Since Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden women have been giving birth from home. U would be surprised at the amount of people now living on this earth born at home. A home birth is a birth that occurs at home. It is contrasted to births that occur in a hospital or birthing centre.

 Home births are divided into two types-

1. Attended

2. Unattended

Attended births are those at which a professional attends; midwives or a general practitioner.

Unattended or otherwise free births may involve the woman herself, sometimes assisted by her spouse, family member or a birth attendant called “nana”.

 Reason for having a child at home

1.  unprepared mother

2. distance from home to hospital

3. transportation problems from home to hospital

4. mother who just wants to have her child at home (tradition)

5. religion

 Some Advantages of Home Birth.

1.  If a mother is labouring at home she will not have her labour induced or augmented which at times increases the risk of various complications for both mother and baby.

2 . Mother and baby are not expose to unfamiliar pathogens in institution

(agents causing disease) which cause the risk of various complications for mother and baby

3. It increases the risk of the baby going into distress and the mother finding labour too painful and needing an epidural. (Anesthesia).

4 . Labour progresses well at home because mother labouring does not have to be interrupted by trip to the hospital or have to worry that labour might slow down on arrival at the hospital.

 Registration of home birth

A child born at home must be registered and named within six weeks of the birth at the local district registrar (LDR), in the district of birth or within twelve months of that particular birth. A free birth certificate is guaranteed from the Registrar General’s Department three months after the birth of the child, once the registration is completed within six weeks of the birth of the child. A certificate of Registry (Pink Slip) is issued to the parent (s) immediately after registration.

 Registration of unmarried parents for child born at home

To have father’s particulars entered on child’s record both parents must attend the Local District Registrar (LDR) in the district of birth of the child and sign the birth registration record. The father must present a valid identification to the LDR. If any of the parents attend the LDR alone, only the mother’s particulars will be entered.

 Registration of married parents for child born at home

If parents are married, any of the parents can attend the LDR with proof of marriage (marriage certificate); both parents’ particulars will be automatically entered and only one of the parent’s signatures is needed on the child’s birth record.