You may want to add some midwives to your obstetrics staff -- having a baby at home is a safe option for most women, according to recent surveys. They say some mothers and infants may actually do worse when the birth takes place in a hospital.
Only one in 50 mothers gives birth at home, but doctors say many would welcome the chance to do so. Four separate studies show that, despite the reservations of some practitioners, home deliveries are acceptable for women with a low risk of complications.
The outcome of births that are planned to take place at home are better than for all births, says a new study published in this month's British Medical Journal. Separate studies from Holland and Switzerland also show that a healthy woman wishing to give birth at home puts neither herself nor the baby at an increased risk.
Doctors who carried out a fourth study in the North of England found that only half of women who wanted to have their baby at home were allowed to do so. In all, 142 home births took place out of 256 originally planned.
(British Medical Journal, 44.171.456-9000)