homebirths are best for many mothers

 

A couple of great articles out of the UK today, after The National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence (NICE) has said midwife-led centres were better for mothers and as safe for babies. the advisory also said it is important to offer women options. 

 

Take heed Canada, our lack of midwives and therefore lack of birth options in many parts of the country are forcing low risk mothers into a highly medical setting by default not by design. Supporting midwives and homebirth isn't just about having babies at home, it's about supporting birth options for women. It's about supporting women's health.

 

 

 the recommendations include, women should be offered the choice of a home birth, an obstetric unit in hospital, a midwifery unit next to a hospital or a midwifery unit in the community.
In all circumstances there should be one midwife per woman in labour, it added.

read full article here

this is a great opinion piece from The Guardian about the new NHS guidelines that support home birth and midwifery care.

"The Nice guidelines published on Wednesday effectively reverse a generation of misconception about birth. They underline the truth, which is that there are risks to any birth, wherever it takes place, but that the risks of needing unnecessary intervention are increased in a highly-medical setting, and that the majority of women do best at home or in a home-from-home environment, where stress levels stay down and the natural process of birth functions best."

read full article here