"Maternity services worldwide are dealing with an increase in the number of women with more complex pregnancies. Many are choosing to have their baby in a familiar environment, in the comfort and privacy of their own home. Some choose a home birth because having their first baby in hospital was deeply traumatic and they are reluctant to repeat the experience. But access to safe, reliable and unrestricted home birth services is patchy, and varies enormously depending on where you live, experts say."
"The Guardian has spoken to leading doctors, academics and pregnancy experts about home births after a coroner's court in Rochdale, England, ruled that a mother and daughter died following a home birth owing to a gross failure to provide basic medical care. Jennifer Cahill, 34, died at North Manchester general hospital hours after suffering a haemorrhage while giving birth at home in Prestwich on 3 June 2024. Her baby, Agnes Lily, was delivered not breathing, with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck."
Maternity services worldwide face an increase in women with more complex pregnancies. Many women choose home birth for comfort, privacy, or because prior hospital births were traumatic. Access to safe, reliable, and unrestricted home birth services is patchy and varies greatly by location. Healthcare services in many countries struggle to offer home birth options because of staffing shortages, inconsistent training, and local policy limits. Some areas have dedicated home birth teams while others rely on overstretched community staff. A coroner ruled that a mother and daughter died after a home birth due to gross failure to provide basic medical care. Jennifer Cahill, 34, suffered a haemorrhage during a home birth on 3 June 2024; her baby, Agnes Lily, was born not breathing with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck; both later died and the local NHS trust apologised and accepted serious failures in their care.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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