Low use of medication in home deliveries in the Netherlands.

OBJECTIVES

In view of the growing concern for de-medicalizing childbirth, the aim of this study is to give detailed figures on the use of medication during home deliveries in the Netherlands.

METHODS

A prospective study of medication use by 68 community midwives during 716 home births in the Netherlands.

RESULTS

Medication was used in 58.4% of the home deliveries, with an average of 1.4 drugs per delivery. The drugs used were mostly oxytocin (in 35.6% of all deliveries) and local anesthetics (in 32.9%). When medication was used, it was administered before cutting the umbilical cord in 16.7% of the cases. Prophylactic or routine administration of local anesthesia, postpartum hemorrhages, and retained placenta were the most frequent indications for using medication.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of medication during home deliveries in the Netherlands is low and newborns are minimally exposed to medication. This illustrates the Dutch birth culture, which tends to minimize the medical aspect of childbirth.