I have always been attracted to the idea of birthing at home. It was the romantic thought of giving birth in a beautiful room specially arranged to welcome my new baby instead of a cold impersonal delivery room at your local hospital.

During our first years together, my husband and I travelled a lot and never really had our own place, so my sons were both born in hospital. Two years ago, after finally settling down, I was able to give birth to my first daughter at home and this was a very magical moment.

For some women, giving birth at home seems a very strange thing to do. The first comment you hear after deciding a home birth is "how brave you are" or "but what would you do in case of an emergency". For decades we have been persuaded that hospital were the safest place to give birth, but the truth is that for women with a straight-forward and uncomplicated pregnancy, home is as safe if not safer than hospital.

There is a lot of research available from www.homebirth.org.uk or www.midwiferytoday.com for anyone wishes to look at the safety of homebirth.

For me the most important statement comes from the World Health Organisation itself that gave this official sanction in 1985.

"It has never been scientifically proven that the hospital is a safer place than home for a woman who has had an uncomplicated pregnancy to have her baby. Studies of planned home births in developed countries with women who have had uncomplicated pregnancies have shown sickness and death rates for mother and baby equal to or better than hospital birth statistics for women with uncomplicated pregnancies" (Having a Baby in Europe).

Safety aside, other well intentioned person will ask; why you want to give birth naturally at home experiencing the pain of labour and birth when you can have all the drugs you want in hospital.

Sometimes I will just answer "No pain, No gain" but the truth is that a homebirth is very likely to be quicker and far less painful than a hospital birth therefore reducing the need for drugs and intervention.

Medical research has shown that feeling relaxed and safe helps the body to release endorphins, the body's own pain relieving hormone. Giving birth in unfamiliar environment, such as a hospital, has shown to alter this natural process. Even if a woman feels rationally that hospitals are 'safer' places in which to give birth, in her subconscious mind she is likely to feel insecure. This causes her body to secrete the hormone adrenalin, which causes the levels of both oxytocin and endorphins to drop. She will then experience far more pain than she would in her own home.

As my pregnancy progressed and I was getting more informed about the outcomes of homebirth I knew that what had started just as a romantic thought was actually for me the best way to give birth. Being in very good health with a relatively easy pregnancy my midwife was very supportive when I asked for it.

My labour started in the middle of the night. At 4 o'clock I was fully awake with contractions coming every 20 minutes. I knew my baby will be here soon and also the pain was not really strong yet I was too excited to stay in bed. I went down to seat in the living room, watching the clock and monitoring my contractions while drinking a hot chocolate. I was feeling lucky that this time I won't drive to the hospital. I always had the need to move a lot during my labours and not being confined in one room was really another advantage. I started to set up my birthing pool as I have chosen to use water as natural pain relief. I had an inflatable pool so it was very easy to install and it kept me busy in between the contraction.

At 6.30 they were just 5 minutes apart, lasting for 1 minute and I decided it was time to get some help and support. I called my midwife and woke up my husband. After that things started to go really fast and I remember only going up and down the stairs restless, trying to decide where I could rest. The first midwife arrived at 7am, and after checking my cervix to see how my labour was progressing, immediately called the second midwife as I was already 6 cm dilated. I was finally allowed to get in the pool and the pain relief was immediate but very short.

After only 15 minutes in the water I was fully dilated and ready to push. The pain was absolutely overwhelming and I started panicking, thinking that I could never do it. But my baby decided otherwise and in only one big push I was catching her underwater and bringing her to the surface. It took me few minutes to realise it was over and the midwives gently brought me back to reality by asking me if it was a boy or girl. I was already on high but seeing it was a girl brought tears of joy for the next 30 minutes. I had already two boys and I was convinced that I was expecting a third one.

It was 8 in the morning when the boys woke up to welcome their beautiful sister. I am not sure they fully understood what had just happen and they were much more interested by the birthing pool than the baby girl feeding at their mummy breast. Everyone helped with the clean up and after a nice breakfast, I said goodbye to the midwives, my DH, my beautiful sons and disappear with my new bundle of joy under my comfy duvet where we had a well deserved sleep.

Later on that year I unexpectedly found myself pregnant again and last September 2005, I gave birth at home to my second daughter. It is said that 99% of women who have experienced both home and hospital birth would choose to have a home birth in the future. I guess you can count me in.

The Independent Midwives Association may be helpful to you if your local hospital cannot offer homebirth cover.

For anyone interested in natural birthing, homebirth or waterbirth you can look at the following websites:

• www.homebirth.org.uk
• www.independentmidwives.org.uk
• www.birthchoiceuk.co.uk
• www.madeinwater.co.uk/childbirth.html

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