A feminist perspective on the study of home birth. Application of a midwifery care framework

Studies of home birth have compared it with hospital birth, with a focus on perinatal outcomes. Although such studies have established the safety of midwife-attended home births, this narrow view does not include all of the concepts represented in a proposed midwifery care framework derived from the philosophy of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. In this essay, the authors recommend the employment of qualitative research with a feminist perspective as a method to elucidate other concepts in the midwifery care framework, and suggest that future home birth research should explore the recognition and validation of the woman and her experiences, appropriate use of technology, and the influences of the birth environment.