Although overall trend of the category of birth weights greater than 4000 g remained stable as a whole for all births, the trend by type of birth was also different; since this group increased in singletons between the first and second period and fell after 2001, while among multiple births, this group declined through the three periods.
The model included ACS treatment group (multiple, single), gestational age at birth group (<30, 30 36, ≥37 weeks), plus its interaction with ACS treatment group.
17 In our sample, more women in the planned OU birth group had multiple risk factors and complicating conditions at the start of labour care than the women who planned home birth, suggesting possible differences in risk.
The research findings also have worldwide relevance in the area of neonatal care and will be communicated nationally and internationally in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings and via consultation with community interest groups (Parents of multiple birth association (POMBA) and related networks (worldwide twin neonatal group-Vermont Oxford Network).
In general, women of very advanced maternal age are considerably more likely to have multiple births, and in this study, multiple birth rates were approximately 6% for the study group, which is three fold the rate reported among younger women.
Each multiple birth child was analysed as an individual child, and the clustering effect of each group of multiple births was included in the analysis.
The incidence of multiple birth, ectopic pregnancy, termination, miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death was similar in both groups.
The incidence of multiple birth, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, termination, stillbirth and neonatal death was similar in both groups.
