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Home or hospital birth: a prospective study of midwifery care in the Netherlands: research in progress.
Wiegers, T.A. Home or hospital birth: a prospective study of midwifery care in the Netherlands: research in progress. European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: 1998, 79(2), 130-141
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In 1965 two-thirds of all births in the Netherlands occurred at home. In the next 25 years, that situation became reversed with more than two-thirds of births occurring in hospital and less than one-third at home. Until the 1970's a woman with an uncomplicated pregnancy was expected to give birth at home. If she wanted to give birth in hospital she needed to be referred to an obstetrician, because independently practising midwives and general practitioners did not have access to hospital birth rooms. Because an increasing number of women preferred to give birth in hospital and it was feared that this would lead to unnecessary referrals and, therefore, unnecessary medicalisation (including unnecessary costs) hospitals slowly admitted midwives and their clients to use hospital birth rooms for a 'home birth away from home' that is: a birth taking place in hospital, but under the responsibility of a midwife or general practitioner. (aut. ref.)
In 1965 two-thirds of all births in the Netherlands occurred at home. In the next 25 years, that situation became reversed with more than two-thirds of births occurring in hospital and less than one-third at home. Until the 1970's a woman with an uncomplicated pregnancy was expected to give birth at home. If she wanted to give birth in hospital she needed to be referred to an obstetrician, because independently practising midwives and general practitioners did not have access to hospital birth rooms. Because an increasing number of women preferred to give birth in hospital and it was feared that this would lead to unnecessary referrals and, therefore, unnecessary medicalisation (including unnecessary costs) hospitals slowly admitted midwives and their clients to use hospital birth rooms for a 'home birth away from home' that is: a birth taking place in hospital, but under the responsibility of a midwife or general practitioner. (aut. ref.)