Meghan Markle Was 'Whisked Off' To A Hospital In Secret When Her At-Home Birth Plan Failed

  • Meghan Markle, who gave birth Monday, apparently had to change her birth plan at the last minute.
  • Meghan, who planned on giving birth at home, was “whisked off” to a hospital.
  • Recently, top ob-gyns at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists poked fun at Meghan’s home-birth plan.

Unless you had zero access to technology yesterday, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcomed Baby Sussex into the world. But apparently, while Meghan really, really wanted to have a home birth, things didn’t go as planned.

According to the Daily Mail, Meghan, who was a week overdue, was “whisked off” in secrecy to a London hospital, where she gave birth. It was so secretive, in fact, that “even senior royals weren’t told,” per the Daily Mail.

It’s not known whether she was induced, but she apparently stayed there overnight before her baby was born at 5:26 a.m. on Monday.

The Daily Mail previously reported that Meghan wanted to have a home birth, although she was wiling to go to the hospital if it was best for the baby. She and Harry were hoping to have an all-female midwife-led delivery at their home at Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate. But as Meghan became more overdue, it became more unlikely that that would happen.

This afternoon, His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex shared the news of the arrival of his and the Duchess’ first born child. Their son was born early morning on the 6th of May, 2019 and weighs 7lbs and 3oz. Their Royal Highnesses thank you for your support and kindness during this exceptionally joyful time in their lives as they welcome their baby boy.

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on

Apparently some of the world’s leading ob-gyns weren’t too optimistic that Meghan would be able to have a home birth, either. At the recent annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in Nashville, some doctors were reportedly trashing Meghan and Harry’s home birth wishes.

One of the doctors, Dr. Timothy Draycott, envoy of the Royal College of Gynecology, allegedly said “Meghan Markle has decided she’s going to have a doula and a willow tree…let’s see how that goes,” to a room full of laughs. Then he added, “She’s 37, first birth… I don’t know.”

The skepticism was largely because of her age. At 37, Meghan’s pregnancy classifies as a high-risk pregnancy, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which is the case for any woman 35 or older. The NICHD and ACOG both recommend against home births.

That’s only in the United States, though. In the United Kingdom, home births are far safer. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which writes the childbirth guidelines in the UK, says home births are appropriate, even beneficial, for almost half of low-risk births, and even allows high-risk births to be performed at home, if the mother’s maternal age is the only factor.

Luckily, everything worked out well for Meghan and Baby Sussex. And, if Prince Harry’s adorable reaction to being a new dad is any indication, the British royal family is just thrilled everyone is healthy—home birth or not.

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