What happens during a planned home birth?

If you're thinking about a planned home birth, make sure that you understand the potential risks and benefits. A planned home birth might be associated with fewer medical interventions, but in general, home births are associated with an increased risk of obstetric emergencies when compared with delivery in a medical facility.

Planned home births are associated with an increased risk of:

• Needing labor induction
• A delivery requiring the use of forceps or vacuum extraction
• C-section
• Severe bleeding requiring a blood transfusion
• Severe vaginal lacerations or tears

There are several factors that might reduce the risks of these complications, including having:

• Assistance from a certified nurse-midwife
• Access to a practicing obstetric doctor
• A plan for emergency transport to the nearest hospital

If you deliver at home, labor management might differ from what you would experience in a hospital setting. During labor at home, your health care provider will periodically — rather than continuously — monitor your temperature, pulse, blood pressure and your baby's heart rate. A health care provider will examine your newborn and determine whether a hospital transfer is needed.