Homebirths are on the rise: Meet a mother who had her children at home

The demand for homebirths has gone up by more than a third during the pandemic, with Cork and Kerry the busiest regions, according to The National Homebirth Service

Shelly O'Halloran says she was mentally prepared for homebirth. Picture: Brendan Gleeson.

The National Homebirth Service has reported an increase in registrations from 272 in 2019 to 354 last year, across all HSE regions. Cork and Kerry was the busiest region in both years with 127 (2019) and 129 (2020) women registered for a homebirth.

For many people, the idea of giving birth at home is unthinkable as they imagine all sorts of dangers occurring away from the ‘safety’ of the delivery suite.