WMM Birth Statistics
We take our responsibility as care takers very seriously. Over the years, we have seen the outcome of hundreds of happy home births. Our experience and our research have shown us that natural labor in a home environment is both safe and beautiful. As evidence-based practitioners, we urge our clients to seek out the facts for themselves. Here, you’ll find data we hope will be helpful as you and your family choose the birthing experience that’s right for you.
January 2016 - December 2022
From 2016 through December 31, 2022 : 355 births
( births tracked in Client Care + MANA Statistics program with consent)
94 First time mothers 26% 213 Multiparas 74%
Clients who transferred out of care in Pregnancy : 36(for medical reasons = 26 non-medical = 10)
Homebirths as planned : 336 - 95%
Transports in labor 28 - 7.8% (6 = 1.6% urgent)
Maternal transports postpartum 6 - 1.6% (2 = .5% urgent)
Neonatal transports 9 - 2.5% (4 = 1.1% urgent)
Vaginal births 342 - 96.3% { Waterbirths 190 - 53% }
Vaginal breech births: 2 (1 home & 1 transport to the hospital)
C-sections 14 - 3.9%
Mothers with a previous c-section 29 : VBACs 26 *89% success rate
Twins : 2 sets
Intact perineum: 193 (60.6%)
First or second degree tears: 208 - 58%
First or Second Degree tears 124 - 35%
3rd or 4th degree tear: 1 (0.3%)
Episiotomy: 2 (0.6%) - 1 by midwife, 1 after transport
Pre-Eclampsia in pregnancy/ labor/ postpartum : 4
Shoulder Dystocia 14 - 4.1%
Blood loss over 500 ml : 68
Blood loss over 1000ml : 17
Male 181 - 51% / Female babies 175 - 49%.
Breastfeeding as of last postpartum visit - 95.5%
No unexpected maternal deaths or infant deaths before 6 weeks postpartum. One fetal demise in labor. One baby was diagnosed prenatally with Anencephaly, which is incompatible with life. She lived for 15 minutes after birth and died at home.
The Safety of Home Birth
The common American cultural perception holds that hospitals are the safest place to give birth, but this belief is counterbalanced by the sobering reality that the United States ranks number 34 on the list of countries for infant mortality and 42 for maternal mortality, without any improvement in this status over time.
Western countries who have a higher rate of home birth, such as Holland, Sweden, and Norway, rank much lower on this list (United Nations World Population Prospectives). For low-risk clients, studies show that home birth has a lower rate of interventions.
In a home birth, clients have the comfort and immunity of a familiar setting, along with protection from hospital-borne illnesses and infection. At times, the hospital and the services provided by them are absolutely necessary and lifesaving and we will not hesitate to transfer if indicated.
However, the safety of home birth for low-risk pregnancies has been evidenced in numerous studies, including: CPM 2000, Outcomes of Planned Home birth With Certified Professional Midwives: Large prospective Study in North America. We encourage you to read this study and also conduct your own research.
Home birth is a choice. The most important factor is your own confidence in the care you are receiving. A person births best where they feel safest and most adequately supported.
You must ask yourself if home is where you feel safest giving birth to your baby and whether or not you are prepared to accept the great responsibility that comes along with being an active participant in the directions and elements of your care.
Risk of Cesarean
Studies with Certified Nurse Midwives and Certified Professional Midwives have found that intended home and birth center births for low-risk women have significantly lower cesarean rates than do comparable low-risk women in hospitals with equally low infant mortality.
Studies of Low Risk Healthy Women in Home, Birth Center, and Hospital Birth Settings
Cesarean Section Rate
Certified Nurse Midwives in Freestanding Birth Centers: Nationwide 11,814 births (Rooks et al. 1989)
4.4%
Certified Nurse Midwives in Home Birth Practices: Nationwide 11,788 births (Anderson and Murphy 1995)
3.0%
Home Births with Certified Professional Midwives: Nationwide 5,418 births (Johnson and Daviss 2005)
3.7%
Low-Risk Hospital Births: California 806,402 births (Schlenzka 1999)
22.9%
Low-Risk Hospital Births Nationally in 2000: 3,360,868 births (Johnson and Daviss 2005 from National Vital Statistics)
19.0%
C-Sections