The true risks of home birth…
The ‘home birth v. hospital birth’ debate: clinical negligence specialist Linda Levison fears that women aren’t given the true facts about the dangers of home birth…
In The Times newspaper this morning, I saw a quote from a report last year of the Royal College of Obstetricians. It said that women should not assume that they will have a hospital birth, and called for a third to give birth at home or in midwife-led centres.
However I’m concerned that women are not given the correct information to make an informed decision about where to have their baby. If they knew the true risks of something going wrong at home, or away from a properly-equipped maternity unit, I would question whether any pregnant woman would make this choice.
Unfortunately, I am dealing with several cases in which parents are trying to pick up the pieces from disastrous experiences where the child suffered brain damage and cerebral palsy.
I have yet to meet parents who, with the correct knowledge, would have made the decision in the first place.
Is this a cost-cutting measure too far?
If you’re interested in reading the report, you’ll find it at: http://www.rcog.org.uk/womens-health/clinical-guidance/home-births