BJOG: More resources are needed for home births
Wednesday, 02 Apr 2008 14:13
Greater funding is needed to ensure women opting to have a home birth are given the care they need, the editor of the journal BJOG has said.
Professor Philip Steer spoke in response to a report published in BJOG which analysed the mortality rates of babies during labour.
The report looked at all births in England and Wales between 1994 and 2003 including home births, 'transferred births' (births originally intended to occur at home but transferred to hospital because of arising complications) and unintended home births (births occurring at home but were intended to take place elsewhere, such as a hospital or midwifery unit).
The study concluded that the chance of the baby dying is significantly higher if the mother required a transfer of care.
"The results of this large scale study show that the [mortality] rates for booked home births, especially for women requiring a transfer, did not seem to improve," said Professor Steer.
"This does not mean that home births are unsafe but that the series of events during labour are sometimes unpredictable. Recourse to quick action makes a difference.
"More resources are needed to ensure that women booking a home birth are provided with the support they need during this important moment in their lives."
