Benefits of a homebirth - what does the research say?

‘If we want to find safe alternatives to obstetrics, we must rediscover midwifery. To rediscover midwifery is the same as giving back childbirth to women. And imagine the future if surgical teams were at the service of the midwives and the women instead of controlling them.’ - Michel Odent

Mainstream media would like you to think homebirth is dangerous, risky and selfish. But what does the research say?

In 2022 for 0.6% of births in Australia were planned homebirths (AIHW 2024). A study published in 2019 (Homer et al 2019), comparing perinatal and maternal outcomes for Australian women with uncomplicated pregnancies according to planned place of birth, found that the odds of normal labour and birth were nearly six times higher in planned home births.

A review of homebirth services in Victoria over ten years, confirmed that homebirth is a safe and effective model for women of low-risk pregnancy status (Sweet et al 2022).

Not all research agrees with these statements that homebirth is a safe option. However midwife continuity of care is essential for all women when planning birth and has been shown to improve outcomes for mother and baby. Additionally women need to be given choice of birthplace and care for positive childbirth experiences which enable physiological birth without unnecessary intervention, which includes home birth (Gillen et al 2023). Get in touch below for more homebirth research.