UK. NICE recommends home births for some mums

For women having their second or subsequent baby, a birth in either the home or a midwife-led unit are equally safe options for UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Home births have dominated the UK media today, following the publication of guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the care of healthy women and their babies during childbirth. The main talking point was the recommendation that women thought to have a low risk of pregnancy complications would be better served by giving birth at home or at a midwife-led unit, rather than at hospital.

NICE has reviewed the evidence for the vast majority of pregnant women in England and Wales who have healthy, uncomplicated pregnancies. The rate of interventions, such as the use of forceps or a caesarean section, in these low-risk women are generally slightly lower in the home or midwife-led units, compared with hospital-based maternity wards.
For women having their second or subsequent baby, a birth in either the home or a midwife-led unit are equally safe options. However, for low-risk first-time mothers, the midwife-led unit may be the best choice.
No woman will be “forced” to give birth at home or a midwife-led unit. NICE advises that all low-risk women should be free to choose their birth setting, and be supported in this choice.

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