Covid boosts homebirth demand as women avoid hospitals
National Homebirth Service numbers increased from 272 in 2019 to 354 last year, across all HSE regions Marah Weissbrich-Maloney with her nine-month-old son Jacob, who was born at home in Killaloe, Co Clare. Picture: Dan Linehan
Tue, 09 Mar, 2021 - 20:30
Niamh Griffin
The demand for homebirths has gone up by more than a third during the pandemic, as many women opt to avoid hospitals.
The National Homebirth Service numbers increased from 272 in 2019 to 354 last year, across all HSE regions.
Some regions saw noticeable increases including Mid-Leinster, up from 65 to 107, and HSE West, from 22 to 37.
Cork and Kerry was the busiest region in both years with 127 (2019) and 129 (2020) women registered for a homebirth.