MORE WOMEN and babies will die during childbirth if they are told to give birth at home or in ‘midwife-led birth-ing units’ as opposed to traditional maternity wards, health workers have warned.
Health workers and patients are outraged at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines that propose that a home birth or giving birth in a midwife-led birthing unit is ‘just as safe for low-risk pregnancies’.
NICE say that their ‘updated’ proposals are based on ‘new evidence’ brought to light by a study published in the British Medical Journal in 2011 called The Birthplace Study. Dr Antony Falconer, the former president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists wrote to the British Medical Journal in answer to the controversial publication.
He gave a stark warning by pointing out that 20 out of 32 deaths of babies occurred to low-risk women giving birth at home or in midwife-led units. Anna Athow, BMA member, told News Line: ‘There has been much evidence over the years that childbirth in a hospital environment is much safer than at home.
‘People should remember that all the old stand-alone maternity hospitals which we inherited from before the war were progressively closed. Women were encouraged to give birth in hospitals with consultant obstetricians available, that have 24-hour operating theatres accessible in the event of a cord being caught around the baby’s neck or the mother suffering from torrential haemorrhage.
‘This advice from NICE is being given because it is cheaper to run midwife-led birthing units rather then proper all-round maternity units. This is dangerous for women, their lives and the lives of their babies will be put at risk.’
In yesterday’s statement, NICE go on to claim that there is ‘good evidence’ that, overall, birth is very safe wherever it happens and recommends that, for ‘low-risk pregnant women who already had at least one child’, home-births were just as safe as giving birth on a maternity ward.
However about 15 women in every 100 have a caesarean, five of which are unplanned caesareans.
In other words, unforeseen complications have arisen in five out of every 100 births and emergency measures requiring a surgical procedure have had to take place.
Sue Quy, a local resident who had both her children at the now-closed maternity unit at Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield in north east London, said: ‘Midwife-led birthing units are not OK because they do not have back up from doctors and consultants.
‘Both my children were delivered through C-section and the first one was unplanned. If that had been a home delivery it could have killed me or the baby.
‘These proposals by NICE is justifying closures. Both the A&E and maternity at Chase Farm must be re-opened immediately. Barnet Maternity and A&E cannot cope with the extra pressure the closure of Chase Farm has put on it.’
Bill Rogers, the Secretary of the North East London Council of Action fighting the closures at Chase Farm Hospital, said: ‘The proposals from NICE are just a justification for the closures of maternity departments up and down the country.
‘We are going to continue the fight at Chase Farm to re-open the maternity department.’
