A small but growing trend, which presents unique challenges in cramped NYC apartments.

More concerning are the complications that can occur when home births don’t go according to plan:

The patient, who had a severe postpartum hemorrhage, was transferred far too late for her own safety. “She was in dire straits, she needed multiple blood transfusions, and she wound up needing a hysterectomy, which could have been averted if she had been given the appropriate medications . . . Many low-risk pregnancies become high risk with no warning and can become urgent within minutes.”

As an aside, I’m not sure why this story is headlining the Times’ Home and Garden section, rather than the Health section.