# Planning a home birth

**Is a home birth right for us, and how do we plan one?**

Whether you would plan to give birth at home with a trained attendant. It involves who qualifies, who attends, how far the hospital is, and a plan for transferring if something changes.

In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: Not considering it; Open to it if low-risk and a hospital is close; Planned with a licensed midwife and a written transfer plan; Planned with an unlicensed attendant. Evidence: experts disagree. Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. Best settled: during pregnancy.

- Area: Pregnancy, birth and arrival
- Evidence: Experts disagree
- Best settled: During pregnancy
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/pregnancy-birth-and-arrival--planning-a-home-birth

## Planning a home birth: what are the options?

1. **Not considering it**: You plan to give birth in a hospital or birth center.
2. **Open to it if low-risk and a hospital is close**: You would consider home birth if your pregnancy is low-risk and a hospital is nearby.
3. **Planned with a licensed midwife and a written transfer plan**: You plan a home birth with a licensed midwife and an agreed plan for transferring to hospital.
4. **Planned with an unlicensed attendant**: You plan a home birth with someone who is not a licensed midwife.

## Planning a home birth: what does the evidence say?

**Experts disagree.** Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh.

ACOG advises against planned home birth but supports an informed discussion, and treats breech presentation, twins and a prior cesarean as reasons it is not appropriate. The Birthplace in England study found that most first-time mothers planning a home birth, about 45% by summaries of the study, were transferred to hospital during labor, versus roughly 9-13% of those who had given birth before (Birthplace in England; figures from search summaries because the report PDF could not be read in full). UK NICE guidance reads the evidence more favorably for low-risk second and later births and notes a small increase in risk for first-time mothers. The attendant's training, hospital distance and a transfer plan matter as much as the setting

Sources:

- [ACOG Committee Opinion 697](https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2017/04/planned-home-birth)
- [NICE](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng235/chapter/Recommendations)
- [Birthplace in England](https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/birthplace)

## What else is worth knowing?

Home birth is planned for low-risk pregnancies with a trained attendant and a clear route to hospital. A meaningful share of planned home births transfer during labor, especially first births, usually for slow progress rather than emergencies. The attendant's qualifications and how far you are from a hospital are central to the decision.

## Questions to ask each other

- What draws us toward, or away from, giving birth at home?
- Who would attend, how far is the nearest hospital, and what is the transfer plan?
- What would make us change our mind during pregnancy or in labor?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=pregnancy-birth-and-arrival&topic=pregnancy-birth-and-arrival--planning-a-home-birth