Interesting. I read a number of similar things when I was pregnant.

Anecdote: my husband's cousin had a c-section for her first child. Her recovery was awful. She was determined to give birth vaginally for her second kid, and her obstetrician was fully prepared but she had (I am not sure of the exact details) some sort of health insurance that refused to cover it. To have a vaginal birth, she was forced into a home birth, which she didn't want, but wanted a c-section less. Gvae birth at home to a nearly 10lb daughter (yikes!).

Gvae birth at home to a nearly 10lb daughter (yikes!).

Yikes indeed!!!

There are several aspects of EM's birth I would have liked to change - and one of those is that my two close friends were not allowed in the delivery room with us - but had to stand at the door. They'd been there all through the labour in shifts helping - the doctor held EM up to them before they cut the cord - but we would have all felt better had they been allowed to be by my side.

There's still too much mystery surrounding it all too.

There's still too much mystery surrounding it all too.

My cousin just posted pictures of her daughter's birth including, I kid (pun!) you not, a picture from behind her shoulder pointing downwards where she's pulling her daughter OUT. Yes. Perhaps the mystery died today.

my 7 year old daughter was the first person to see her brother as he was born in my bedroom at home. My Mother-in-Law was horrified at the idea of a home birth and the fact that we left it up to our daughter to decide whether she wanted to be there or not, yet she stayed in fascination when my daughter was clearly entranced. To this day the relationship between the two kids is extraordinarily close.

Good on you Wilder. I think the other kids should be there for the birth of their siblings.

We should all have a better understanding of what actually goes on from when we are younger.

I bet teenage birth rates would drop like a heavy rock.

Wow, that is so cool of you, Wilder. I can only echo what gomichild wrote.