Home birth

Home birth is childbirth that occurs outside a hospital or birthing center setting. It usually is in the home of the mother. Most homebirths are assisted by midwives. Some homebirths are physician assisted or unassisted.

For low-risk pregnancies, a number of studies have shown that planned, assisted homebirths are as safe hospital births. The mother and baby are less likely to become infected (see hospital-acquired infection). There are less frequent medical interventions, such as cesarean sections, forceps deliveries, episiotomies, and administration of pain medication such as epidurals, all of which pose some risk to the lives and health of the mother and baby. However, in the case of an emergency, such as a cord prolapse, repiratory distress in the infant, or hemorraging of the mother, there is less access to life-saving equipment.

Many families have found that they prefer the atmosphere of a home birth. They find that the mother has more control over her surroundings, and is almost always permitted to eat and move around, activities which are often prohibited in a hospital setting. The mother is often more comfortable in her own home and increased comfort contributes to shorter labour. Conversely, some mothers are more comfortable in a hospital setting because they implicitly trust the medical system and because they prefer to be closer to emergency equipment.