True stories behind natural birth versus caesarean debate

I came across this article in the The Daily Telegraph over the weekend, 'True stories behind natural birth versus caesarean debate', by Erica Watson.

She describes the experience of mother of two, Kath Leary, who had initially wanted a vaginal delivery but needed to schedule a planned cesarean for medical reasons:

"Preparing herself for what she thought would be a not-so-pleasant and clinical procedure, Leary says she was surprised at how wonderful her birthing experience was. "Within what seemed like a few seconds I had both my kids in my arms after giving birth. There wasn't this detachment or anything like that," she says. "I didn't expect to really love the whole caesarean experience but I really did. It was a bit of a shock.""

Also worthy of note in the article is a quote form obstetrician Dr Keith Hartman:

"I think women are cruel to each other in making these value judgments," he says. While a natural birth might be an innate need for some mothers, Dr Hartman says for others it can create intense feelings of fear. "(Natural birth) is a lovely thing to see and a very exhilarating experience for women but for some they just don't want to do it," he says. "I respect that and I certainly would never criticise them for it and if other women criticise them for it I don't know where they are coming from. It's about a healthy mother and a healthy baby. As long as they are aware of their choice and not pressured into it."