Where to give birth? | Viveka

As the newspapers buzz with debate about the new NICE guidelines on elective caesareans, it's no surprise that birth is a hot topic of conversation among the doctors and practitioners here at Viveka. When we met as a group for our forum earlier this week, discussion was animated: many of us are passionate about supporting women and families through pregnancy and helping them feel fully informed about pros and cons of natural/caeserean births for them and their babies; and we're here to support and care for women following birth, however it turns out on the day. 

A recent study has now revealed that for second births, home birth is as safe as hospital. In addition to safety, successful home births come with a host of other benefits - less stress for mum, baby and dad, improved bonding in the precious early hours, improved success of breastfeeding, and lower risks of postnatal depression. Articles to look out for on this subject include Jeremy Laurance writing in the Telegraph (http://ind.pn/uBCj0W), or the University of Oxford practical ethics blog (http://bit.ly/vsLn09). Google this and more if you want to join in the debate, or leave a comment or question through this blog ...