Is home a safe place for childbirth?

الملخص EN

In rural Egypt, home birth taking place in the 21st Century are conducted in a way which is not much different from those who took place in ancient Egypt.

Delivering at home seems to be a deeply rooted norm in Egyptian life.

Women get pregnant at home and they want to deliver at home surrounded and supported by familiar faces.

In ancient Egypt, delivery took place in special surroundings, on the cool roof of the house or in an arbor or confinement pavilion, a structure of papyrus-stalk columns decorated vines.

A mattress, headrest, mat and cushion and a stool were arranged in the area.

At delivery, only female helpers were present, not physicians.

Women delivered their babies kneeling, or sitting on their heels or on a delivery seat.

Often hot water was placed under the seat, so that the vapors would ease delivery.

Examining home birth in most of rural Egypt, the practice does not differ much from the practice in ancient Egypt.

However, home birth is badly needed due to several factors, among them: many women appreciate Home birth and the government cannot afford to have all deliveries at hospitals.

In Egypt, with more than one million deliveries occurring every year and with the limited resources, home birth still have a place and should be addressed by policy makers.

This paper aims at helping policy makers and program mangers reaching a practical strategy to include home birth within its appropriate place in the health policy agenda.