1) Giving birth is one of the most natural human experiences a woman will ever encounter, and the perception that 'hospitals are for sick people' can create a feeling of unease which can in turn slow down labour.
Source: Babywatching Desmond Morris (paraphrased)
2) '...as soon as you go through the hospital door the chances of having forceps are much higher and you are less mobile, which increases stress.'
Source: Dr Caroline Gatrell, leading Sociologist at Lancaster University
3) Preliminary research carried out by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence shows that women who give birth at home may be more satisfied with the experience than those who give birth in the delivery room.
Source: The Independent on Sunday 14th May 2006
4) Look at nature. Animals and primitive humans look for a quiet, familiar place to give birth, a place where they feel safe and away from any possible danger.
Source: Babywatching Desmond Morris (paraphrased)
5) Homebirth is on the rise in the UK, a move which is welcomed by members of the National Childbirth Trust.
'At long last the whole movement into hospitals in the 1970s and belief that homebirths were unsafe, which was based on incorrect statistics, looks as if it may end.... It has taken decades for this issue to be taken seriously, even though the evidence has built over the decades that having birth at home is as safe or safer than in hospital.'
Source: Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive of the National Childbirth Trust
6) Increased publicity of infection in hospitals and threatened maternity unit closures, means that many more couples are considering homebirth as an alternative to a hospital birth.
7) Increasing staff shortages means that one midwife can be shared between several women during a hospital birth. With a homebirth you have a dedicated midwife throughout established labour and birth, plus another midwife that joins during the final stages as backup.
8) A homebirth gives you a sense of control. You invite midwives into your home and there is an immediate sense that they will respect your wishes and choices during your labour and birth. Sheila Kitzinger, a leading childbirth guru author and campaigner said that women are often processed as if on 'a conveyor belt in a factory' while in hospital. 'The fear that women have of childbirth is more the dread of other people over-powering them and taking control rather than actual birth.'
9) Research by Midirs found that women who have had both a hospital and a home birth say they much prefer a homebirth.
10) If located within a reasonable distance, you can change your mind at any time during your labour and be transferred into hospital, giving you ultimate control of your birth.
