The number of home birth enquiries has soared since Duchess Catherine announced she was expecting her third child.
The 35-year-old royal announced her and her husband Prince William – who are already parents to Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two – were expecting another child and Private Midwives, the country’s largest private provider of home birth services saw a 44 percent increase in enquiries.
Duchess Catherine is reportedly keen to have a home birth this time around.
Linda Bryceland, director of midwifery, quality and safety at Private Midwives, said: "We’ve seen a definite rise in interest surrounding home births following the Duchess of Cambridge’s announcement, with many of the services she and other A-listers utilise becoming more readily accessible and affordable, we’re seeing expectant mothers being presented with more and more options. It’s now even easier to tailor birthing care and plan a journey that suits mothers-to-be.
"As well as a rise in awareness, there is also an increase in professional career driven women who in the current economic climate do not want to take time off work for antenatal appointments – their partners also frequently struggle to get time off to attend antenatal appointments."
The research also revealed that almost a third (29 percent) of people would prefer to give birth in their home. And for those who wanted to give birth in a hospital, over half of them (62%) would like to have their baby in a birthing suite, similar to what the likes of Amal Clooney and Cheryl Tweedy had.
Home birth enquiries soar as Duchess Catherine announces she is expecting third child
