Community Corner

County Encourages Mothers to Register Homebirths

Baltimore County Health Department offers tips and advice as the number of home births rises.

Baltimore County health officials are encouraging any woman who is considering a home birth to pre-register her child's birth with the county.

Home births, typically assisted by a midwife, are on the rise nationally, as well as in Maryland, where health officials reported an increase from 291 in 2001 to 409 in 2010.

According to the CDC, there were 29,650 home births in the United States in 2009, the highest level since data was collected in 1989.

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U.S. home births increased by 29 percent from 2004 to 2009, when they represented 0.72 percent of all births, according to the CDC.

The state Department of Mental Health and Hygiene said that despite the increase, home births still account for less than 1 percent of births in Maryland.

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Health officials provided the following tips:

  • Seek prenatal care early and have a licensed physician or licensed certified nurse midwife assess you as a candidate for a home birth delivery.
  • Pre-register your birth with the Baltimore County Department of Health by calling 410-887-3725. The pre-registration process will include a home visit by a public health nurse, who will offer health education and linkage to community resources.
  • Use a licensed physician or licensed certified nurse midwife to attend the delivery.

"Offering pre-registration will simplify the registration process that will take place after the baby is born and provide necessary education for the health, safety and welfare of the family," said Gregory Wm. Branch, director of the Baltimore County Department of Health and Human Services.

Maureen Robinson, a spokeswoman for the health department, said that not all counties offer pre-registration, although the registration of all births in Maryland is required by state law.

Because so many families who have home births choose not to report them, Robinson said the county does not have an accurate count of the number of home births that occur in Baltimore County.

For more information, visit www.baltimorecountymd.gov/health.

In Catonsville, a had her license suspended by the Maryland Board of Nursing after several complaints were filed against her to the nursing board.

The Board of Nursing has not yet made a final ruling on the permanent revocation of her license, Board Executive Director Pat Noble said.


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