Perinatal mortality of planned out-of-hospital births transferred to an Oregon hospital

According to the Oregon Health Authority, Vital Statistics reported 49,492 infants were born in Oregon in 2008. It is estimated that 1 percent of Oregonians intend to have an out-of-hospital (OOH) birth; however, a more accurate count may be at least twice as high. With the introduction of a new data collection tool in 2008, Oregon Vital Statistics found that 1,243 deliveries were planned for home or birth center births. These numbers did not account for home births completed in the hospital. Yet, the count provided a gross estimate that 2.5 percent of Oregon women planned to give birth outside of the hospital setting.