New study claimed that births taken place at home are three times riskier than births that are taken place at hospital for the infants. There is no doubt in that women, who gave births at home, recover more speedily from childbirth, but at the same time there is also greater risk of their babies dying.
Experts warned that women could put their unborn infants at greater risk by not delivering in customary maternity ward under specialist care. It is also found that infants born at home were prone to die from heart and breathing problem. It happened because they were not observed against signs of distress or treated in time of an emergency.
In a study that include 549,607 births, researchers found that average rate of mortality in infants born in hospitals was approximately 0.3 per thousand births but this rate rose up to 1 per thousand births for infants those born at home. The study was based upon the figures collected from several countries.
At home foetus can not be observed sufficiently for early symbols of distress. In hospitals they can be checked constantly but at home midwife is on her own doing everything. They did not why that trend existed but there could be much cause like lack of apparatus and proficiency, explained lead reacher Dr Joseph Wax from Maine Medical Center, in New Hampshire US.
He further said that resuscitation at home is also less likely to be successful because midwife may not be as well trained as specialist in the hospital or have the same equipment. It is important for all women to be able to give birth in a safe, high quality environment that is best suited for them, said spokesman from Department of Health.
The finding that the consequences for the baby were more severe needed to be carefully considered by women, policy makers and care providers. Certainly, the move towards offering women a choice in their place of birth neede to be weighed against such evidence, explained Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology.