No studies have shown that any of this is safer
for the mother or the baby—in fact, just the opposite.

A study conducted by Dr. Lewis Mehl compared matched-populations of 2,092 homebirths and 2,092 hospital births. Midwives and family doctors attended the homebirths, and OB/GYNs and family doctors attended the hospital births. Within the hospital group, the fetal distress rate was six times higher, the incidence of maternal hemorrhage was three times higher, limp and unresponsive newborns arrived three times more often, and thirty permanent birth injuries were caused by doctors.