My take on home-birth and why I prefer a hospital birth.

Calls to encourage new mothers-to-be to forgo hospital birth for home birth is a little concerning. Don’t get me wrong, like with most personal matters, I am ‘pro-choice’ and believe women have the right to choose their method of birth. Mothers know their bodies better than anyone and should have the right to decide where and how to give birth.

However, what I object to is encouraging first time mums to have home-birth, because if anything goes wrong they are less experienced physically and emotionally to deal with it. But for the second and third birth the mother and her body will be more prepared as they have been through the journey of giving birth once before.

Giving birth is a natural thing, it’s a journey and in most normal circumstances goes without any hitch, just a huge amount of pain and discomfort with a great deal of mess but all that ends with the best and most fantastic reward in any mothers’ life – a baby.

Thought the journey might have its challenges the reward is worth it. That is why taking any risk with childbirth is foolish.

From my own experience, if I had to do it all over again, I will have a C-section with both my births. My motto in life is why suffer if you don’t have to! To me, labour pain was mind blowing, it was primitive and unnecessary, and I honestly thought I was going to die before giving birth. Mind you that was the case with me taking all the necessary drugs – I mean I took the full spectrum of allowable drugs, I had them all injection, gas …, the lot. With my second birth I was so drugged I couldn’t move my legs for a whole day after giving birth.

I am not discouraging home-birth, but recommend it only after a first trouble free birth. After the mother- to- be has gone through the journey, and both her and her body are fully prepared for the experience – however, I will still have a professional nearby.