Use of midwives would cut costs

A column by Froma Harrop (July 23) discussed the high cost of health care.

She concluded that preventive care does not reduce health care spending in the long run, that in order to reduce health-care spending, we need to reduce the amount of high-tech, high-cost procedures.

I thought about the points she was making and applied them to childbirth care.

Childbirth care in the U.S. is high-tech and high-cost. The World Health Organization recommends a 5 to 10 percent cesarean-section rate for best outcomes.

Currently the U.S. cesarean section rate is around 31 percent.

Cesarean section carries the risk of infection, blood loss, difficulties with breast feeding. It prolongs hospital stay and is much more costly.

Increasing midwife-attended births would reduce the rate of cesarean section.

A study of planned home births with certified professional midwives in the U.S. and Canada showed a cesarean-section rate of 3.7 percent.

The conclusion of the study stated, "Planned home birth for low-risk women in North America using certified professional midwives was associated with lower rates of medical intervention but similar intrapartum and neonatal mortality to that of low-risk hospital births in the United States."

Carol Van Der Woude

Hoffman Estates