Like everybody else has said - learn as much as you can about all of the options available (including the ones that you think you won't need), so that you can be prepared for anything.

I found that I had worked towards a certain kind of birth, but due to the circumstances, I had a very different birth than planned. Because I had great support (from partner and from the hospital staff) and had learned as much as possible beforehand about all of the options, I found it much easier to cope when things didn't go the way I hoped. I had what a lot of people would call a 'traumatic' birth (long posterior labour followed by emergency c/s after failure to progress due to previously undiagnosed narrow pelvis), but because of my preparation I was able to keep calm and focused, and still found it was a great experience, not disappointing at all!

Preparation helped me trust in myself and know that the decisions I made on the day were the right ones for me and my baby.