Is Home Birth Safe?

Below are links to articles regarding the safety and outcomes of home birth compared with hospital delivery.

Editorial

Home birth
An easy to follow editorial from the British Medical Journal.
Link to editorial

Reviews

Home Birth - is it Safe?
A summary of the safety articles featured on this web page.
Link to review

Home versus hospital birth
A Cochrane Review of a clinical trial on home versus hospital delivery.
Link to abstract
Link to review

Prospective studies:

Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives
A large study in North America which found significantly lower rates of medical intervention than for low risk women having hospital births, and no difference in mortality risk.
Link to abstract
Link to article

Outcomes of planned home births versus planned hospital births after regulation of midwifery in British Colombia
A large study which found no increased maternal or neonatal risk associated with planned home birth under the care of a regulated midwife.
Link to abstract
Link to article

Outcomes of intended home births in nurse-midwifery practice
A large study in the US which found that home birth can be accomplished with good outcomes under the care of qualified practitioners and within a system that facilitates transfer to hospital care when necessary.
Link to abstract
Link to article

Outcome of planned home and planned hospital births in low risk pregnancies
A large study in the Netherlands which investigated the relationship between where low-risk women choose to birth (i.e. home or hospital) and their perinatal outcome. Fascinating reading!
Link to abstract
Link to article

Home versus hospital deliveries: follow up study of matched pairs for procedures and outcome
A large study in Switzerland which found that healthy low risk women who wish to deliver at home have no increased risk either to themselves or their babies.
Link to abstract
Link to article

Prospective regional study of planned home births
A small regional study in the UK which examined the experience and outcome of pregnancy, and the attitudes of women requesting a home birth.
Link to abstract
Link to article

Five year prospective survey of risk of booking for a home birth in Essex
A small regional study in the UK which showed no evidence of an increased risk associated with home births, and also indicated that there were fewer problems than were encountered with hospital deliveries.
Link to abstract
Link to article

Retrospective studies:

Perinatal death associated with planned home birth in Australia
A survey of the risks of perinatal death in planned home births, including both low and high risk births, which found that home birth for low risk women compares favourably with hospital birth.
Link to abstract
Link to article

Home birth in New Zealand 1973-93: incidence and mortality
A survey of the incidence and perinatal and maternal mortality rates for intended home births, which found that home birth was a safe and increasingly popular option for NZ women.
Link to abstract

Meta-analysis of the safety of home birth
An analysis of six retrospective studies investigating the safety of planned home birth, backed up by a modern hospital system, compared with planned hospital birth.
Link to abstract

Talk to a midwife on the phone or go to an information meeting to ask the questions you have.