My aunt has had four children - all hospital born and when i asked her whether she ever considered home birthing she said she simply didn't want to take the risk. When she had her last little boy she had unusually strong contractions - she was in absolute agony and said that there was no way she could have gone through all that at home. I can certainly see the attraction of a home birth - its quieter, no medical staff flapping about and if you're going to undergo that much pain you at least want to be in familiar surroundings - well i know i would. I think in the end though id be too scared - even being close to a hospital wouldn't be enough for me personally but each to their own and im all for the right to choose, ive known friends who felt pressured by their doctors to birth in a hospital which is just so unfair - all i can suggest is that the person you know speaks to as many people as she can, talk to those who have undergone both types of birth and get as much information as possible. After all knowledge is power. All the best