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7 Facts About Home BirthsMore and more women are opting to give birth in the comfort of their own homes rather than hospitals.
The rate of home births rose 29 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to a January report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2004, 0.56 percent of all births happened in the home; that number jumped to 0.72 percent in 2009.
Home births are still considered rare in the U.S, but the recent increase marks a new trend, the CDC said.
Although the exact reason for the rise isn't clear, it may have to do with women wanting less medical intervention during their birth experience, said Marian MacDorman, a statistician at CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, who led the research.
There's a cascade of interventions that can happen when you're in the hospital, MacDorman said. Interventions can include mediations to reduce pain or strengthen contractions, breaking a woman's water and Caesarian sections.
Some women would rather be at home, so they feel more in control, MacDorman said.
Here are seven facts you should know about home births.
Doctors say hospital births are saferSlide 2 of 15
Doctors say hospital births are saferThe debate over whether home births are safe continues. Although the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists supports women's right to choose the type of birth experience they want, the organization says that hospitals and birthing centers are the safest setting for births.
"Although the absolute risk [of home births] may be low, planned home birth is associated with a twofold to threefold increased risk of neonatal death when compared with planned hospital birth, a 2011 statement from the ACOG said.
Organizations such as the World Health Organization, the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the American Public Health Association all support home and out-of-hospital birth options for low-risk women, the report noted.Slide 3 of 15
Home births are linked with increased risk of deathSlide 4 of 15
Home births are linked with increased risk of deathA 2010 analysis found that compared with babies born in hospitals, those born at home have more than twice the risk of dying during their first month.
Researchers found that 0.2 percent of babies born at home died between one week and one month after birth, compared with 0.09 percent of babies born in hospitals.
But that analysis was based on studies of both high and poor quality, Mary Lawlor, executive director of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives, said in a statement at the time. So the conclusions might not reflect "the true risks and benefits of home birth versus hospital birth, she said.Slide 5 of 15
Home births may have a lower risk of some conditionsSlide 6 of 15
Home births may have a lower risk of some conditionsBabies born at home may be less likely to be born preterm, or with low birth weight, compared with babies born in hospitals.
Six percent of babies born at home were preterm, compared with 12 percent of babies born in hospitals, according to the CDC report. The rate of babies born at home with low birth weight was 4 percent, compared with 8 percent for hospital births.
But the lower risks could be due to the fact that it is generally low-risk women who opt for home births in the first place, the report authors said.
Recent studies also suggest that education and training of home attendants, and the distance between home and hospital, in case of an emergency, may have a big effect on how safe a home birth can be.
In one large British study, researchers looked at 64,000 low-risk births from 2008 to 2010 and found that women having their second or third baby at home or at a birthing center were just as safe as those having a baby at the hospital.Slide 7 of 15
Midwives may make a differenceSlide 8 of 15