Considering Home Birth... thoughts, opinions, stories??

We are strongly considering home birth for our third baby. We are already working with a group of Midwives, and they have been great. We had a traditional OBGYN for the other two kids, and she was great, but it was so clinical. We wanted to go a less medical route this time, but still thought we'd deliver at the Hospital. However now at 28 weeks we have been talking with the Midwife about what a home birth would entail.

Part of our consideration is the fact that we are now in a new area with a big city Hospital as opposed to our small town Hospital previously. It is now 35 minutes away in good weather (when previously it was no more than 5min), including highway driving, and this babes is due end of January which is guaranteed snowy/icy around here. Aaand I also have a history of precipitous birth.. My 2nd was born by surprise at home as my labour progressed in under an hour, and I had to deliver her at home with my mom there (thank god) with the Paramedics a few minutes behind.

It was a bit traumatic of an experience, though it taught me I could handle an unmedicated birth. The midwife mentioned the planning of a homebirth upon learning of that experience early in our care, so it is something we have been thinking about for a while.

My husband is on board, and I'm fairly confident in the idea. Though there is that part of me that worries if something goes wrong.. Hospitals are intimidating and all the pokes and prods and beeping machines and busy wards really turn me away.. but they provide a safety net in case of incident.

I would love to hear from others who have had a planned home birth and what that meant for you. What kinds of pros and cons were experienced? Or if you are planning for one, what are your thoughts?