US home births hit highest level in 30 years in 2021

(CNN NEWSOURCE) — More women gave birth at home in 2021 than any other year in the past three decades.

That’s according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

The report, which was released Thursday, says there were more than 50,000 home births in the U.S. last year.

That’s an increase of 12 percent from the year before.

There was a 22 percent increase from 2019 to 2020, which the reports say corresponds with the initial surge of COVID-19 cases.

21 percent of Black women gave birth at home in 2021 compared to 15 percent of Hispanic women and 10 percent of white women.

About 30 states reported home births with West Virginia taking the top spot.