You can't just post a random paper and call the case closed. Some points from the paper:
- The populations studied were preselected to be low risk, because "Dutch guidelines prescribe a hospital delivery with their midwife-led delivery (no choice of planned home birth)" to women with medium risk levels. So we're not talking home vs. hospital for any women, just for those where the doctors say everything is double-plus super fine with the mother and the baby. The study did adjust for the fact that "either due to self-selection or due to the midwife’s proposal, the healthiest and most affluent women are more likely to undertake a home birth".
- From the conclusion, "the benefit of substantially fewer interventions in the planned home group seems to be counterbalanced by substantially increased mortality if intervention occurs".
Etc.
So what the study says is generally, if you and your doctors are double-plus sure you're low-risk, then you can go for either home or hospital birth; but if an intervention turns out to be needed, you're in big trouble.
I agree that case is not closed, however I was responding to very specific short sighted comment. About your points: Yes, you should understand if you or your relative is in low risk group. Honestly, if possible you should always understand and evaluate risks, whatever you are doing. Problem that humans are really bad with statistics (recommended reading "Thinking, Fast and Slow").
Lastly, you have actually read what I have posted and this is awesome. You can find more scientific sources about positive benefits of home birth. Lastly, I'm not saying that you should do it. My problem is that home births are semi-legal in my country ;-) Shortsighted comment was written by person from my country :-(
- The populations studied were preselected to be low risk, because "Dutch guidelines prescribe a hospital delivery with their midwife-led delivery (no choice of planned home birth)" to women with medium risk levels. So we're not talking home vs. hospital for any women, just for those where the doctors say everything is double-plus super fine with the mother and the baby. The study did adjust for the fact that "either due to self-selection or due to the midwife’s proposal, the healthiest and most affluent women are more likely to undertake a home birth".
- From the conclusion, "the benefit of substantially fewer interventions in the planned home group seems to be counterbalanced by substantially increased mortality if intervention occurs".
Etc.
So what the study says is generally, if you and your doctors are double-plus sure you're low-risk, then you can go for either home or hospital birth; but if an intervention turns out to be needed, you're in big trouble.