The reports were prompted following the death of a baby during a home water birth.

The baby was the third child of Janet Fraser, the national convener of home birth support group, Joyous Birth.

Reports suggested there was no midwife present.

Dr Andrew Pesce, from Westmead Hospital, was quoted as saying he was aware of at least four deaths and four possible cases of brain damage that occurred during home births since last July.

Advocate Sonia Gregson from Helensburgh said the overwhelming majority of home births occurred with the assistance of a midwife.

``Free births [non-midwife assisted] represent a tiny percentage of home births,'' she said.

``And who is to say the babies would have been saved in a hospital?''

Mrs Gregson said home-birth advocates were not looking to exclude the medical profession and authorities.

``We want the medicos and hospitals involved. We want government support to make home birth as safe as possible,'' she said.

``It's about people making educated birth choices.''

Recent media reports suggested the problem was that people had lost faith in the public health system and had turned to home births as an alternative.

The lack of continuity of care was identified by the Australian College of Midwives as one problem.

College president, Professor Pat Brodie, said many women approached labour with fear.

Michael Chapman, director of women's and babies' health at St George and Sutherland hospitals, said St George Hospital had run a successful home birth service for two years that had resulted in 65 births.

Professor Chapman said while this still represented a small proportion of the 5000 births connected with the hospital each year, the St George home-birth service offered ``the highest possibility of a great outcome''.

He said the home-birth service had strict selection criteria, only allowing low-risk births, with the hospital as a

backup in case of difficulties.