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Home birth 'safe as in hospital'

Home birth 'safe as in hospital' “Giving birth at home is as safe as doing so in hospital with a midwife,” BBC news reported. The news service said a large Dutch study has found that for low-risk women, a home birth presents no more danger than a hospital delivery.

This study of 530,000 births demonstrated that the offspring of low-risk women with the same midwife during pregnancy, labour and birth, have the same risk of death or severe illness as those born in hospital. It is important to note that this analysis excluded a large number of women with pregnancy and labour complications, as well as those who had premature onset of labour, required induction or who had additional risk factors such as a previous caesarean or twin pregnancy.

The safety of home births is a subject of frequent debate. These results are encouraging, but it should be noted that these Dutch findings may not be representative of outcomes that would be seen in other countries. The effectiveness and safety of maternity care services relies on well-trained professionals, the facilities to support the woman’s choice and the systems to ensure appropriate access to expert care if needed.

April 15 2009

This story is from BBC Online



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