Birth safer at home than in hospital: study

According to a large population study published in the June issue of British Medical Journal, low risk women in primary care at the onset of labor with planned home birth had lower rates of severe acute maternal morbidity, postpartum hemorrhage, and manual removal of placenta than those with planned hospital birth. There was no evidence that planned home birth among low risk women leads to an increased risk of severe adverse maternal outcomes in a maternity care system with well trained midwives and a good referral and transportation system.