A decadeslong frustration among midwives and hospitals could escalate, and harm patients, as more women choose home births, NBC News reported Feb. 26.
Although a small percentage of U.S. mothers deliver infants at home, this minority is growing, according to national data. In a March 2025 report, the CDC said 1.5% of births in 2023 were home births. Ten years prior, this percentage was 0.9%.
Midwives told NBC News they are concerned about patient safety because of a longstanding tension between those who deliver home births and physicians and nurses who deliver at hospitals.
About 10% to 15% of home births require a transfer to a hospital, but when midwives call hospitals, they are often met with distrust from hospital staff and a hesitancy from hospital staff to accept patients who did not receive prenatal care at that location, the report said.
The rising maternal age could contribute to more home births — and transfer delays — as women 35 and older are more likely to give birth at home than younger mothers, research shows.
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