By raisingkids' member 'ukhowell' November 2002

Home birth provokes a lot of emotions and opinions. I'm not here to ‘tell’ you what's right, I’m going to try to tell you why I think birth should go back home, where it should be. Birth (and pregnancy) in my eyes should be as natural and unassisted as possible. Get everyone away and let the woman's body do what comes naturally to it.

I felt violated by a group of strangers while trying to give birth to my first child in hospital (and I know I'm not alone). When I found out I was expecting my second, I swore things would be different. This was my body, my baby and my birth. Birth was meant to empower a women not humiliate her.

I decided to have him at home, and had the most wonderful experience. Spiritual is not the word... it was calm, surreal, and fun. What's more, it was almost incidental to what was happening in my home - everyone doing their own thing and smiling and Mamma giving birth quietly. Precious. I went on to have my next 2 children at home and although each one was different , they both gave me the same thing. A sense of power, peace, achievement and serenity that I've not heard a hospital-birth mother express.

I talk to women all over the world who are thinking of (or had) a home confinement, and happily some of them made their choice because of what I have said or written on my website. I think it's sad, though, that child birth has become so institutionalised. We are all legally entitled to a home birth so why do so many of us go to hospital - unless absolutely necessary.

Research shows there's no more risk having your child at home than in hospital. In fact, there are less things that can go wrong. With my first child I had to cope with machines, drips, and brash, insensitive people's hands... why? Because apparently my baby was in terrible stress and my body wasn't ‘doing it right’. How many women think their bodies CANT give birth? How many of you out there have been told this and sadly believed it? None of my children were harmed by my home confinement. If anything, the relaxed atmosphere, solitary attention of just one midwife and the fact my other offspring were present made the whole thing more natural.

I'm having my fifth child in March, at home, only this time not only has my midwife agreed to sit in another room while I give birth but my husband and children will be ‘catching’ the baby. The cord will not be cut. And I wont have any drugs to hurry stage 3. Radical or natural? You decide what's right for you but I can tell you from the mouths of 100s of us radical, natural, hairy legged, hippie mums it's the best ever!

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