Safety
Is home birth safe? Yes! Home birth, birth centers, and midwifery care are safe options for most families.
For mothers, midwifery care can help create a foundation of health beginning with the pregnancy and birth experience, and continuing throughout life.
For babies, midwifery care promotes healthy birth, growth and development and gives parents tools to support their child’s lifelong health.
Midwives are experts in the normal processes of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care with healthy people in low-risk pregnancies.
Oregon and national data show that community birth with midwives is safe for low-risk mothers and babies and is associated with low rates of intervention.
Oregon
2015-2017 term perinatal mortality rates from Oregon Vital Records:
- Planned community births with midwives: 0.72/1,000 (not including planned, unassisted births)
- All births in Oregon: 1.48/1,000
- You can find complete Oregon data in the following links:
You can learn more about the Oregon Midwifery Council’s work to ensure safe and quality community midwifery care on our Quality Improvement page. Please contact OMC with any questions or concerns about midwifery care in Oregon at info@oregonmidwiferycouncil.org
United States
2014 study of outcomes for 16,924 home births in the US:
- Cesarean section rate of 5.2% without harms to mother or baby.
- Great rates of breastfeeding, over 95% at 6 weeks.
- Lower rates of preterm birth and low-birth weight
- Good outcomes for babies for low-risk pregnancies
You can read more about this study here.
A comprehensive annotated bibliography of the research on home birth and birth center birth can be found here.
When is home birth not a good option?
Some pregnancies and births are best cared for by hospital-based providers. Many preexisting medical conditions, such as diabetes, and diseases of pregnancy such as preeclampsia should be cared for in the hospital. More complex pregnancies (such as breeches, twins, and vaginal birth after cesarean) carry more risk and we encourage you to learn more about your birth options.
Learn more about midwifery care