What about the risks?

There has been a widespread assumption that home birth is a lot more risky than hospital birth - a belief held by many doctors and society in general. More research is still needed into the comparative safety, but in 1993 a government report called Changing Childbirth, from a committee of maternity experts, concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that hospital birth is any safer than home birth for healthy women, and that women should be encouraged to be given a choice.

In fact, there is evidence that when home births are planned, and the pregnancies are uncomplicated, the physical wellbeing of mothers and babies is better than in hospital births.

Recent research also shows that compared with similar women giving birth in hospital, women giving birth at home experience fewer interventions, such as induction and acceleration of labour, and need less pain relief.