Home births can increase the risk of infant death rates, a latest study suggests.
Researchers studied the data of 14 million births and deaths collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They examined the absolute risk of infant death during birth or within 28 days post-birth.
The researchers found the death rate was 3.2 per 10,000 births in midwives assisted deliveries in hospitals. But the rate increased to 12.6 per 10,000 births in home-birth. Also, the study found that the death risk during first deliveries increased to 21.9 deaths per 10,000 when the birth was done at home.
"Home birth is more dangerous," said lead author Dr. Amos Grunebaum, a professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Cornell University's Weill Cornell Medical College. "There's insufficient equipment and personnel available [in the home] to address complications."
"Women who are thinking about having home birth should know that if they deliver in the hospital with a midwife, it reduces infant death by 75 percent -- and by 85 percent if the woman is having her first baby," Grunebaum said, according to WebMD. "These are babies who could be saved if they were delivered in a hospital. This isn't about midwives; it's about birth settings."
According to the CDC, percentage of women opting for a home birth increased 29 percent between 2004 and 2009. The researchers estimate that by 2016, 32 additional infant deaths per 10,000 might happen. Also, they stressed the need to educate the women about the risks of home-birthing.
The findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in New Orleans, Friday.
