Planned home birth is a great option for a woman not anticipating problems at the birth who has a qualified home birth attendant. However, while conventional obstetric management is neither safe nor effective, you can still get good care in the hospital. It's just less likely. You have to know what questions to ask and what answers you want to hear. The Childbirth Connection website has good material on choosing a place of birth and a care provider and the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services has "Having a Baby? Ten Questions to Ask." I also have chapters on place of birth and care provider in my book, the Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, that include questions to ask. And even if you plan home birth, you will want to think about an obstetrician and a hospital because there is always the possibility of developing a problem in pregnancy or labor.

-- Henci