That said, I would never have a home birth with a lay midwife - never never never. I did, however, have hospital deliveries with a certified nurse midwife (who worked for an OB) who, as far as I'm concerned, walks on water. Had the monitoring, had an epidural for one, everything was great. With one I started hemorrhaging after the birth and she took care of it immediately.
Agreed, it is generally preferable to deliver at a hospital, but it could be a lot better. See Post 46.