Planned homebirths in Victoria, 1995-1998

This paper reports and comments on quantitative aspects of 440 planned homebirths attended by registered midwives in Victoria during the three years studied, 1995-1998. The spontaneous labour rate was 96.4%, and 91.6% of women planning a home birth experienced a spontaneous cephalic birth. The overall transfer to hospital rate was 20%, the most common reason for transfer being delayed progress in labour. 64.2% of women experiencing a vaginal birth had no perineal trauma. Postpartum haemorrhage was noted in 5.5% of participants, and 1.1% had a retained placenta. Infants were an older gestation and heavier than those in the state in general, although the Apgar scores were similar. These data support the claim that planned home birth with a qualified midwife remains a demonstrably safe option for women who choose this model.