Trending: The Rise of Home Births

Earlier this spring I listened to The Birth Keepers, a heavy but captivating podcast series by the Guardian about the free birth trend, which involves giving birth at home without any medical involvement.

Emily Oster covered this topic at the beginning of June and was adamant that no one pursue free births. Medically attended home births, however, are a different story.

Oster and others point to data that shows more people are turning away from the hospital for births—though with the help of a medical professional at home. 

• In 2019, 1% of births happened at home.

• In 2023, that number jumped to 3.5%.

• Home births spiked to a 30-year high during the pandemic.

The shift could be a combination of factors, including:

• The rise of c-sections (again) to approximately 1 in 3 U.S. births.

• A black maternal mortality rate that’s about 3.5 times higher than among non-Hispanic white women.

• An increase in the number of certified midwives, with licensing or some sort of regulation in 38 states.

While Oster flatly discourages free birthing, she points to the potential benefits of medically attended home births, including fewer interventions.

But if transferring to a hospital is necessary, the complications and risk factors increase.

Even Oster admits that there’s no right or wrong answer about home births.

It’s a highly personal decision, where and how to give birth, and facts and figures only ever tell a fraction of the story. 

👋 Are you an expectant or new mom looking for community? NPN will be (re)launching a New Moms Group this fall. Stay tuned! 

In Chicago Parenting News:

• This after-school program aims to teach AI literacy to kids with good old-fashioned pen and paper.

• Thanks to a network of 277 air quality monitors, Chicago can keep an eye on air pollution year-round.

• The Chicago Sun-Times reports that a quarter-million student loan borrowers in Illinois need new repayment plans.

Parenting IRL: Gratitude From Our Children

Parenting comes with numerous challenges, but this recent post on our forum is a helpful reminder to zoom out and acknowledge the loving, thoughtful things children do to show appreciation.

Teaching gratitude is a parenting pillar for many of us, which makes moments like a thank you for preparing a meal or an offer to pick something up at the store all the more meaningful.

What do you your kids do to show that they’re thinking of or appreciate you?

We’d love to hear from you!

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