A mum who was so 'petrified' of catching Covid during labour that she gave birth at home has welcomed her new baby boy.
Priya Chauhan had never wanted a home birth before but when her due date approached during the pandemic she started to seriously consider the idea.
The prospect of being exposed to the virus during the arrival of her second child eventually led her to opt to give birth in her own familiar surroundings.
Priya and her husband Dave consulted with midwives and bought a home pool to set up after the first signs of labour.
They would become one of more than 150 families who have sought to welcome their child with the help of a home birthing team in Birmingham alone, reports Birmingham Live.
In February at 40 weeks and three days, Priya began experiencing her first contractions and the couple called for help in accordance with their birth plan.
Two midwives joined the family soon after at around 11.30pm and two-and-a-half-hours later their baby boy was born Cyrus was born.
"The reasons for me to have a home birth were number one I just wanted to be at home, I felt safe at home, and secondly I was petrified of catching Covid in hospital," said Priya, from Hall Green, Birmingham.
"And thirdly I was even more anxious to go through that experience without my husband because I could have had to stay in hospital on my own."
"Before this pregnancy homebirth wasn’t an option we’d ever really considered but I knew I wanted my husband to be with me every step of the journey," she added.
"After speaking with my community midwife and then the Women’s Hospital Homebirth Team any concerns or worries I had were allayed.
"The explained everything so clearly and answered all the questions that we had."
She added: "Deciding to have a homebirth was probably the best decision we’ve ever made as a couple. The homebirth team were fantastic every step of the way.
"They made me able to trust my own instincts in the comfort of my own home. It’s an experience we will never forget."
