NEW MOTHERHOOD FIVE ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO HAVE YOUR BABY

Home-birthing

A popular choice in around 2 per cent of all births, especially with women who want a water birth. According to NHS Direct, there shouldn’t be an issue in a midwifeassisted home birth, as long as the mother is assessed as “low risk”.

Free-birthing

Delivering your baby, your way – at home, surrounded by family or friends in the place of a trained midwife. Free-birthers also eschew intervention by medical professionals – no check-ups, no scans – during their pregnancy.

Wild-birthing

Mothers who swap the delivery room for nature, opting to bring the relevant equipment (a tent, a heater…) to an outdoor destination of their choice.

Lotus-birthing

A practice in which the umbilical cord is left “uncut” so the baby remains attached to the placenta, until it falls away naturally. Some claim it creates a more intense bond between mother and the newborn. However, there is no medical evidence of health benefits, only a heightened risk of infection.

Natural caesarean

A procedure by which the newborn “delivers” itself. Rather than being lifted out by the obstetrician, the baby “wriggles out” of the womb of its own accord. The drapes that screen the operation are lowered, so the mother can watch.