"Sue" wrote in message
...
I didn't need anyone trained besides the nurses to be with me during the
births. My husband's support was all I needed. If he wasn't around, which
he was there all three times, then I would of rather had my sister or my
closest friend. I am not into the whole "birth experience" has to be
perfect and intervention free like many of you are. I am pretty
independent and did just fine without anyone else there except the nurse
popping in once and a while.

For me, the biggest thing was to get through the pain. My mom was a huge
help there. If I hadn't had her with me, I'd have wanted *someone* useful at
helping me get through the contractions without encouraging meds(and for my
own two hospital births and the 3 others I'd been at, meds were the only way
the nurses seemed to know how to deal with the pain). It's not a perfect
birth experience we're after(most of us, I guess!), it's just support
through the hard stuff that we want. Not to be alone.
Marie