Home birth

BMJ 1996;313:1276-1277 (23 November)

Editorials

Home birth

Safe in selected women, and with adequate infrastructure andsupport

Birth is an event of great importance in family life. Althoughpregnancy and delivery are, under healthy conditions, normalsocial and physiological processes, childbirth has become hospitalcentred in most industrialised countries. The assumption isthat hospital based deliveries are safer for mother and child.Yet the Cumberlege report sees home birth as a real option,¹and the wishes of women to have home births must be viewed inthat light. A randomised controlled trial would help to resolvethe controversy over the relative safety of home and hospitalbirth,² but conditions for a "fair" trial are difficult to achieve.Such a study would require large numbers because of the lowfrequency of adverse events, and the necessary environment ofexperienced home deliveries has virtually disappeared. In theabsence of a randomised trial, observational studies are welcome,and this week's . . . [Full text of this article]

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Relevant Article

Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America: Kenneth C Johnson and Betty-Anne Daviss
BMJ 2005 330: 1416. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

Johnson, K. C, Daviss, B.-A. (2005). Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America. BMJ 330: 1416- [Abstract] [Full text]
Bastian, H., Keirse, M. J N C, Lancaster, P. A L (1998). Perinatal death associated with planned home birth in Australia: population based study. BMJ 317: 384-388 [Abstract] [Full text]
(1997). Can Home Births Be Safe?. JWatch Women's Health 1997: 14-14 [Full text]