Home births are chosen all over the world mainly because of better and calmer communication / Article / LSM.lv

Home birth is the oldest process in the world, the question – why there are so many difficulties. The law stipulates that medical personnel are liable for negligence in the treatment process. Midwives do not need to be given special separate responsibilities. The regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers stipulate the issue that it is possible to perform childbirth at home, the situation in legislation is described by RSU Faculty of Law lecturer Karina Palkova.

It would be necessary to develop an error rating system that would allow doctors to do their job, given that the doctor cannot predict everything, cannot set guidelines on how to act in each situation. We need to work on solving mistakes, not intimidation systems.

At present, patients’ rights are more clearly regulated by law than the rights of medical staff, perfectly if there is a balance.

Karina Palkova has studied the experience of the world, where women choose home birth, mainly because there is better, easier and calmer communication in home birth. Our legislation states that patients have the right to be treated by doctors, but this is not always the case in real life. Another aspect in favor of home births is religious motivation.

Rudīte Brūvere, the head of the Association of Midwives planning an outpatient birth, answers the question whether it is safer to give birth in a hospital or at home – with a counter-question – what is important for a mother? For many, the person next to you, the relationship, the psychosomatics are important. In hospitals, the doctor and the midwife may meet for the first time in their lives. In the case of home birth, there is continuous care, which is important for many. If a woman is afraid of the hospital, then it is not a motivation for home birth.

No out-of-risk mother – there is an overall risk to life and childbirth,

emphasizes Rudīte Brūvere.

Vija Weisa, President of the Latvian Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, emphasizes that in order for childbirth to take place at home, a good risk assessment is required, qualified assistance from the staff during childbirth, and how to transfer a woman to a hospital when it is no longer safe at home.

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