Home Birth May Be Safer Than Hospital Birth, Says New Review
As the father of a young daughter born through a home birth, I think that home birth can be safer than hospital birth. A new Cochrane Library review agrees, suggesting that home birth is a realistic and safe option with fewer complications and interventions than a hospital birth.
According to the new review on the safety of home birth, women with low risk pregnancies should be given accurate information to make an informed decision about the location in which they give birth: at home, in a hospital, or in a birth center.
The review even goes as far as to state that all countries should consider setting up proper home birth services for low-risk pregnancies that are organized as part of the healthcare system. As previous research on home birth has indicated, properly trained midwives are essential for the safe outcome of home births.
For women with low risk pregnancies whose home birth is planned with an experienced midwife available and with medical back up ready in case of the need for emergency medical transport, there is no strong evidence either to support or to disfavor home birth over hospital birth.
Additionally, women who give birth at home have 20 to 60 percent fewer interventions including cesarean sections, inductions and augmentations, and epidurals than women who give birth in a hospital. Each medical intervention, although potentially life-saving, increases the risk for complications during the labor and birth.
As midwifery lecturer PhD Jette Aaroe Clausen argues:
“Patience is important if women want to avoid interference and give birth spontaneously. At home the temptation to make unnecessary interventions is reduced. The woman avoids for example routine electronic monitoring that may easily lead to further interventions in birth.”
Women, especially women with low-risk pregnancies, should have the right to choose the location in which they give birth.
Would you ever choose a home birth?
Tags : birth, giving birth at home, health studies, Health Study, home birth, homebirth, hospital birth, low risk pregnancy, US Home Births
Posted: October 1, 2012
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Oct 1, 2012
dosent matter to me, ill be standing beside my wife and helping her through it every step of the way, she dident have to let me have a baby, so its a gift we can both share and be thankful for.
Oct 1, 2012
I am not only a home birth advocate, but also experienced about one hundred births in both hospital, and home settings…. With the proper preparation, education and confidence in yourself, a home birth is BY FAR the BEST option. I also chose to home birth my third child, which was a beautiful experience. Well, at least the labor was! After pushing for quite some time, her heartbeat slowed ever so slightly, and I was whisked away to the hospital by ambulance…and that's where she was born. All was good, but the professional home-birth midwife knew when to call in the troops.
BTW, The Amish STILL have their babies at home, and their birthing ritual is so much more mother-baby oriented, and very calm and beautiful.
Oct 1, 2012
I am not only a home birth advocate, but also experienced about one hundred births in both hospital, and home settings…. With the proper preparation, education and confidence in yourself, a home birth is BY FAR the BEST option. I also chose to home birth my third child, which was a beautiful experience. Well, at least the labor was! After pushing for quite some time, her heartbeat slowed ever so slightly, and I was whisked away to the hospital by ambulance…and that's where she was born. All was good, but the professional home-birth midwife knew when to call in the troops.
BTW, The Amish STILL have their babies at home, and their birthing ritual is so much more mother-baby oriented, and very calm and beautiful.
Oct 2, 2012
What a sweet thing to say. Your wife is very lucky and there should be more men like you out there:)
Oct 2, 2012
Not only would I, but I did. No hospital was going to allow me to have a vaginal birth, and I didn't feel right about that. I got a midwife and had my chin-presenting daughter at home without even a minor tear. The next night I felt good enough to make dinner, and on day six, I we went to see Santa. No one could believe I'd given birth not even a week before. The pushing phase was very long and hard, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Oct 2, 2012
My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out. The potential with this is endless. This is what I do, Buzz17.cøm.
Oct 3, 2012
So, this review includes ONE study of ELEVEN women, and breathlessly exclaims that maybe homebirth is as safe as hospital birth? Seriously, people?
Nov 6, 2012
The review included observational studies, with thousands of women and babies. But also one randomised trial that included 11 women. Randomised control trials are generally considered the gold standard in medical research, but in some cases are not possible, you can't randomly assign people to birth at home.
Nov 18, 2012
You only have to look at world wide stats on homebirth to see it backs what this article and the study are saying!