Sorry for your experience, Natty. It sounds scary, and I can understand how you would take comfort in the knowledge that you and your baby are safe. I'm sorry for being judgemental.
Another general thought: I'm wondering if some of the 'pressure' that the OP and obviously so many others are experiencing to have the 'perfect birth' could be because the people applying the 'pressure' have had a bad experience the first time round and are keen to let people know that it doesn't have to be that way. For some, there may be no preventing the need for specialised medical help. That is for sure. But we can learn, through research and through talking to people who've BTDT, some positive steps to try to prevent bad stuff from happening. Its sad that this information can be seen as bullying (and sure, I've no doubt that in some cases it is, even though that's not in my experience).
Here's another choice - you can feel pressured or bullied by others opinions about birth, or you can feel grounded in your own decisions. Personally, the only way I feel grounded in my decisions is if I've explored all the avenues. Having people say to me at the start of my pregnancy that it is 'the worst pain you'll ever experience', or proclaiming the glories of drugs and how I'd be stupid to attempt birth without them, yes, made me cross, but only grounded me in my decision to give it a go. And not only that, but inspired me to set up a strong support network around me, not unlike what Kelly spoke about in a PP (ie the cheersquad).
I'm not sure how many people out there actually don't want to give 'natural' birth a shot. I think most people see that as being desirable (? Or maybe this is only the people I speak to?) But few people actually do research on how to get it, or set up the support they'll need for it to actually happen. Hmm, does that sound like an acurate statement? Perhaps I'm way overgeneralising, but that's how it seems to me.
On a personal note, if it hadn't been for people 'pushing' information on me and encouraging me to look into it, I believe my birth would've been a very different experience to what it was. And it was pretty bloody excellent, I must say. Part of that was luck, and part of it was great support. So my opinion is kind of biased here, because I'm so grateful to those 'pushy' people for providing me with the info I needed to feel grounded in my decisions.