Part 1. Woman's memories of homebirth 3-5 years on

Twenty-five women who had had a homebirth between 3-5 years ago were interviewedin 1995 about the experience in terms of their memories of the homebirth itself, the processes involved in deciding to have a homebirth and their beliefs about the impact of the homebirth on their lives subsequently. This article reports the results from the first component of the study. The women provided rich and detailed accounts of the birth and described the experience interms of factors such as normality, theatmosphere, the role of professionals, pain control and sharing. The memories provide insights into the experience of having a birth at home.