A randomised controlled trial comparing birthing centre care with deliverysuite care in Adelaide, Australia

Birthing centre care offers women with a low risk of complication in pregna ncy an alternative to conventional care for the birthing of their baby. It is important these two forms of care are appropriately assessed. A randomised controlled trial comparing the newly opened birthing centre wi th the established conventional delivery suite was conducted at the then Qu een Victoria Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia. The outcomes measured inc luded maternal satisfaction, costs and clinical outcomes both for mother an d baby which related to the need for Caesarean section, episiotomy or tear rate and method of feeding. Two hundred and one women attending the hospital's antenatal clinic were ra ndomly allocated to either birthing centre or delivery suite care. One hund red women were allocated to the birthing centre. No differences were found in either group related to clinical outcomes or costs. The only difference in maternal satisfaction was the choice women made for their next birth. Mo re women in the birthing centre group felt they were encouraged to breastfe ed immediately after birth. While the numbers in this study were too small. to detect any but large dif ferences in outcome, birthing centre care should remain an option for women and further studies undertaken with larger numbers.