H. Bastian, PERSONAL BELIEFS AND ALTERNATIVE CHILDBIRTH CHOICES - A SURVEY OF 552WOMEN WHO PLANNED TO GIVE BIRTH AT HOME, Birth, 20(4), 1993, pp. 186-192
In Australia, planning to give birth at home was unusual in the middle
to late 1980s, a choice made by only about 0.5 percent of women. This
study investigated the personal beliefs and circumstances of 552 wome
n who planned to give birth at home. Results showed that these women c
ame from diverse backgrounds and beliefs, although in general they wer
e of higher than average educational and occupational status, and less
likely to hold Christian beliefs relative to the Australian community
in general. Their lives and experiences reflected both unconventional
and more traditional choices, and the view that women who give birth
at home characteristically belong to the counterculture could not be j
ustified. The findings of this study suggest that stereo-types of wome
n who give birth at home do not apply to the circumstances of substant
ial numbers of women.