Home Births Rose During the Pandemic, Study Shows

More babies were born at home in 2021 than in any year since at least 1990, according to data published Nov. 17 by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Following a 22% increase from 2019 to 2020, the number of home births jumped 12% between 2020 and 2021. While the rate of home births remains small—making up just 1.4% of all U.S. births in 2021—it’s risen by about 2% each year from 1990 to 2019. The NCHS researchers do not speculate about why home births have historically been rising in popularity, but other experts say that it’s being driven by a growing number of women and families who want to make their own decisions about where and how they give birth. The pandemic greatly accelerated that trend. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] In West Virginia, home births increased by 49% from 2020 to 2021. Angelita Nixon, a certified nurse midwife there who delivers nearly two dozen babies annually, says she received about twice as many calls during the pandemic from people seeking a midwife for a home birth. Many said they were afraid of getting COVID-19. “People were really scared about being in the hospital—or being anywhere, really,” she says. Some also feared they could be separated from their partner, which was more common earlier in the pandemic. As hospitals curtailed visitors to limit the spread of the virus, home births also gave people the opportunity to give birth surrounded by their support network, includ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Health Care healthscienceclimate Source Type: news