An article in today's Guardian makes for interesting reading:
lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/wellbeing/story/0,,2133324,00.html
It's about a midwife centre (NHS) in Peckham, where they offer continuous care throughout a woman's pregnancy and into labour. The rates of intervention and pain relief during labour are telling - women are much less likely to experience a miserable childbirth with this kind of care. It's exactly the kind of care I would have liked during my pregnancy. Wonder how realistic is it to expect it?