The pleasures of home birth?
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* Claudio De Lorenzi

How likely is it that anyone who had any significant risk opted for home birth?1 Inconceivable. No midwife or doctor would ever suggest a home birth for a mother with a less-than-perfect situation. How could it be otherwise?

My interpretation of these results would be: the study showed a similar outcome for home births because the poorer outcomes expected of the more vigorous mothers who gave birth at home matched the better outcomes of the less healthy mothers who opted for hospital birth.

**Claudio De Lorenzi** Plastic Surgeon Kitchener, Ont.

## Reference

1.  1. Janssen PA, Lee SK, Ryan EM, Etches DJ, Farquharson DF, Peacock D, et al. Outcomes of planned home births versus planned hospital births after regulation of midwifery in British Columbia. CMAJ 2002;166(3):315-23.
    
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