Obstetric interventions and maternal outcomes of women in the South Community Birth Program and matched controls receiving standard care
| Intervention/outcome | Group; no. (%) of women* | RR (95% CI)* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth program n = 1238 | Standard care n = 1238 | ||
| Fetal assessment during labour | n = 1196 | n = 1125 | |
| Intermittent auscultation only | 410 (34.3) | 216 (19.2) | 1.41 (1.31–1.53) |
| External fetal monitoring | 726 (60.7) | 826 (73.4) | 0.77 (0.71–0.83) |
| Scalp electrode | 243 (20.3) | 210 (18.7) | 1.05 (0.96–1.16) |
| Analgesia during labour | n = 1196 | n = 1125 | |
| Nitrous oxide and oxygen only | 250 (20.9) | 193 (17.2) | 1.12 (1.02–1.23) |
| Narcotic IV or IM without epidural | 60 (5.0) | 44 (3.9) | 1.13 (0.95–1.33) |
| Epidural | 506 (42.3) | 645 (57.3) | 0.75 (0.69–0.81) |
| Augmentation of labour | n = 1196 | n = 1125 | |
| Any | 565 (47.2) | 573 (50.9) | 0.93 (0.86–1.01) |
| Amniotomy only | 268 (22.4) | 259 (23.0) | 0.98 (0.89–1.08) |
| Oxytocin | 297 (24.8) | 314 (27.9) | 0.93 (0.84–1.02) |
| Induction of labour | n = 1196 | n = 1125 | |
| Any | 201 (16.8) | 253 (22.5) | 0.83 (0.74–0.93) |
| Prostaglandins without oxytocin | 46 (3.8) | 56 (5.0) | 0.87 (0.70–1.08) |
| Any oxytocin | 146 (12.2) | 190 (16.9) | 0.82 (0.72–0.93) |
| Oxytocin or prostaglandins | 192 (16.1) | 246 (21.9) | 0.82 (0.73–0.92) |
| Oxytocin and prostaglandins | 47 (3.9) | 44 (3.9) | 1.00 (0.82–1.23) |
| Length of labour, mean ± SD | |||
| First stage, h | 8.8 ± 6.8 | 9.1 ± 6.3 | 0.3† |
| Second stage, h | 1.7 ± 1.8 | 1.8 ± 2.0 | 0.6† |
| Third stage, min | 7.7 ± 9.8 | 7.1 ± 11.1 | 0.3† |
| Presentation at delivery | |||
| Vertex | 1174 (94.8) | 1165 (94.1) | 1.07 (0.90–1.29) |
| Breech | 57 (4.6) | 65 (5.3) | 0.93 (0.77–1.13) |
| Transverse | 3 (0.2) | 4 (0.3) | 0.86 (0.36–2.02) |
| Unknown | 4 (0.4) | 4 (0.4) | 1.00 (0.50–2.00) |
| Perineal outcome among vaginal births | n = 977 | n = 851 | |
| First- or second-degree tear | 635 (51.3) | 596 (48.1) | 1.07 (0.98–1.15) |
| Third-degree tear | 96 (9.8) | 53 (6.2) | 1.23 (1.08–1.40) |
| Fourth-degree tear | 1 (0.1) | 2 (0.2) | 0.62 (0.13–3.09) |
| Episiotomy | 109 (11.2) | 145 (17.0) | 0.78 (0.68–0.90) |
| Blood transfusion required | 2 (0.2) | 7 (0.6) | 0.44 (0.13–1.51) |
| Length of stay, h, mean ± SD | 50.6 ± 47.1 | 72.7 ± 66.7 | < 0.001† |