Out-of-hospital births in California 1991–2011

• Published in: Journal of perinatology Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 41 - 45
• Main Authors: Girsen, A I, Mayo, J A, Lyell, D J, Blumenfeld, Y J, Stevenson, D K, El-Sayed, Y Y, Shaw, G M, Druzin, M L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01-01-2018; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/308/174; 692/499; Births; Childbirth & labor; Delivery (Childbirth); Gestational age; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Minority & ethnic groups; original-article; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Vagina; California
• ISSN: 0743-8346; 1476-5543
• DOI: 10.1038/jp.2017.156

Objective:
We investigated the frequencies and characteristics of out-of-hospital births in a 20-year period in California, where 1 of every 7 births in the United States occurs.
Study Design:
Birth certificate records of deliveries in California between 1991 and 2011 were analyzed. Out-of-hospital births were assessed by year, parity, gestational age and maternal race/ethnicity.
Results:
In the 20-year period there were 10 593,904 deliveries, of which 46 243 occurred out of hospital (0.44%). Out-of-hospital births decreased from 0.54 to 0.38% per year between 1991 and 2004, and increased from 0.41% in 2005 to 0.61% in 2011. In contrast, preterm out-of-hospital births declined from 7.2% in 2006 to 5.0% in 2011. The frequency of vaginal birth after cesarean in the out-of-hospital birth cohort increased from 1.2% (
n
=19) in 1996 to 4.2% (
n
=82) in 2011.
Conclusion:
California birth records from a 20-year period show an increase in out-of-hospital births from years 2005 to 2011, following a period of decline from 1991 to 2004.