Is Planned Home Birth Safe? What Do the Societies Say?

Abstract

© 2017 by Türkiye Klinikleri. Although delivery at health facilities with a health service provider was accepted as an essential requirement, planned home delivery (PHD) has been in the spotlight especially for the last 10 years in developed countries. The health risks and benefits of PHD for the mother and the baby have been evaluated by the national societies and their recommendations and comments have been published. For the time-being, there is not adequate number of studies and meta-analysis comparing the maternal and neonatal outcomes of PHD with hospital deliveries. However, societies have analysed the condities, benefits and risks of PHD. All the recommendations emphasize the women's right to decide about PHD. During the decision-making process, determining the individual risks is important and information about benefits and risks of PHD should be given. The individual risks should be identified in the light of the obstetric history, general health condition and the presence of maternal and fetal problems. In order to have a safe PHD, it should be performed by qualified health personel, the conditions for transport should be defined, and in case of patient transfer a joint protocol with the health facility that is going to treat the women and the baby should be developed. The studies show a higher incidence of normal vaginal delivery while the neonatal risks might be increased. However, when we examine the last 20 years in Turkey, there is a fast decrease in maternal and neonatal death rates parallel to the decline in the rates of home deliveries. This review aims to summarize the views of the societies about PHD.