Just prepare for your birth plan to go out of the window Merri! Have an idea of what you want and try to get your OH on board to fight your corner because you may find the midwives try to influence you to do something you aren't keen on. Obviously they are professionals and they do know best - in most cases - but you are very vulnerable in labour and maybe more open to a suggestion you may go along with and later regret. If your partner is there and being rational for you it's a help. If I had done what the duty midwife on the antenatal ward suggested to me I would have given birth to Louis in a Vauxhall Corsa somewhere just outside Hull and that was certainly not in my plan. My advice - be firm, but be open minded (as I know you are, you are that kind of person) and never say never.
Neither of my births went to plan but I was very keen to do it without any drugs but gas and air and that happened both times. Not through choice really, luckily my labours were both too quick. My friend desperately wanted pain relief with her second and the midwife was a big believer in doing it naturally, and kept telling her she could see in her eyes that she was strong enough to do it without. It ended up being a horrible experience for my friend who ended up wanting to slap the midwife, got so stressed she discharged herself after a couple of hours and then getting quite poorly.
i know things dont go as`planned most of the time but as you say im open minded and realistic about my choices! in an 'Ideal world' i am opting for home water birth water and me just work! im hoping to have minimum pain releif, just water maybe tens and maybe gas and air. who knows how i will cope with the pain, i read somewhere that redheads are the worst birthers!!lol we are wimps! oh well...so if there is a need for hospital transfer i will happily go but only if its an emergancy or if things grind to a holt or something! who knows, its exciting though! I like to play things by ear so we shall see what the world has in store!
Have you been referred to a physio yet? I found I could only sit in an upright position ... no slouching. I couldn't 'crawl' into bed I had to sit on the side and bring my legs round, I couldn't stand slouched either 
