It's entirely your call MissusC. Don't feel obliged at all to have anyone there you're not totally comfortable with. You can always just say there was no time to call them in the rush. This is not a time to be giving yourself any stress at all.

Having said that, I highly recommend having at least one support person as well as your DH. Somebody you feel quite relaxed with, it's not a time for modesty.

I like having my husband, kids & a support person there, as well as a midwife I know, and I'm pretty oblivious to other people in the background. I've always known who was there though, my mum for 2 of them, another friend, my father & brother outside the room. This time I'll have a room full of stranger doctors which will be weird.

Do it your way! You can always talk to the midwife beforehand too, so that you can let her know if anyone in the room is bothering you, and she could make up an excuse for you why they have to leave.

It is really handy to have extra pairs of hands. Your DH will get tired & need a break, & the hospital staff are not there so much for comfort things for you. Having your own people there to get you drinks, washers, rub your back or whatever, non medical stuff, is great. But if they're not going to be any good at that stuff and just make you uptight, they've got no business being there.