First-time mothers can safely spend the first 24 hours of induced low-risk labour in the comfort of their own homes, a new Irish study has found.
Researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, examined what happens when first-time mothers choose to have labour induced as an outpatient at 39 weeks and then return home to wait for labour to start.
The findings, published in medical journal The Lancet eClinicalMedicine, show that the mothers’ experiences are generally positive and that there are no additional risks for the birth.
The study was a randomised trial which compared methods of induction at 39 weeks in the outpatient setting for 271 normal-risk first-time mothers.
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Three-quarters of the mothers in the study successfully delivered their babies vaginally – which meant there was no increased risk of Caesarean delivery compared to women who choose to continue their pregnancy.
Fergal Malone, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at RCSI and consultant at the Rotunda Hospital as well as study lead author, said the findings can pave the way for first-time mothers to have a more satisfactory induction of labour while reducing the pressure on busy maternity services.
“If mothers would like to start the process of induction in an outpatient setting, it could help to alleviate the pressure on busy maternity hospitals.”
Prof Malone said a lot of people perceive induction to be a “long, drawn-out process in a hospital, where they can’t sleep and they’re not comfortable. It’s all about giving patients more options and more choice. Every woman should be able to choose what’s best for her.”
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