You're right, Bon, it's important to make sure we're not going down that road here in Aus. Getting midwives funded by Medicare would be a start!

I have to say I feel a bit sorry for all of you poor women who've had such appalling treatment at the hands of health professionals. I feel so lucky to have had an ob who never shafted me out of the door after 15 mins (in fact while I was in hospital I made him late for his patients 'cause he was chatting to me about schools in the area...) and made me feel like he had nothing better to do than talk to and care for me.

And I heard you can get dodgy pelvic floor muscles just from the pg and not from how the baby comes out. I was so slack, lucky I did prenatal aqua aerobics 'cause that was the only time I ever did them. Nary a leak here though!

As for what your hoohaa might look like, I have to say, since I had a c/s I absolutely HATE the ropy scar that might be hidden in my bikini line but is still clearly visible to me several times a day! I hate the fact that it reminds me I couldn't have the birth I wanted and I hate the fact that it tells me I'm more likely to have about half a dozen problems in my next pg. I'd swap that for a slight change in the nether regions any day...

Oh, and I would have gone with the assumption that it's a bit like stretch marks, some get them, some don't. And they fade over time so don't completely destroy your skin. Although I was lucky there too, no stretch marks... Perhaps my hoohaa will escape unscathed when I have my doula-supported, active vbac!!!