Women who
delivered at home had lower rates of lacerations, hemorrhage, and infections, and their offspring had lower rates of prematurity, low birth weight, and assisted
newborn ventilation.
Results:
Newborns delivered by other midwives or certified nurse midwives (CNMs) in a birthing center or
at home had a significantly higher likelihood of a 5 min maximum Apgar score of 10 than those
delivered in a hospital [52.63 % in birthing centers, odds ratio (OR) 29.19, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 28.29 — 30.06, and 52.44 %
at home, OR 28.95, 95 % CI: 28.40 — 29.50; CNMs: 16.43 % in birthing centers, OR 5.16, 95 % CI: 4.99 — 5.34, and 36.9 %
at home births, OR 15.29, 95 % CI: 14.85 — 15.73].