions, that the same applies to normal uncomplicated pregnancy. It doesn't!

As far as the rest goes I could write a book here lol but the main things are to be an active participant in your care - ask questions, do your own research, actively investigate your options. And know that you always have options - always!

Oh and final thing is take responsibility for your own antenatal education. Don't rely on hospital birth classes which for the most part tell you nothing about giving birth. Do courses that tell you what you need to know - how to manage the pain using your own resources, ideas for positioning and breathing, ideas for your support people to assist you etc.....hospital classes tell you none of these things on the whole.