PZ, I think most of us can look back on our first birth experiences and wonder if we'd known what we know now whether it would have gone differently, or even know that it would definitely would have been different, and certainly better.

I question the need for my c/s for the low lying placenta I had with DD. Maybe I should have known better to just book in, because even when I researched I couldn't find much info on the grade I had. An IM I've spoken to since suggested my ob was being overly cautious.

BUT I learnt so much from going through it that way. I would never have even looked into homebirth had I not been faced with the interventions that a VBAC entails in a hospital birth. I could sit here and question forever, why I didn't at least wait until I went into labour, since there was no immediate concern. And knowing now how quickly I can labour, maybe I would have gotten a lot further in without incident and had a vaginal birth with DD1.

I think being able to question the decisions we made in a previous birth means we can make better decisions in a subsequent birth or at the very least improve the way we look at things and probably the advice we give.

I have absolutely no questions from DD2's birth. Probably because I spent so much time preparing for it so that I was fully informed and confident I could make decisions and probably also because I was incredibly lucky in having everything line up so that there was no need to make any decisions.

I got to talk to some of the Mums at my postnatal exercise class about my homebirth today. Two of them said they could see themselves having a homebirth. One was really interested to hear I'd had a HBAC because she'd ended up with an emergency c/s with her DD.

Loving your comments, L&B, but I think we are also in a situation where at the moment that's the gold standard because it isn't mainstream. We need to see more HBs and then in time, I bet the policies would change and more acceptance of a woman's ability to judge would be there. Also, the more care providers that are experienced in caring for women and babies in HBs, the better their skills and care will be.