Birth Rates for Babies Outside of Hospitals Highest in 37 Years

Giving birth outside the hospital could be making a comeback in the coming years. The United States has seen the highest percentage of home births in 37 years.

The percentages aren't monstrous, but they show an increase over the past ten years. In 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, .56% of births occurred in the home or at a birthing center rather than a hospital. That number rose to .72% in 2009, and the latest recording in 2012 revealed 1.36%. This number is the highest since 1975.

The CDC says that this increase marks a new trend despite the extremely low percentages. But doctors say that hospital births are much safer than home births. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) found that planned home birth is associated with an increased risk of death: .2% of babies born at home died between one week and one month after birth in 2010, which is a twofold to threefold increase compared to hospital births.

However, the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives said that those statistics were based on studies of high and poor quality. The World Health Organization and the American Public Health Association support home and birth center options for low-risk women.

Obviously, before considering your options, a doctor would be able to tell you if you have a low risk or a high risk of pregnancy complications. High-risk women tend to make up a smaller percentage of home births, as it is recommended that they give birth in a hospital under professional medical supervision.

So who makes up the majority of the home birth percentage? About 2% of white women have reported out-of-hospital births and women in northwestern states made up more than 3% of out-of-hospital births. And to put the numbers in a more comprehensive view, there were 170 home births in 2004 compared to 2,050 in early 2013.

To read more about out-of-hospital births and other statistics, visit this Live Science article as well as the CDC website.