Home Birth

Until the 1920s the great majority of babies born in the United States were born at home. It was only in about 1940 that hospital deliveries passed the 50% mark. For the past two decades in almost all of the 50 states, more than 98% of deliveries have been in hospitals. The greatly expanded information about maternal and fetal physiology together with new technology led not only to major decreases in maternal mortality but also to major improvements in perinatal survival. While still striving for both medical and social improvements in reproductive care, physicians and other professionals who cared for pregnant women and their babies basked in the warm sun of success.

Meanwhile, changes in the perception of family structure, individual rights (particularly those of women), involvement of fathers in childbirth and child-rearing, parent-child bonding, and new knowledge about pharmacologic hazards led certain professionals and pregnant women to call for