Julie, I couldnt agree more that Australia needs to offer women who give birth a questionaire in regards to their experience and collate the data from that like in NZ. I agree with you that it is best for a mw to try and get a woman through without intervention where possible and if other intervention is not requested by the woman as this in the majority of cases (with low risk pregnancy) is safer for the mum and baby.

I had the best midwives in the public system who knew that as a young, fit healthy woman with no complications could get through this without intervention. Yes it hurt, but I expected it to. I was lucky enough to have the perfect birth for me which was no epidural.

I think (and this is my opinion) that a lot of women have epidurals, and the majority that have them are not for medical reasons, just for pain relief which is why midwives want to try and get you through labour without the epidural.

Fatmama- I read your other thread on your complications and why you would need an epidural and I am sure that would be respected by an Ob and midwives at whatever hospital that you go to. Your life would be at risk without one.

gee I hope I made sense, dont have time to read over as DD is crying.