ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine obstetric and perinatal outcome of planned home deliveries in Israel. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed including planned home deliveries in Israel between the years 2003 and 2007. RESULTS: Data regarding 1749 planned home deliveries was retrieved. Of these, 1594 (91.1%) were managed successfully. The rate of cesarean deliveries was 3.3% and the rate of instrumental deliveries was 1.0%. No cases of maternal mortality were noted. However, one patient was hospitalized for more than 5 days due to cesarean complications. One case of sudden infant death syndrome occurred 30 hours after home delivery. CONCLUSION: With proper selection of low risk parturients, planned home deliveries are basically associated with favorable outcomes. Further prospective studies should substantiate our results in order to provide clear indications for home deliveries.
