caroline flint midwife

The Truth about Home Birth

Are you telling women the truth?

As midwives we have a duty to tell women the truth about their care and their choices. There has been so much research into the safety of home birth, it is time that every woman should be told that the research shows that booking for a home birth ensures much better outcomes for women – wherever they eventually give birth.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30063-8/fulltext

Half a million women booked for home birth- meta analysis from countries with well organised home birth services – UK, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia – where midwives are well trained and supported by hospital colleagues when transferring.

The health outcomes for mothers and babies were the same as for those mothers and babies who were booked for hospital birth but there were big differences in other outcomes.

When women were booked for a home birth (regardless of where they actually gave birth)

40% less needed a caesarean section.

50% were less likely to have an instrumental delivery.

55% were less likely to have an episiotomy.

40% were less likely to have a 3rd or 4th degree tear

75% were less likely to have an infection.

The Lancet 2020

We should be telling women this

From Caroline Flint, caroline.midwife@gmail.com,

Tel: 07973 657 642