Sometimes, things do not go as planned and a home birth turns into a hospital transfer.

by Shanna Hinrichs

11/21/2023

Sometimes, things do not go as planned and a home birth turns into a hospital transfer.

How common is this?

Collected stats from 1985 onward found 15 studies of 215,257 total home births

They found that the number of emergency transfers ranged from 0-5.4%.

The most common reason for transfer is because of a long, exhausting labor with a first time mom. This data review stated that 5.1% to 9.8% of planned home births result in transfer for "labor dystocia", or a long, exhausting labor that was just described. Usually this occurs if someone has been up all night consecutively and when labor and birth isn't imminent.

Transfers happen. And that’s okay. Having a team that supports you and knows when transfer is necessary is what truly matters in the end, because you and your baby’s safety is our priority.