Are home births 'unethical' and 'dangerous'?

Conclusion This narrative review has looked at the risks of homebirth and future risk to the child. The review has been written by two experts in the field and may not represent the opinions of other experts. This research was not a systematic review and as the methods used by the researchers for gathering studies that looked at homebirths are not reported, it is unclear if the researchers have captured all of the relevant literature on this topic. Also, they may have selectively chosen to showcase studies that supported their argument. So, the studies presented may provide a biased view of the topic. That said, and despite the researchers arguing that homebirth should not be recommended by professionals, they do recognise that most women will deliver at home with good outcomes for both the mother and child. Current estimates suggest that in the UK, a home birth slightly increases the risk of a poor outcome for the baby, including death and long-term health problems, (from five in 1,000 for a hospital birth to nine in 1,000 – almost 1% – for a home birth). Read more about the options of where to give birth and the benefits of making a birth plan. A case could be made that rather than discouraging home births, we should instead be improving the levels of support to women who choose to home birth and so reduce the risk of complications. However, in cash-strapped times there are always going to be competing priorities. Analysis by Bazian.  Edited by NHS Choices. ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: QA articles Pregnancy/child Source Type: news