Birthplace study of outcomes in 'higher risk' women

Published on Tuesday, 27 January 2015 Post

National guidance on intrapartum care in England and Wales recommends that women at 'higher risk' of complications during labour and birth should be advised to plan birth in an obstetric unit, but a small proportion of women opt for birth elsewhere, particularly at home. A new paper by the Birthplace team compares outcomes in 'higher risk' women planning birth at home and in an obstetric unit. Their analysis shows a higher risk of neonatal unit admission in planned obstetric unit births, but because the study was relatively small, uncertainty remains about whether home birth in women with known risk factors for complications increases the risk of uncommon but serious poor outcomes for the baby. Read the full paper.