I don't think anyone was judging anyone elses choice to birth in a hospital. It's just that some of us were so disrespected, so mistreated, so traumatized by our experiences, it's hard not to voice the impressions we were left with.

In saying that, my next baby will still be born in a hospital. I'm reasonably confident that things won't spiral out of control quite like last time, but am prepared to fight for my right to a dignified experience.

To answer the original question:
I believe a normal birth is vaginal. That is all. What happened to my family was so unnatural, anything short of a c/s would be satisfactory to me, in conjunction with feeling respected and in control. My CS could have been avoided. That eats me up inside. There is nothing normal about dangling a c/s in front of an exhausted, fearful, vulnerable first time mum. My definition of normal is simple, for very complicated reasons.

Thanks for a thought provoking thread!

And the standard disclaimer ***my views are my own and not intended to offend anyone***. I seem to upset someone every time I speak about my son's birth. If anyone has a problem with my participation in birth discussions, well, tough.