To be fed up of the "home birth is risky" misinformation?

[everychildmatters]

Because clearly evidence says otherwise!!

Maybe some more details for context? All births have different risk factors.

@TheNightingalesStarling The many people.who honestly believe that birth is ALWAYS "far safer" in hospital. I totally agree with you re risk factors.

Well they can be both my babies would have died without medical intervention
That doesn't mean all home births are risky.

Yes, but bear in mind that home birth is safe for the women for whom it is safe. A piece in the paper today about a woman who died after a home birth against clinical advice (I havent read in detail). But I agree that lots more women could give birth at home safely.

I am not up to date with research. When I did pay attention there was concern that home births appeared safer because risky births were scheduled to happen in hospitals.

I had a home birth, but needed hospital support after. DS2 was a hospital birth because he needed to be induced.

@x2boys But you can't argue from that all home births are riskier than in hospital.

I assume this is in response to the news today of a woman dying as a result of a home birth?

My initial response to that story, was really that I empathised with the mother’s rationale - she had such a terrible experience in hospital the first time round, she wanted to avoid putting herself through that again.

I felt like this after my first - the hospital experience was so dehumanising, the staff so uncaring, so much of the awfulness created by the medical interventions foisted upon me… I really get why women are fearful of putting themselves through that a second time.

I think maternity care is all a bit surface-level and I can see the messaging may not have got through to her that it would be very dangerous for her to have a home birth given a previous PPH.

It is far too normalised that women are just supposed to put up with substandard - and often downright cruel and scary - maternity care. ‘What did you expect?’.

I was recommended to have a home birth with my second as my first had been really quick... it was considered safer for the midwife to be travelling to me rather than than me giving birth on the side of a country lane without any medical staff.

(Mt first was "unattended" while in hospital due to the sudden acceleration).

I and my baby would probably have died with my first labour, and possibly my second if I had had home births.
Neither had been problematic pregnancies, and there was no indication that labours would be difficult.
I'm glad that I decided on hospital births for both.

@MidnightPatrol An absolute tragedy - but that lady was advised she was high-risk so HB would not be recommended.

Didnt a lady & her newborn just recently die from a home birth?

I'm.not arguing that I even said that in my reply
My point is that giving birth can be unpredictable .

Well, they are. By definition.
Hospitals aren’t always the most desirable location to give birth, but not wanting to be there is never to do with safety.

@Swiftie1878 Incorrect..

Given what happened with her first delivery and its aftermath, I’m amazed she DIDN’T want a hospital birth.

The issue is, that maternity care isn't up to par - women should feel like they 'want' to give birth in hospital. If something goes wrong that's where you want to be. Sometimes the most straightforward, low risk pregnancies can result in a life threatening issue (cord prolapse, shoulder dystocia etc) and can happen without warning. Giving birth in a non medical setting will always carry more risk, for those it applies to, which you can't predict most of the time unfortunately.

Home birth is riskier.

You have around 30 mins from something going wrong to get that baby out safely. How many people can say they can figure out there's a problem, call an ambulance, ambulance arrive and asses, arrive at hospital, be assessed, get to surgery, get baby out, within 30 mins?

It's much like vaccines, modern medicine has meant that people don't understand the true dangers, because it's rarer now. It's a privileged position in the western world to deny medical care.

Neither I nor my daughter would be here if I'd had a home birth. DD in particular started her merry way down the birth canal, changed her mind and shot back up! Episiotomy plus 4th degree tear, forceps, shoulder dystocia, loss of blood (me)... I could go on. Just the pain of getting her out broke through the epidural. I was one push away from EMCS.

All births are potentially risky, unless you're a chicken!

That is quite an easy argument to make.... (Ignoring very very unique situations such as possibly very immunosuppressed individuals where hospital visits are high risk)

There is always a risk that something may go wrong, no matter how safe and easy the birth appears to be in the build up there is always a chance.

If something goes wrong it is safer to be in hospital where there are doctors, operating theatres, drugs etc.

Therefore all births are riskier at home.

That doesn't mean that sometimes the risks are so minimal as to be almost negligible and the comfort factor is worth ignoring the fractional increase in risk. There absolutely are plenty of situations where the risk difference is tiny and therefore worth taking.

Like a lot of things, it’s nuanced. What matters is a) the accuracy of the risk assessment for individual women, so we can make the best decision b) the quality of care / support in hospital and at home being good so that this does not have to be a factor.

Go on then. When is it safer to be at home than in hospital?

IF you are 22, young, fit(slim) and healthy, and have had no pregnancy complications, you will be more likely to have a successful home birth.

However, pregnant women are more likely to be overweight, and older, and those factors add additional complications which mean a successful home birth is less likely.

It sounds correct to me. As you say above ‘my point is that giving birth can be unpredictable.’ You don’t know what might pop up and you’re safer in a hospital. That said I have no issue with supported home births for low risk mums when it’s not their first child.

Well it is.

If I'd had a home birth I wouldn't be typing this now. I would have died more than two decades ago.

At a home birth you have midwives who yes can do all that. Nobody is suggesting free birthing isn't riskier.

There is some evidence that women are more likely to get into dangerous situations in hospital. But obviously there's no way of knowing in each individual case.