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Birth Settings

While in the United States now most births take place in hospitals, women have traditionally given birth at home, surrounded by loved ones in their own communities.  An alternative to both is an independent free-standing birth center.

Research shows that planned home births attended by qualified and experienced birth attendants, usually midwives, are as safe as or safer than hospital birth for most women.  Birth centers are also safe environments for most women.  Hospitals are the safest birth settings for women with serious health conditions. Most women in the US choose hospital birth, to some extent because the other options can be difficult to access.

Good sources of information about choosing a birth setting include:

• Childbirth Connection's Maternity Topics: “How do I choose my birth setting?"

• American Association of Birth Centers

•  “The Homebirth Choice” from MidwiferyToday magazine

• About.com’s Homebirth Information & Resources

• New York Homebirth

Hospitals in New York State that provide maternity services must make public their rates of cesearean section, medication, and other interventions. The data is often late in being made public. BirthNet's latest information.

To find an independent birth center, visit the American Association of Birth Centers birth-center directory.

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