Home Birth

Definition

(Noun) Home birth is childbirth that occurs outside a hospital or birthing center setting, usually in the home of the mother with the assistance of a midwife. As of 2008, in the United States, over 97 percent of home births are assisted by Certified Professional Midwives (CPM's) or Licensed Midwives (LM's), less than 3 percent are assisted by a physician or nurse-midwife, and less than 0.01 percent are unassisted. Home birth is, by definition, woman-centered, family-centered birth.