CHILDBIRTH

Home-Birth Advocate Dies in Labor

In labor.

The case of an Australian home-birth advocate who died after going into cardiac arrest while in labor has reignited debate about the dangers of giving birth at home. Caroline Lovell’s planned home delivery ended in tragedy Jan. 24 when she had to be taken to the hospital. Lovell’s baby, a daughter named Zahra, survived. But Lovell, 36, had been a strong supporter of home births, a practice that is on the rise in the United States, increasing 29 percent between 2004 and 2009. While midwives argue that there’s no reason the natural process of birth cannot be carried out safely in the home, medical professionals maintain that a physician-attended birth is still the safest course.