I absolutely think birth is natural and having done it once now i think i'd be cool about birthing alone even. DP was the bst support i could have had, he prevented me from freaking out and when i lost it a little he got me grounded again in between. At one point i was telling him i HAD to go get an epi as i was so scared of rupturing my insides (didn;t realise when my body said i MUST push i could push! LOL!). I expect i will birth free next time anyway given my active labour this time was only 3 hours. Though i was feeling it before i now know which sensations mean things (i.e. there was definately a time when pshing gently felt a little better, because her head was against the sacrum, and when pushing hard was imperative because her head was coming down the birth canal) and so i'd be less inclined to panic and more inclined to trust my body.

I am in awe of the body in fact. Biologically, it has performed miraculous things this last few days (looking at my football boobs! LOL!). I never really knew if not pushing would be dangerous and though Esme was a bit stressed it does show that if you don;t even get the urge, the baby will still come.

DP was my DOula and he was a toughie! He told me after there was no way he was going to let me give in. He sanctioned the gas and air only because we all thought i had premature pushing urge which was potentially a bigger threat to our home birth than my having a little gas&air to help me cope.

If i'd known i was about to deliver i wouldn't have bothered with it.

Hana