15 May 2006
“Homebirths need Medical support” says College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Following the recent article on “Give Birth at home – Britain to urge Mothers to be” by Marie Woolf and Sophie
Goodchild, with follow up from NZ Herald Health reporter Martin Johnson, the College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
takes issue with the comments that suggest all deliveries at home are safe and that medicine or doctors are not needed
in maternity.
“The comments made by the Secretary of State for Health in England are ludicrous and dangerous. They are commissioning
research to support the case for homebirths and yet have told doctors to offer homebirth as an option. Research is not
meant to support a prior view rather it is supposed to seek evidence to support practice that is safe for women and
their babies”, says Dr Alec Ekeroma.
It is important that the public are aware that there are women that are safe to deliver at home and that there are women
that must deliver in hospitals. There are no published figures for homebirths in New Zealand, therefore the percentage
of homebirths and outcomes are not known. It is also important to remember that about 30% of women deemed low risk in
pregnancy becomes high risk in labour and delivery.
“Screening of mothers who prefer to deliver at home or in birthing units is important to identify and reassure those
that can safely do so. Just as important is the support provided to midwives performing home deliveries so that
specialist advice is readily available and immediate and safe transfers of women to hospitals for those with impending
complications”, say Dr Ekeroma.
New Zealand has some of the best standards of maternity care and statistics in the world and one must be wary of major
swings in health policy dictated largely by fiscal problems as they have in England.
“It is important that Obstetricians and Midwives work collaboratively to deliver a quality maternity service for mothers
and their babies across New Zealand, whether they birth at home, birthing units or in hospitals. Removing the medical
expertise that supports good outcomes would be detrimental to maternity care in New Zealand,” says Dr Ekeroma
ENDS