Home births raise newborns’ death risks--study

Daily Mail quoted lead researcher Dr. Joseph Wax, MMC as saying, “We don’t know exactly why this trend exists but there could be many causes such as a lack of equipment and expertise.”

Wax further quoted that, “At home fetuses may not be adequately monitored for early signs of distress. In hospital they are constantly checked but at home the midwife is on her own doing everything.”

Research details
Researchers evaluated data from 342,056 planned home births and 207,511 planned hospital births to arrive at comparative results.

The births were recorded in national registries and birth certificates in developed, Western countries.

Analysis revealed that the overall newborn mortality rate was almost two-fold in planned home births as compared to planned hospital births.

Also, death rate was almost three-fold among newborns with no inherited abnormalities in planned home births (0.15 percent) compared to death-rate of newborns in planned hospital births (0.04 percent).

The average mortality rate of hospital births was around 0.3 per 1,000 births, but for those infants born at home this was 1 per 1,000 births.

Arguments against study findings
According to study results, planned home births were associated with reduced medical involvement for the mothers.

Women participating in planned home births used less epidurals (anesthesia) and episiotomies (surgical procedure). There also were fewer cesareans.

They also reportedly had fewer infections and perineal (nerve in the pelvic region) or vaginal lacerations.

Additionally, planned home births had less hemorrhaging or incidences of retained placentas.

They were also linked with lesser pre-term births and fewer cases of low birth weight.

However, planned home births were known to cause neonatal deaths attributed to respiratory distress and failed recovery.

WebMD quoted Mary Lawlor, President, National Association of Certified Professional Midwives as saying, “There is a body of international research that confirms that home birth is a safe option for well-screened women experiencing a low-risk pregnancy who choose this option, when they are cared for by trained, qualified attendants, with access to emergency services when needed.”

The research appears online in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.