Giving Birth In Vs. Out of Hospitals

Guests: Dr. Jonathan Snowden, PhD, Graduate faculty member in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University; Dr. Ellen Tilden, PhD, Expert in well-woman exams and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University  The vast majority of babies born in the United States are born in a hospital. That’s been true since the late 1960s. But during the last decade, the rate of women choosing to give birth someplace other than a hospital has been rising. Today about 1½ percent of all babies are born at home or in a birthing center.  This increase has come with considerable controversy about the relative safety of giving birth outside of a hospital.  A study of all babies born in Oregon during 2012 and 2013 yields some important insight comparing the risks of in-hospital and out-of-hospital birth. Yes, both venues pose risks of their own. The research was in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.