Outcomes of three birthing rooms.

For women who are prescreened to be at low risk, the birthing room located in a hospital can provide a home-like environment as well as proximity to the regular obstetrical unit in case of an unforeseen complication. Charts of 356 pairs of infants and mothers who were admitted to birthing rooms at three different hospitals were reviewed. The average age of the mother was 25.9 years. Approximately 20 percent of the women had complications requiring their transfer from the birthing room. Fifteen required a cesarean section. The mean Apgar scores of infants born to all women admitted to the birthing room (including those who were subsequently transferred) were 7.7 at one minute and 8.8 at five minutes. Neonatal complications included meconium aspiration (1), sepsis (1), a question of sepsis (1), congenital heart disease (1), and transient tachypnea of the newborn (1). Four infants and one mother required readmission. Although mothers were prescreened to be at low risk, complications did arise for both mother and infant that made proximity to the regular obstetrical and neonatal units advantageous.