WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

“Under the right conditions, the risks are limited to the odd obstetric complication, which is in reality very rare,” midwife Heather Pieterse says. She cites as some of the reasons why you would need to transfer to hospital:

• SLOW PROGRESS IN LABOUR that requires further intervention – stimulating labour via medical augmentation isn’t recommended at home.

• PAIN RELIEF “Some midwives do carry synthetic drugs to home births, but personally I choose not to, as this can lead to other complications,” Heather notes.

• FOETAL DISTRESS – if the baby’s heart rate is “non-reassuring”. “This can be determined by listening to the foetal heart with a foetal Doppler regularly during and after a contraction,” Heather says.

• SLOW SECOND STAGE – battling to actually birth the baby. “If the head isn’t coming down effectively and progress isn’t obvious after trying various positions and giving enough time, we would rather transfer than wait until there’s foetal or maternal distress and a real emergency,” Heather says.

• THE PLACENTA GETS RETAINED, causing bleeding or post-partum haemorrhage. “This is possibly one of the greatest risks at home,” says Heather. “It’s considered a true obstetric emergency, and a fast transfer is imperative.”

• THE BABY IS BATTLING to recover after birth.

However, stresses Ruth, “The majority of healthy pregnancies do labour smoothly. Birth isn’t an illness or an emergency, it’s a normal physiological process.”