Data finds spike in home births during 2020
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New data shows home births spiked in 2020, up 22% from the year before.
The National Center for Health Statistics shows the highest level of home births since at least 1990.
The timing corresponds with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The percentage of home births rose from March to December 2020 compared to the same month in the previous year, peaking in May at almost 1.5% of all births.
Typically, home births account for about 1% of all births, but visitation restrictions and fear of contracting COVID-19 had many deciding against delivering at a hospital.