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The Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly considering a home birth for baby number three

Could the Duchess of Cambridge have a home birth for her third baby [Photo: Getty]
Could the Duchess of Cambridge have a home birth for her third baby [Photo: Getty]

The Duchess of Cambridge could be considering having a home birth to welcome her third baby.

The pregnant royal has reportedly told friends that she would “love” to have baby number three at either Kensington Palace in London or Anmer Hall in Norfolk, The Express reveals.

Kate delivered her first two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte in the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington and although both births were relatively straightforward, the Duchess would prefer to give birth at home to avoid the media chaos that went alongside them.

“Catherine has said she would love to have her baby at home,” a royal source told the publication. “She has discussed it with William and he is being very supportive.”

“Above all they both agree that having a home birth would save a massive intrusion into the day to day running of any hospital where she gave birth.”

The Duchess hasn’t got too long before her third baby arrives [Photo: Getty]
The Duchess hasn’t got too long before her third baby arrives [Photo: Getty]

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) around 2.3% of women opt to give birth at home.

The NHS says that though giving birth is generally safe wherever you choose to deliver, for women having their first baby, home birth slightly increases the risk of a poor out come for the baby (from five in 1,000 for a hospital birth to nine in 1,000 – almost 1% – for a home birth).

For women having their second or subsequent baby, a planned home birth is as safe as having your baby in hospital or a midwife-led unit.

If the Duchess is considered to be “low risk” she should be offered a choice of birth setting.

The Duchess reportedly would like to avoid the “chaos” that comes with giving birth in hospital [Photo: Getty]
The Duchess reportedly would like to avoid the “chaos” that comes with giving birth in hospital [Photo: Getty]

Although both of Kate’s births have been straightforward, her pregnancies have seen her suffer from extreme morning sickness, hyperemesis gravidarum.

Shortly after announcing her third pregnancy last August, the Duchess was forced to take some time off from royal duties, and even had to miss Prince George’s first day of school in September because she was too poorly to take him.

If the 37-year-old mum-of-two does opt to have her third baby at home, it wouldn’t be the first time a British royal has done so. According to Hello!, the Queen was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfather’s London house, while she also gave birth to sons Charles, Andrew and Edward at Buckingham Palace and Princess Anne was born at Clarence House.

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