I think that's awesome! Good for you! I always sorta grew up knowing I'd want a natural birth (a home birth, actually) but I'm not sure I would have had the balls to push for one when I was 16, so I think your plan sounds great. My advice would be to definitely try to arrange your care through a midwife if you can (not sure where you are, it's obviously easier some places than others). Do lots of reading on natural birth (Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth and Maggie Howell's Effective Birth Preparation, which is the book that goes with the Natal Hypnotherapy programme, were the most informative and empowering ones I read). Surround yourself with supportive people and make sure that you have a birth partner (your partner, mum, a friend, etc.) who supports you and believes in natural birth too. Hire a doula if you can (you can get one for free even through Doula UK, either through their fund for lower income mums or by finding a mentored doula who is still in training). And learn some breathing and relaxation techniques. Everyone had told me that if I can just stay relaxed and in control of my breath, I'll be fine. I've found yoga classes and natal hypnotherapy has been really great for learning to relax and breathe so far. I've learned lots of things I can do to help me cope. Some of those classes can be expensive, but you can always learn things on your own too, so don't let that put you off. Maybe think about a water birth too if that's something you're comfortable with. If you can find a local natural birth or home birth support group, go to their meetings and introduce yourself. We have one here and it's been an awesome resource for me. They answered so many of my questions and were so encouraging.
