Out-Of-Hospital-Births on the Rise: Data Shows Fewer Health Risks

"According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 percent of deliveries in New York in 2012 were out-of-hospital births, up from just 0.75 percent in 2004. Meanwhile, nationally, the risk profile for non-hospital births was lower than hospital births. Michele Giordano, executive director of the nonprofit advisory group Choices in Childbirth, said women increasingly are seeking more control in the birth process, such as how, when and where the baby is delivered and by whom."