Home birth is chosen by many British royal princesses

At 5:26 a.m. on May 6 local time, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle welcomed their first son. The baby weighed 3.2 kg. Currently, both mother and child are in good health.

Before the royal baby was born, many sources speculated that Meghan would give birth at home instead of going to hospital like Princess Diana or Kate Middleton. Both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took hypnosis classes and expressed hope that a team of midwives would help them "give birth". Prince Harry spoke to the press outside the couple's home in Windsor, also suggesting that Meghan had given birth at home.

However, the royal mother is more than a week past her due date, so it is not clear whether Meghan gave birth at home or in the hospital.

In fact, it is a tradition for the British Royal Family to give birth at home (including palaces and royal estates). Queen Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Charles, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace. Princess Anne was born at Clarence House because Buckingham Palace was undergoing renovations at the time.

Typically, women who give birth at home will schedule a midwife, who is called in to help when labor begins. For members of the British Royal Family, at least one royal doctor will be on duty throughout the labor.

Dr Sam Todd, who heads the home birth team at Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital, said the benefits of this method were that women felt more comfortable, and did not have to leave other children or interrupt work to go to hospital.

According to the Royal National Health Service, for low-risk pregnancies, women can choose their birth environment without worrying about safety. A 2011 study found that for second-time mothers, the difference in risk between home birth and hospital birth was negligible. For first-time mothers, home birth increased the risk of health problems for the baby slightly, but still less than 1%.

However, home birth is not suitable for all women. Those at risk of complications should go to a hospital, where a team of experts is available. Factors that increase the risk of pregnancy complications include obesity, being over 35 years old, high blood pressure, heart disease and fetal abnormalities. It is best to consult a doctor before deciding to give birth at home.

In the UK, home birth rates have fallen sharply over the past 50 years. In 2017, just 2.1% of women in England and Wales gave birth at home.

Mr. Todd commented that Meghan's home birth could help women realize they have many options.