Newborn Care Frequently Asked
Questions - Page 3
By Michael Schoenwetter, M.D. and
Loraine Stern, M.D.
Home Births
Recently, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
changed its opposition to home births. ACOG stated although it believes
hospitals and birthing centers are the safest place to deliver a
newborn, it respects a mother's right to make an informed medical
decision.
While the risk is low, a planned home birth is associated with a 2-3
times the increased risk of newborn death when compared to a hospital
birth. However, for low risk women, planned home birth appears to be
associated with fewer obstetric interventions.
If considering a home birth ACOG recommends Women should be informed of risks and benefits. Strict criteria should be used to select who should have a home birth
including:
-
no existing maternal
disease
-
no disease occurring
during pregnancy
-
no twins
-
no breech babies
-
the pregnancy should
be between 36 and 41 weeks
-
labor should be
spontaneous or induced as an outpatient
-
the mother has not
been transferred from another referring hospital
-
no prior c-section
-
timely transfer to a
hospital is available
-
midwives should be
certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board
As a pediatrician, I have witnessed too many routine deliveries in a
hospital that needed medical intervention for either the newborn or the
mother to feel comfortable for home deliveries. However, I do feel that
as long as the family makes an informed decision and abides by the above
criteria, medical personnel should respect their wishes.
We hope these frequently asked questions are helpful and please check
back as we will be adding more new information regarding newborn care.
Newborn
Care FAQ's Page 1 * Newborn
Care FAQ's Page 2 * Newborn
Care FAQ's Page 3
Be sure to read our
Newborn Safety Tips and Baby
Proofing page for some important information.
Please email us at
doc@newborncare101.com if you have other common newborn care
questions.
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