Home birth is becoming increasingly popular. Labour in the privacy and comfort of a familiar environment has clear appeal. Home birth is usually as safe for low-risk women with appropriate prenatal care. Yet events during delivery can be unpredictable and may be stressful for unprepared family members. Here we report a case of Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as broken-heart syndrome, in a relative attending an impromptu home delivery. Thus, while home delivery is generally safe for the mother we ask: is it safe for everyone involved?
Keywords: Tako-tsubo; home birth; stress-induced cardiomyopathy.