...was in the hospital. I was induced, labor was a breathtaking 2 1/2 hours, no epidural or any other pain medication, and I was able to immediately hold my daughter and start nursing.

And then I realized I was scared s**less and I didn't know what to do with this little person I didn't know or understand at all!

Bonding has come over time, from me taking care of her, and from us learning about each other.

I think home births can be great, if everything goes well -- it's nicer to be in your house than a hospital, I'm sure (I understand you can rent hot tubs -- one friend of mine did that and had it in her living room! She could soak in the tub every night while waiting to go into labor!). Labor can take a while to get going and progress and finish, so the more time you can spend somewhere comfortable and relaxing, the better. And from what I understand, nursing is easier to get going after a natural birth, because both baby and mom aren't so out of it.

But birth is the smallest part of the whole raising-a-kid experience.