Homebirth enhances risk of death by 7 times

Such homebirths also lend themselves to a 27 times more chance of the infant dying of asphyxiation or lack of oxygen during labor, establish the findings of the study.

The findings of the study have been published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Study of 298,333 births
For the purpose of the study, Marc Keirse of Flinders University and his team of researchers analyzed 298,333 births that occurred between the years 1991 and 2006 in South Australia. Of the total births in the said period, 1141 were reportedly homebirths.

Closer scrutiny of the data revealed that nine deaths occurred in the homebirth group; however, seven deaths occurred in the hospital because the mother-to-be changed her mind and opted against a homebirth that warranted transferring to the hospital. One death was accounted to congenital problems.

Andrew Pesce, president of Australian Medical Association (AMA), opined that the research uncovered vital issues in the contentious practice of homebirths.

"We believe that if something goes wrong, people are less likely to be able to respond to an emergency situation," said Pesce.

The authors of the study opine that the home births system of delivery should command a stronger safety net.

"Prohibition doesn't work. It would just make it less safe than it already is. But what we should do is have a larger safety net to make sure people are doing it properly," Professor Keirse said.

Why homebirth is preferred
The practice of homebirths may be fraught with its own set of risks; however, women opt for it due to varied reasons.

39-year-old Regina Power, who became the proud mother of her second child a couple of weeks ago, went in for a homebirth.

"Home birth seemed the most natural way to have a baby. If at any time I needed the medical safety net, it would be there. But I didn't have to start at the hospital," she said.

Power opined that obstetricians treated the entire process of delivery as a medical procedure instead of treating it as a natural event.

"Because they're focused on all the things that can go wrong, they're waiting for something to go wrong. But it's a natural life event and women's bodies are beautifully designed to do it," averred Power.