New Mexico residents may be interested in a recent Canadian study that compared planned home births with hospital births. For expectant mothers who have no risk factors or complications, having a baby at home can be safe and very beneficial. In fact, according to the study, well-planned home births led by experienced midwives were found to be about as safe as hospital births and had similar results. Additionally, planned home births with low-risk mothers resulted in fewer interventions such as cesarean deliveries and resuscitation of newborn babies, while the dangers for neonatal death, stillbirth or a severe injury to the baby were the same for both hospital and home deliveries.
The study, which is the biggest of its kind, evaluated 11,000 hospital births with approximately 11,000 planned home births within the province of Ontario. More than 50 percent of the mothers involved in the study had previously given birth. Moreover, none of the expectant mothers had any risk factors such as small for gestational age babies, eclampsia, antepartum bleeding, anemia unresponsive to therapy, HIV, hepatitis B, heart condition, gestational diabetes, type 1 diabetes, chronic high blood pressure, or drug or alcohol dependency. Part of a midwife’s role is to discuss these risk factors with the expectant mothers under her care.
While the study revealed that there were slightly more home births that required emergency care compared to hospital births, it also found that there were more advantages to home births. In the first place, home births are more affordable than hospital births. Secondly, home births eliminate the need for a home transition postpartum.
Whenever a delivery room error occurs, and a mother’s baby suffers a severe injury as a result, those responsible, such as an obstetrician or a nurse, may be liable for damages. Parents in such circumstances might consider getting advice from an attorney who handles medical malpractice claims.
Source: Yahoo, “For low-risk pregnancies, home births just as safe as hospital”, Kathryn Doyle, Dec. 30, 2015
