Home Births may Increase Risk of Infant Death

Though more expectant mothers are opting to give birth at home, recent findings show that many health complications could potentially arise within the home setting that may increase the risk of mortality. According to researchers at Cornell University's Weill Cornell Medical College, home births could be tied to an increased rate of infant deaths.

"Home birth is more dangerous," said lead author Dr. Amos Grunebaum, a professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Cornell University's Weill Cornell Medical College. "There's insufficient equipment and personnel available [in the home] to address complications."

For the study, researchers examined information collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), based on 14 million births and deaths. They found that based on calculations the absolute risk of infant death within 28 days following birth was 3.2 per 10,000 if the midwife helped deliver the baby in a hospital setting. However, that same rate increased to 12.6 infant deaths per 10,000 when deliveries were in the home. Researhcers also found that if the infant was the mother's first child, the rate increased to 21.9 deaths per 10,000 when the birth was done at home.

"Women who are thinking about having home birth should know that if they deliver in the hospital with a midwife, it reduces infant death by 75 percent -- and by 85 percent if the woman is having her first baby," Grunebaum said according to WebMD. "These are babies who could be saved if they were delivered in a hospital. This isn't about midwives; it's about birth settings."

Health officials are particularly concerned about how this may affect future pregnancies, as it's estimated by the CDC that women electing this method of birth has increased by 29 percent from 2004 to 2009.

The findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in New Orleans, LA on Friday.