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Home Births 'Safest And Cheapest' Option For Second-Time Mums

Posted: 20/04/2012 08:25 Updated: 20/04/2012 09:22   PA

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Home Births

Giving birth at home may be the safest and cheapest option for women who already have children, a study claimed today.

University of Oxford researchers looked at the circumstances of 64,000 births in England between 2008 and 2010.

They found that women at low risk of complications could give birth either at home or a midwifery unit to save the NHS money and was healthy for both the mother and child.

The study looked at the relative costs of healthy births in different settings.

It found that a planned birth in an obstetric unit is the most expensive option for mothers who already have children, with the mean cost of £1,142 per woman, with a planned home birth the cheapest, at £780 per woman.

For women who have not had children before, a planned birth in a midwifery unit would also save money when compared with a planned birth in an obstetric unit, it was suggested.

The researchers found that a planned birth at home for such women was also cost-saving, but said it was "associated with poorer outcomes for the baby".

Health economist Liz Schroder, a co-author of the study, said: "At the time of the study, only half of the NHS trusts in England provided women with access to a midwifery unit, and occupancy levels were often low.

"The findings of the birthplace study may encourage women - particularly women having a second or subsequent baby - to request an 'out of hospital' birth. And the potential for cost savings could make offering women more choice an attractive option for the NHS."

The study looked at births in obstetric units, midwifery units located in the same hospital as an obstetric unit, free-standing midwifery units and home.

They assessed NHS costs associated with the birth, including care during labour, the cost of any stay in hospital, the cost of pain relief and any medical procedures needed in the case of complications.

The costs for planned home and midwifery unit births taken into account included the cost of any clinical intervention needed if the mothers and babies were transferred to hospital but did not include any longer-term costs, such as caring for babies who suffer serious injuries during birth.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has previously said that estimating the cost-effectiveness of places of birth should be a priority area for research.

The study is published on bmj.com, the website of the British Medical Journal.


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Giving birth at home may be the safest and cheapest option for women who already have children, a study claimed today. University of Oxford researchers looked at the circumstances of 64,000 births ...
Giving birth at home may be the safest and cheapest option for women who already have children, a study claimed today. University of Oxford researchers looked at the circumstances of 64,000 births ...
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philmus
9 Fans
04:58 PM on 04/20/2012
My brothers wife had her first baby on the floor of the ambulance taking her to hospital. She was advised to have a home birth for the second child. The result, a cord round the babies neck and an emergency rush to hospital. Luckily everything ended up OK but it could have been a disaster.

the only reason for home births is to save money and reduce maternity beds
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buntysgirl
0 Fans
04:35 PM on 04/20/2012
A dangerous suggestion in the current climate with so few midwives. I know of at least 2 homebirths that went wrong in the last year. One resulted in a child with severe cerebral palsy, the other the death of the child and hospitalisation of the mother for weeks. Given the choice, I bet these mothers would have reconsidered their choice.Giving birth is a risky business.
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gogsrule
57 Fans
01:53 PM on 04/20/2012
It's another cost cutting exercise. "Years ago", an experienced midwife was on hand and the effeiciently managed local hospital was 5 minutes away. Things have changed a lot (for the worse) since then. Fewer midwifes and the hospital is 20 miles away and resembles a factory. Lack of parking and somewhat unhygenic because it's too big to manage and the cleaning has been outsourced to cheaper labour. Yes, on balance, it's probably safer to give birth at home.
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tripcony
46 Fans
01:23 PM on 04/20/2012
Years ago everyone or most were born at home with a good midwife in attendance so if this takes of as more popular they will need more midwives?...now question is can the NHS deliver (sorry for pun) my last daughter was born in 1997 I live in west cornwall my wife was in labour for sure around midnight, we rang the midwife she could not be there as she was 12miles away attending someone else in a rural area, so we had to call our own ambulance and get to the "local" hosptial 23miles away, so its okay in an inner city but it does not work everywhere having many midwives just waiting around willynilly. My guess is that this is a gov't exercise in saving money again...but then I am cynical
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Smelly 2611
0 Fans
12:30 PM on 04/20/2012
I has my 2nd one at home, so much easier and far more relaxing. I think it is far more beneficial to be at home rather than in a medicalised environment where there is likely to be more intervention.

At home the option of an Epidural is out of the window, as soon as an Epidural is used the chances of an assist birth go up!

I think Home BIrths should be promoted so much more than they are, however I do not think they should be insisted upon!
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roseandpeony
47 Fans
02:47 PM on 04/20/2012
You were lucky your birth was straightforward. Your views would change significantly if you suddenly had a medical emergency like I had.
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vindi boy
30 Fans
12:26 PM on 04/20/2012
Don't know what all the fuss is about.All you have to do is breathe in deeply and push.
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Smelly 2611
0 Fans
12:31 PM on 04/20/2012
Something like that!!!!
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gogsrule
57 Fans
01:47 PM on 04/20/2012
That's what you do when when your car won't start.
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bbqfudge
6 Fans
12:13 PM on 04/20/2012
Well thats nice cutting corners by making woman give birth at home.... then why the hell on the other hand offer out c-sections to anyone who wants them??
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roseandpeony
47 Fans
12:10 PM on 04/20/2012
Always about money!
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Neesagon
72 Fans
09:19 AM on 04/20/2012
It's a piece of cake. I had both of mine at home and that was in the sixties.
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roseandpeony
47 Fans
12:09 PM on 04/20/2012
Really, well that is condescending to those who have had difficult births! Not everyone is fortunate enough to have things all run smoothly, and nobody knows what will happen until problems arise.
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Neesagon
72 Fans
02:32 PM on 04/20/2012
Not condescending at all. It's a fact.
The great majority go without problem. After all, it's a natural event.
There's often advanced warning of a problem and those should go to hospital.
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