Definitely get all the referrals you can from mothers who have had their doctors encourage natural deliver. And, please be reassured that not ALL MD/OD's meet the generalization of being scalpel-happy.
Many years ago, before the current, strong advocacy AGAINST non-natural, drug-sedated, C-section-happy birthing, many doctors knew that, all-in-all, childbirth is a natural process, performed daily world-wide by women without medical intervention. Many doctors knew then, as more do now, that their REAL job is to be the one with the knowledge, skills and training to know when things are going normally and encourage and support.
10 years ago+, when a daughter-in-law went through over 36 hrs of labor, her mother pleaded with the doctor that her daughter "c(ould) not take any more". (Of course, what she meant was SHE couldn't take any more.) Anyway: the DOCTOR was the one who stood up for natural delivery. Soon-to-be gramma was pleading for a C-section, and Dr was saying, everything is going fine. She CAN do it - and YOU (gramma) need to calm down! (We won't discuss whether the doctor CAUSED the long delivery by giving injections that slowed delivery...YOU are better informed and your midwife WILL be with you and - well...THAT won't be a problem, will it?)
Do your homework. Be sure you can trust the MD. Be sure your midwife is well respected by your MD. Know that, with a 3rd (and 4th - congratulations!) delivery, you are definitely MORE, not less, able to delivery vaginally. And ask your midwife to be your (strong) advocate in the birthing room to assure that, if the worst occurs and the MD is advocating a C-section, to make sure SHE is convinced - and then - because she IS convince, to reassure YOU that it is a GOOD thing you are in the hospital. The worst is not going to occur. You've already delivered vaginally and proven your "equipment" works just fine!
My daughter (in training to be a doula), was broken hearted at being told her first child was to be a c-section (breech). While, now we can know it probably wasn't necessary (now that she has delivered a 2nd vaginally), no one, not even she, was willing to risk having the baby's head stuck in the birth canal with the umbilical cord's oxygen supply cut off and baby unable to breathe. When my third child (my daughter, in fact) was breech, we had already proven that babies' heads fit through that place head first, and, while there were some urgent moments between birth of butt and birth of head - no c-section was even considered.
In these stories, no MD's ever TALKED about c-sections - except for the one that occurred.
Do your homework. Then relax - if your two children will give you chance. Because after delivery, your hands are gonna be full!!!! :-)
