In the article "Safe birth at home," Nov. 20, the dangers of home births were lost and not clearly addressed.
Everyone wants the safest possible birthing experience for soon-to-be moms. Unfortunately, obstetric emergencies occur without warning and what may seem to be a normal labor and delivery can quickly turn dangerous — even if the patient is considered to have a low-risk pregnancy.
Emergencies such as shoulder dystocia, (when the baby's shoulder gets caught under the mother's pubic bone), breech (feet first) vaginal delivery and postpartum hemorrhage are just some of the complications that can arise.
This is why it is absolutely vital that the woman and her newborn be monitored in a hospital or accredited birthing center.
Committee Opinion No. 476, "Planned Home Birth," issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, states: "Women inquiring about planned home birth should be informed of its risks and benefits based on recent evidence. Specifically, they should be informed that, although the absolute risk may be low, planned home birth is associated with a twofold to threefold increased risk of neonatal death when compared with planned hospital birth."
While American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists respects the right of a woman to make a medically informed decision about her health care, it believes that hospitals and birthing centers are the safest settings for delivering babies.
Donna Montalto,
executive director, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, District II, Albany