Gisele Bundchen gave birth to her son, Benjamin, in her home bathtub in 2009

Home births are on the rise in the US, and a growing number of celebrities are now joining women around the country as they make the decision to opt out of hospital birth.  I’ve posted previously on the topic of celebrities when discussing the pregnant body in pop culture. 

Celebrities are highly influential in our culture, and so it seems important to acknowledge the interest in natural birth and home birth that some of them share with all pregnant women.  Furthermore, when it comes to visualizing birth, the knowledge that a popular celebrity or role model birthed at home without issue may help other women to envision birth as a normal physiological activity, as opposed to a medical issue.

The rise in celebrity home birth also indicates that the natural birth movement is becoming less viewed as something that only those on the fringe of society decide to be a part of.  Instead, both natural birth and home birth are apparently normalizing in the US, touching frequently on mainstream life.  

Celebrities not mentioned in the video who have also had homebirths include: Michelle Alves, Pamela Anderson, Patricia Arquette, Erykah Badu, Maria Bello, Mayem Bialik, Lisa Bonet & Lenny Kravitz, Gisele Bundchen, Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany, Cindy Crawford, Laura Dern, Joely Fisher, Nellie Furtado, Alyson Hannigan, Woody Harrellson & Wife Laura, Felicity Huffman, Jade & Mick Jagger, Stacy Kiebler, Val & Joanne Kilmer, Ricki Lake, Julie & Kenny Loggins, Stephen King and Wife Tabitha, Demi Moore, Julianne Moore, Alanis Morissette, Liberty Phoenix, John Travolta & Kelly Preston, Meryl Streep Keifer Sutherland & Camelia Kath, Stella Tennant, Lindsey Wagner.  For a more complete list, please see here.