Choosing Where to Give Birth

Abstract

Everyone has the right to give birth in a safe place where they feel comfortable. You can choose to give birth at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital. The decision is an important one based on your health and preferences. Talk to your provider about benefits and risks to you and your baby based on your chosen birth setting.

If you choose a home birth, you will have regular visits with a midwife during your pregnancy. Sometimes they will come to your home for the visits. Sometimes you may go to an office or clinic. When your labor begins, the midwife will come to your home. You will need to prepare your home for the birth. This includes getting some supplies. The midwife will bring the needed birthing equipment and a few medications to care for you and your baby. The midwife and another person trained in newborn care will be present when you give birth. The midwife will usually stay for several hours after your baby is born to make sure you are both doing well.

A birth center is a home-like space set up for labor and birth. Birth centers may be freestanding (in a building or house located away from a hospital) or attached to a hospital. Your prenatal visits and birth will occur with a midwife at the birth center. They will provide the supplies, equipment, and medications you might need. You usually stay in the birth center for several hours after you give birth.

Most people in the United States give birth in a hospital even if they are healthy. Hospitals offer different types of care during pregnancy. Some hospitals have separate areas for labor and postpartum care. Others have special rooms where a person can labor, give birth, and then stay until they go home. A tour of the hospital's labor and delivery area and discussion with the staff will help you find out what services your hospital offers.

You may want to consider costs of each setting and what services your insurance will cover. The following lists can help you choose the birth setting that is best for you.

Key Differences in the 3 Birth Settings

Flesch-Kincaid Reading level 7.2

Approved February 2025. Replaces “Choosing Where to Give Birth” published in Volume 61, Issue 2, March/April 2016

This handout may be reproduced for noncommercial use by health care professionals to share with patients, but modifications to the handout are not permitted. The information and recommendations in this handout are not a substitute for health care. Consult your health care provider for information specific to you and your health.