I used to think home was great.
However, take into account that in The Netherlands, it is relatively quite common for women to give birth at home by choice. One of my sisters did it twice.
However, at the same time, it has recently been featured in the news that The Netherlands – which generally has excellent medical care, about the best in the world, I dare to say better than the US – has a relatively high infant mortality rate.
It is quite obvious that any sudden complications at home can quickly turn into a major disaster for both mother and child – both with the birth itself as well as with the infant who might suddenly turn out to have some sort of congenital disease or other issues and need urgent medical attention.
You don’t want to be alone with a single midwife who has to deal with both the mother AND the child then. The thought of having to call an ambulance, waiting for it to arrive, letting the ambulance crew do their work on-site as much as they can (in some countries they do “stay and play” – for example The Netherlands and Germany – and in others “scoop and run” – for example the US and Israel), then get to the hospital, get things running there…… by then, if you have a serious situation, it’s likely to be too late.
There is only so much anybody can do in the home environment, even an emergency physician and ambulance crew, without having the benefits of a fully equipped hospital environment.
And most importantly, there is only so much that can be done to identify possible complications before birth.
I myself would absolutely not want my wife to give birth at home, ever. I’m not willing to take that risk.