Search Headquarters : Health : Reproductive Health : Pregnancy and Birth : Childbirth : Homebirth

About Homebirth - Parent Supply List
Information on supplies to gather for your home birth including instructions for preparation.
http://pregnancy.about.com/library/blsupplylist.htm

Citizens for Midwifery Home Birth Fact Sheet
This publication gives empirical evidence for the safety of a planned home birth with a qualified midwife, as well as outlines the benefits of a home birth. [PDF]
http://www.cfmidwifery.org/pdf/safety.pdf

Considering a Home Birth
This pregnancyinfo.net article gives a brief overview of considerations of a home birth: why have a home birth, safety, midwives, emergencies and preparation.
http://www.pregnancy-info.net/homebirths.html

Fish Can't See Water: The Need to Humanize Birth
This is the full text of a paper by Dr. M. Wagner that appeared in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. It discusses the problems with a medical, hospital birth, the safety of home birth, and the need to shift the care of normal pregnancies to midwives.
http://www.marsdenwagner.com/fishall.html

For a Natural Birth, There's No Place Like Home
An article discussing the advantages of having a home birth.
http://www.thelaboroflove.com/forum/marylou/index.html

Home Birth Reference Site
An informational site on homebirth containing summaries of research into home birth, references, links, and recommended books.
http://www.homebirth.org.uk/

Homebirth
Mothering Magazine provides articles, movies, discussion boards, and an "ask the experts" feature.
http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/homebirth/homebirth.html

Homebirth - Birthing at Home
Homebirth stories, articles, photographs, and relevant links.
http://www.pregnancy.com.au/homebirth.htm

Homebirth - Safety and Benefits
Collection of articles and source material about homebirth.
http://falcao.best.vwh.net/ronnie/index.html

Homebirth: A midwife Mutiny
Homebirth information, opinion and discussion with British-Australian Independent Midwife. Includes videos, photos and journals of women achieving a natural birth.
http://www.homebirth.net.au

Homebirth Birth Stories
Provides stories from around the world, including accounts of twins and water births.
http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/birthstories/l/blhomestory.htm

Homebirth Facts
Here is a brief overview of the safety, intervention levels, and transfer rates of home birth.
http://www.familymidwifery.com/home-birth-facts.html

10 Homebirth Facts No One's Telling You - Pregnancy
Here are some facts and figures for those on-the-fence parents (and relatives) on the safety of homebirth and how it compares to hospital birth.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50923.asp

Homebirth Information: Indie Birth Magazine
Offering information about homebirth, waterbirth and other natural parenting topics.
http://indiebirth.com

Homebirth Stories
This site is dedicated to featuring several different homebirth stories written from the parent's perspective.
http://www.kjsl.com/homebirth/stories.html

A Natural Choice
Forum answering questions, and offering birth stories.
http://p078.ezboard.com/banaturalchoice

Planned home birth - BabyCenter
This BabyCenter article covers multiple topics on home birth including safety, cost, and finding an attendant.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_planned-home-birth_168.bc

UnassistedHomebirth.com
Has a top 10 list of reasons to birth at home. Also has information on unassisted miscarriage and contains book reviews and book ordering information.
http://www.unassistedhomebirth.com/

World Health Organization: General Aspects of Care in Labour Part 1
This online publication discloses the position of the WHO (World Health Organization) on the place of birth (including homebirth) as well as qualified birth attendants (including midwives).
http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/publications/MSM_96_24/MSM_96_24_Chapter2Part1.en.html

Giving birth: home can be better than hospital
This is a British Medical Journal (BMJ) page that comments on the safety and experience of home birth as opposed to hospital birth for low-risk pregnancies. (June 18, 2005)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7505/0-a

Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America
British Medical Journal research paper evaluating the safety of home births in involving direct entry (non-nurse) midwives. (June 18, 2005)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7505/1416?rss

Homebirth Under Fire: What the Headlines Don't Say
This Mothering Magazine article on comments on studies and the politics of homebirth. (March 31, 2003)
http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/homebirth/under-fire.html

The influence of birth experience on postpartum depression: a follow-up study
This is a follow-up study published on the MWSU NURC (Missouri Western State University National Undergraduate Research Clearinghouse) website of the incidence and severity of postpartum depression comparing home birth and hospital deliveries. (December 5, 1999)
http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/118.asp

The effect of birth experience on postpartum depression
This is a study on postpartum depression published on the MWSU NURC (Missouri Western State University National Undergraduate Research Clearinghouse) comparing the outcomes of women who have had home births to women who have had hospital deliveries. (December 3, 1998)
http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/59.asp

Home birth
An editorial in the British Medical Journal by Nachiel Springer and Chris Van Weel. (November 23, 1996)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/313/7068/1276

Home versus hospital deliveries: follow up study of matched pairs for procedures and outcome
This is a published study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) which examines and compares the outcomes of planned home births versus planned hospital births. (November 23, 1996)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/313/7068/1313?ijkey=1bcd0598283859b00e44ed0e1b4506d929e6874c&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

Outcome of planned home and planned hospital births in low risk pregnancies: prospective study in midwifery practices in the Netherlands
This is a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) which investigates the relation between home and hospital births and perinatal outcomes. (November 23, 1996)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/313/7068/1309

Is Hospital Birth Better?
Essay commenting on the hospital treatment of women and newborns in the United States. (May 31, 1995)
http://www.efn.org/~djz/birth/add695/newbornhos.html