I was devastated as our group is so close but on this one, they couldn't comprehend just how amazing and life changing it was for me.
Oh, that is such a shame.

My two homebirthed bubs are now 3 and 5, so I don't get asked about their births much anymore. However, since being pregnant, I have been getting the inevitable questions about where I am having the bub. So when I say 'at home', I can also add 'My boys were born at home". I have had times where I have told people that i have birthed at home and they have said, 'Was it an accident?' Also, when DS2 was only a few weeks old I had to have some (non-pregnancy/birth) related day surgery on the Gold Coast. Because my little guy was so young, I was asked about his birth. When I told them he was born at home, the surgeon said 'Oh, I didn't think people did that anymore' And the nurse said 'Oh I couldn't handle all the mess and the big clean-up afterwards'. So I set her staright, and told her that the MW's had cleaned up everything and put on loads of washing, and that during the labour of my first child, one of my HB MW's had vacuumed and mopped the floors in our living space because I was annoyed that I hadn't had a chance to do it!

Also, I find that people are quite vague in their reasons for opposing HB. I have had people say that they would rather be in hospital 'just in case' or that HB is 'too risky'. And when you try to clarify by asking 'Just in case of what?' or 'What risks?', they can't really name any. I get vague replies like ' Something might be wrong with the baby' or 'what if the baby isn't breathing' or blah blah. And this is when I love to tell them about the expertise of MW's and the fact that they carry some emergency equipment. Not to mention the fact the the MW is there with you - she is not dashing off to other rooms to check on other labouring women. She is fully attentive and in a position to recognise if 'something' is not as it should be.