natural childbirth - never possible?

That's an interesting thought Lil. Maybe left to nature, humans would have a high attrition rate anyway? For the vast majority of people here, the diet is very poor. It's mainly rice or noodles with a tiny bit of meat and/or veg. I think average veg consumption is 29lbs a year, which is about half a pound a week. You see some sad souls about the place, you wonder how they have the strength to stand, let alone walk. Also terrible birth defects and conditions like rickets.

My mum had disgustingly easy births with my brother and me (DB arriving in 35 minutes). I didn't find it quite so easy and I always felt she thought I hadn't tried hard enough!

Sadly, in Indonesia the maternal mortality rate is increasing and is now approaching 400 in 100,000, which translates into about 250 women a week. Most women don't have access to care and this is the end result. Having spoken to people who work in the field, I was surprised to hear that the intervention that would save most lives is an extremely simple one. Iron tablets. 80% of maternal deaths are due to haemorrhage and 80% of those are due to anaemia. By a rough reckoning 250 lives out of 400 could be saved, which I think is astonishing. Presumably, the UK once had death rates like that, before the levels of care improved.

Natural? Stuff that! I always planned for medication at the very least and ended up with an emergency section after a very traumatic labour during which it was pointed out that 10 years ago we would have both died (helpful to have this pointed out as your having anaesthetic). I'm already 99% sure that I'll damn well be having an elective section next time (if there is one.)

Yes. I was persistent transverse lie and when my mother (in 1963) was wibbling on about a c-section, which was considered much less safe then, the consultant suavely informed her that before c-sections were available I would definitely have died and she probably would too.
Funnily enough my first ds was persistent transverse too and although I did not enjoy the elective c-section experience I was extremely grateful for it all round.
I think anyone on this thread is particularly aware of the resonances of "you're having a baby, not a birth". Good call, Lil.

My Mum had a HUGE pph with my brother. SO I would be here but she wouldn't be, if she'd not been in hospital, and my sister wouldn't be here at all.

My eldest sister was a nightmare birth, but both mother and daughter survived, although it was a close call. The next was an emergency c/s and the rest of us were planned c/s. None of us would have survived if not for medical intervention - my mum's pevic bones were the wrong shape (?? don't know too much about it, that's what my mum told us).