I think it depends what you call natural. I think mine were but make of it what you will.

DS1 - spontaneous rupture of membranes, got to hospital at 7cm dilated, hooked up to monitor, birthed bub shortly after and (against my better judgement) had the shot in the leg to hurry up the placenta. Damn ob - I think she was on the clock. Anyway ... no pain relief drugs, no prodding or suction etc with medical instruments.

DS2 - labour began, in hospital at about 6cm dilated, laboured happily while hooked to a monitor but standing upright, my choice to ask for ARM (ahhhh, bliss), bub born 30 mins later. No shot in the leg to hurry up placenta .. "surprisingly" it did that job all by itself shortly after DS2 was born. No pain relief drugs, no prodding, suction or whatever with medical instruments.

While I would have chosen not to be monitored, both my boys heart rates dipped a little lower than they should have at various stages during the latter parts of their births, so it made sense to keep tabs on it.

Just to expand a little, I intended from day 1 of pregnancy to have natural births - I just "felt" I could do it. I researched what happens during birth (as in why things feel the way they do and what's happening with muscles, ligaments etc), educated myself, took hypnobirthing course ... pretty much did whatever I could possibly do to try and get the best possible outcome for me to achieve my aims.

Although I didn't know what to expect for how my birth would go (before DS1), I wasn't nervous ... just curious and excited. For whatever reason I had self-confidence and self-belief in my ability to birth without need for drugs. I did have two straight forward births - I had lots of accupuncture, massage and relaxation exercises in the latter stages of both pgs, and maybe those things helped. I was also adamant no medical person was going to force me into doing something I didn't want (case in point, I discharged myself from hosp against advice with DS1 to go home and establish labour. Their reasoning? My waters had broken. No, really? Promise I wont go have sex or sit in dirt).

Anyhoo, I'm not anti-intervention. It can be very necessary. I'm just anti-having-your-choice-taken-away-from-you-by-Obstetricians-who-perform-medical-births-and-forget-what-a-natural-birth-is-and-expect-you-to-perform-to-a-clock. Thank God I had a supportive Ob!

Whatever the case, I guess my feeling is that knowledge = less fear/tension = confidence to birth naturally = increased natural births. IF THAT'S WHAT MUM WANTS. Cos it's her choice how she births

Um, sorry for long post. I didn't realise I was passionate about natural birth until I had my sons.