Out-of-hospital births increase

A recent report released by NCHS showed an increase in the number of home and out-of-hospital births. In 2006, there were 38,568 out-of-hospital births in the United States, including 24,970 home births and 10,781 births occurring in freestanding birthing centers. The report also found that there was a decline between 1990 and 2004 in the number of out-of-hospital births and then a 3% increase from 2004 to 2005. Similarly, there was also a decline in home births between 1990 and 2004 and then an increase of 5% in 2005. However the number of home births remained steady in 2006.

The report also compared trends in the number of home births among different racial and ethnic groups. Results found that non-Hispanic white women were more likely to have a home birth than women of any other race and ethnicity. Overall, 81% of home births were to non-Hispanic white women, compared with 54% of hospital births.

             For more, visit “Trends and Characteristics of Home and Other Out-of-Hospital Births in the United States, 1990–2006”