Princess defends home birth

OSLO, Norway, June 18 (UPI) -- Princess Martha Louise of Norway says she decided to have her second child at home because "it just felt right."

After the home delivery, some royal watchers suggested that the princess's decision was a criticism of the country's health system. But Martha Louise, who had her first daughter at the National Hospital, said she has no problems with Norway's medical establishment.

"It's important to respect everyone's individual choice," she told the newspaper Aftenposten. "For me, it's just as fine to give birth at a hospital with an epidural as it is to give birth home without any pain killers."

The princess's husband, Ari Behn, was with her throughout her four-hour labor.

Leah Isadora was born April 8 and baptized Thursday at the Royal Palace in Oslo. Some Norwegians are also unhappy with the baby's name, which they say sounds unroyal.

The princess said the name reflects her husband's fascination with the dancer Isadora Duncan and his travels in the Middle East. She likes the link to Princess Leia of "Star Wars."