Delivery of a baby in the home, under the care of a midwife, rather than in a hospital. Partly in reaction to traditional hospital deliveries, seen as cold, invasive, and impersonal, some people have chosen to deliver their babies at home, often with a certified nurse-midwife in attendance. The main hazards here are loss of time in getting to a hospital if complications arise and the possibility of infection, since the setting cannot be made as antiseptic as a hospital’s delivery room or a maternity center’s birthing room would be. People considering home birth should be even more careful than usual about prenatal care and checkups, since any complication could be disastrous. They should also make very careful arrangements for obtaining backup medical care, should emergencies arise.