New Active Birth is a great book too - it really helps you to know how to manage your birth to stop it slowing down and to best cope with the pain.

There are many different reasons why women choose c/s over vb, and choose pain relief during labour. Some of these are for very good reasons. But there are too many times when women who could have had a pain relief free vb don't - mostly due to fear (and with all the horror stories people tell, no wonder!) and also due to lack of information about how to position yourself to help the labour and breathe through the contractions. I wish I had known what I know now before I went into labour for the first time!