That means that at the slightest hitch they are more likely to transfer the woman from home to hospital

“That means that at the slightest hitch they are more likely to transfer the woman from home to hospital. Home-birth midwives work in an instinctive way, drawing on the relationship and trust they have built up over the months before the birth. They are not driven by medical protocol but by the needs of the woman during labour.”Women who can afford it can opt to pay up to £3,500 for a private independent midwife, as did TV presenter Davina McCall, who supports the Home Birth Campaign. Ironically, independent midwives would love this service to be available to all women but have opted out of the NHS because their values are not compatible. “Having a baby is an ordinary life-cycle process, not a medical event,” explains Clare Winter, an independent midwife with 17 years’ experience. “The relationship between a woman and her midwife is built on trust and communication When a woman is in labour, they work as a team.

It’s a very intuitive thing, which is not just about delivering babies but also about empowering women to have the sort of birth they want.”Winter believes the midwife is a tiny part of a huge chain of events. “People say it’s an amazing job to deliver a baby but all I do is enable a woman to do what she does naturally herself,” she says. “The minute the baby is born, she doesn’t want me around any more. There is a point during labour where most women say, ‘I don’t think I can go on any more’, when the midwife does have to encourage her. It’s the moment that if she were in hospital she would be offered an epidural or pethidine.

At home, with a confident midwife who instinctively knows how her labour is progressing, she can get through that feeling and – as Maria found – have a truly joyful experience of birth.”The word instinctive crops up often when people talk about home births. Childbirth guru Michel Odent – who, during the 1970s, encouraged mothers to give birth squatting, or in birthing pools in darkened rooms at his low-tech birth centre near Paris – believes instinct is the key. “During a natural labour with an experienced midwife at home, women learn about their strength and power. A woman labouring at home is likely to feel relaxed and confident in her abilities – surrounded by family and friends in her own environment, she is able to manage her pain better. Mother and baby bond better and breastfeeding is established more easily.”Thomas adds that it is often a bonding experience for the family. “Giving birth at home meant that my other two children could be there, which made the whole thing an inclusive family experience.

The kids not only enjoyed it but learned a lot from it, too.”For Maria and her husband Tim, the idea of a future hospital birth is not an option. “There was no comparison with what happened the first time,” explains Tim. “Maria was at ease about giving birth at home, but she could not have done it without the encouragement of an experienced home-birth midwife Margaret spent a lot of time getting to know Maria. So, all during Maria’s labour she instinctively knew what to say The birth was incredibly moving. After Oscar was born, Margaret went into our kitchen and cooked up a huge pot of pasta, which was what we needed. She had become part of our family.”For more information, go to or .uk. Food labels claiming products have “added vitamins and minerals” often disguise high levels of fat and sugar, the Co-op supermarket will say today as it calls for a tightening of government regulations.