Compared with the number of hospital births in the United States, home births are still relatively low. Still, over the past seven years the rate of planned home births has increased by 60% to nearly 2% of all births. There were 46,918 U.S. home births recorded in 2023, the highest number in three decades and up from 29,592 in 2016, according to a recent analysis published in the Journal of Perinatal Medicine.
The analysts found that much of the rise "stems from women's desire to take back control over their births," said National Geographic. Other women want to avoid unnecessary medical interventions or a Cesarean section, the Journal of Perinatal Medicine review said. For Black women in particular, a home birth could be a welcome alternative in a country where they are three times more likely to die during childbirth than white women.
Saving money is not a top reason. On average, home births can cost about $4,650, according to one study, but the price varies and can be much higher. Some insurers cover some of the costs of home birth, but many do not have midwives in their network.
Having a home birth was "fun, slightly chaotic, euphoric and tough," new mother Asia Dessert told National Geographic. She was able to finance her $7,000 home birth with the help of a nonprofit called The Victoria Project. And while she hopes to inspire her friends to follow suit, "home birth is inaccessible to most people I know because of the money." | 
