BMJ  2005;330 (18 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7505.0-a

Giving birth: home can be better than hospital

For women with low risk pregnancies in North America, giving birth at home bears similar risks of intrapartum and neonatal mortality as giving birth in hospital, but planned home births are associated with lower rates of medical interventions. In a prospective cohort study, Johnson and Daviss (p 1416) evaluated the safety of home births involving certified midwives in 5418 women who intended to give birth at home when labour began. The study participants experienced substantially lower rates of epidurals, episiotomies, forceps deliveries, vacuum extractions, and caesarean sections than women with low risk pregnancies who gave birth in hospital.

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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]

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