However, experts said this doesn't necessarily mean that home births are dangerous. Many of the babies and mothers had conditions that put them at higher risk of complications, such as preeclampsia (high blood pressure during birth) or breech position (when the baby is feet first instead of head first).
The researchers looked at medical records on 223 home births in Oregon from 2004 to 2008, in which the babies were transferred to a hospital because of problems during or right after delivery. Eight babies died, according to the study to be presented Tuesday at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) annual meeting in San Diego.
Three of the babies were in the breech position; four of the mothers had preeclampsia; and two mothers delivered postdate, usually defined as a pregnancy of 42 weeks or longer (40 weeks is generally considered full-term).
Of the eight deaths, one infant had congenital defects "not compatible with life," Dr. Stella Dantas, of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwest Permanente, P.C. Physicians and Surgeons in Beaverton, Ore., and colleagues noted in an ACOG news release. All of the women except one were assisted by a licensed midwife.
"Our study showed that each of the neonatal deaths had higher . . . risk conditions associated, such as breech, hypertensive disorders, meconium
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