Re-discovering home birth

Did you know that all the Kings and Queens of England including the present one, were born at home (Diana was actually the first princess to birth her babies in hospital).

Today, home birth is becoming once again a popular choice among women opting for a more natural approach of childbirth. This increasing trend can be seen with the growing number of celebrities who have chosen to give birth at home. Meryl Streep, Demi Moore, Cindy Crawford, Lisa Bonet, Pamela Anderson and Jade Jagger are just few.


In UK, the government figures show that 22% of pregnant women would opt for a home birth if given the option.


In area where it is promoted by midwives and supported by GP, as much as 25% of women give birth at home compare to the National average rate of 2%. In total around 15 000 babies are born at home each year.

Visit our website's Birth Centre to read this article in full.

Giving Birth...

Four major hormonal systems are active during labor and birth. These involve oxytocin, the hormone of love; endorphins, hormones of pleasure and transcendence; adrenaline and noradrenaline (epinephrine and norepinephrine), hormones of excitement; and prolactin, the mothering hormone. These systems are common to all mammals and originate deep in our mammalian or middle brain.

For birth to proceed optimally, this part of the brain must take precedence over the neocortex, or rational brain. This shift can be helped by an atmosphere of quiet and privacy with, for example, dim lighting and little conversation, and no expectation of rationality from the laboring woman. Under such conditions a woman intuitively will choose the movements, sounds, breathing, and positions that will birth her baby most easily. This is her genetic and hormonal blueprint.

All of these systems are adversely affected by current birth practices. Hospital environments and routines are not generally conducive to the shift in consciousness that giving birth naturally requires. A woman’s hormonal physiology is further disturbed by practices such as induction, the use of pain killers and epidurals, cesarean surgery, and separation of mother and baby after birth.

Visit our website's Birth Centre to read this article in full.