I have to recommend the Powers That Be series by Anne McCaffery and Elizabeth Anne Scarborough. It involves a sentient planet! Need I say more? Also, the third book describes a water birth very positively, which I consider a bonus. 
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I have to recommend the Powers That Be series by Anne McCaffery and Elizabeth Anne Scarborough. It involves a sentient planet! Need I say more? Also, the third book describes a water birth very positively, which I consider a bonus. :