Giving Birth at Home is Safe, Studies Find

By Maggie Fox

LONDON (Reuter) - Giving birth at home is probably a safeoption for women with low risk of complications, a series ofreports published in the British Medical Journal Friday found.

Several European studies found that although doctors oftendiscourage home births there is little reason not to allow womento have them.

More women could almost certainly deliver outside hospitalwith ``equal safety,'' one report by Britain's Northern RegionalPerinatal Survey Committee concluded.

Gavin Young, a ``country doctor'' in Penrith, England whoworked on two of the studies, said up to half of all pregnantwomen were healthy enough to give birth at home if they wanted.

``There is no doubt that pregnancy and childbirth canoccasionally go wrong, but usually not so suddenly that one cansay to women ``ooh you shouldn't have your baby at home','' hesaid in a telephone interview.

``It's unfair and it's unscientific and it's beastly,'' headded.

Young's group studied more than 3,400 non-hospital birthsover 13 years and found 134 babies died. But in all but threecases the mothers had actually been booked for a hospitaldelivery, or had no plans to give birth at home, indicating thatthe babies came unexpectedly.

Another study showed that of 256 women who planned to givebirth at home, only 57 percent managed to do so. In none of thecases did the baby die.

Studies in Switzerland and the Netherlands showed similarresults. Ursula Ackermann-Liebrich, a specialist in preventativemedicine in Basle, found fewer medications and less interventionsuch as use of forceps were needed for home births.

Doctors are often hostile to the idea but Young said thereports showed that women should be given more input into howand where they give birth.

``What's required is a lot more time for women to talk aboutwhat they want,'' he said.

In fact, doctors' attitudes could be a factor in womenchoosing to stay away from hospital. ``There are significantthings about birth at home that appeal to women. One is thesense of being in control that comes out very clearly,'' Youngsaid.

The main fears that women, doctors and midwives had were ofhaemorrhage after birth or of the baby not breathing properly.But the chances of postpartum haemorrhage were only one in 500,while most midwives could deal with babies that did not breathe.

Risks that would warn against home birth are obvious, headded. ``Certainly someone who had bleeding in late pregnancy,anyone with a previous Caesarian section, someone whose baby wasnot head first, i.e. breech,'' he said.

``Or a situation where the woman herself is unwell likediabetes.''

Article from Mercury Online service,03:04 PM ET 11/21/96