Brigitte JOrdan's book "Birth in Four Cultures", revised and expanded by
Robbie Davis-Floyd (4th edition, 1993) provides documented data on the
relative outcomes of doctor-assisted vs. midwife-assisted, doula vs.
no-doula, hospital vs. home births, etc.

The evidence consistently shows that you get the best outcomes (in terms of
maternal and child morbidity and mortality) when the vast majority of births
are attended by mid-wives outside the hospital setting, and the high-risks
births take place at the hospital with a physician.

If you have a low-risk pregnancy with no signs of problems, you are,
statistically, better off giving birth outside the hospital, without a
physician.

Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.

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