What is the relative safety of homebirth compared with hospital birth? 

Ole Olsen, a researcher from the University of Copenhagen, recently examined several studies of planned homebirth backed up by a modern hospital system compared with planned hospital birth. 

A total of nearly 25,000 births from five different countries were studied.

The results:

There was no difference in survival rates between the babies born at home and those born in the hospital.  However, there were several significant differences between the two groups. 

Fewer medical interventions occurred in the homebirth group. 

Fewer home-born babies were born in poor condition. 

The homebirth mothers were less likely to have suffered lacerations during birth. 

They were less likely to have had their labors induced or augmented by medications or to have had cesarean sections, forceps or vacuum extractor deliveries. 

 As for maternal deaths, there were none in either group.