I gave birth to DD in Korea and, although I had a doula, much of the process is still a bit of a mystery to me. Labour was pretty normal but DD hadn't turned her head in the correct direction so the doctor used internal version to help her along. This helped a little but he then wanted to use vacuum delivery (wouldn't work - I'm too small?!) and then it was touch-and-go whether I'd have to have a c-section. I don't remember DD being monitored much, but there didn't seem too much concern about her health, so I assume that aspect was ok. In the end, everything was ok apart from some pretty exciting tearing.
I'm now due to give birth in September in the UK and am deciding whether to go for a hospital or birthing centre. I didn't find the actual pain of labour that horrendous and just used my TENS machine, so ideally I'd like a natural birth - would love to try a birthing pool. However, my question is (finally) - how serious/typical was this intervention? Would it have needed hospital treatment in the UK? I don't get to speak to a midwife for another six weeks when we move back to the UK, so any advice would be much appreciated. I've just had a 23-week cry and panic remembering how powerless I felt.