An “alarming” number of women considered freebirthing at the height of COVID-19, and over one quarter wanted to ditch plans for a hospital birth in response to pandemic worries. 

Fear of contracting the virus in hospital was the main reason pregnant women wanted to change their birth plans, a survey of 2750 Australian women shows.

Of the 1000 women who said they wanted to change the place they were to give birth, 29 said they were considering freebirthing, according to the findings by the Australian College of Midwives (ACM). 

“Alarmingly, 3% of the more than 1000 women who had reconsidered their care, were considering birthing without midwifery or medical assistance at home,” the ACM report said.