Birthing outside the system - perceptions of risk

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22300611

The authors interviewed women (in Australia) who had free-birthed or had homebirths despite being "high-risk" to explore their perceptions of risk.

The women interviewed described their understanding of the risks of giving birth in hospital, particularly regarding interventions and lack of privacy, and sought to protect themselves and their babies from those risks through choosing to give birth at home.  They were found to have given this matter considerable thought.

The same considerations were found in Iran where women also perceive that there are risks attached to hospital birth.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22172740

Perhaps the DoH would like to produce one of their nice little leaflets (see their annual flu vaccine leaflets for example of same) expounding the risks of hospital birth to women?  Doubtless midwives would be required to tick a box in triplicate to confirm the leaflet had been given but it would be worth it for once.  It isn't just women's perceptions - both the Birthplace study and the PPH study done by the University of Southampton (see last posting) give quantifiable examples of the actual risks.