In recent years, an increasing number of high-quality scientific studies have been published showing that it is possible to accurately assess healthy pregnant women who want to give birth at home, so there is no need to worry about safety.
Midwife present
This is as long as a midwife is present to assist the birthing mother and the midwife has good ongoing communication with the nearest maternity ward, in case a transfer to the hospital becomes necessary during the birth.
Fewer interventions
The aforementioned studies also show that births that are planned to start at home tend to progress better. Women who plan to give birth at home have 20-60% fewer interventions, such as fewer cesarean sections, epidurals, and oxytocin stimulations. They also have 10-30% fewer complications, such as less bleeding and fewer serious tears. It also appears that more mothers who give birth at home successfully initiate breastfeeding.
Midwives support home birth
A study by the Midwifery Association also shows that midwives have themselves embraced home births as the number of and size of studies in the field have increased. This provides insight that both scientific research and experienced professionals support home births for healthy pregnant women, as long as they are attended by a midwife and are in contact with a maternity ward in case of a need for transfer.
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Source: Article by Ole Olsen, senior researcher at the Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health Science, published by Parents and Birth
