Midwife Statistics

• Percent of countries providing universal prenatal care that have lower infant mortality rates than the US: 100%
• Percent of US births attended by midwives: 4%
• Percent of European births attended by midwives: 75%
• Number of European countries with higher perinatal mortality rates than the US: Zero
• Average cost of midwife-attended birth in the US: $1,200
• Average cost of physician-attended birth in US: $4,200
• Health care cost savings if midwifery care were utilized for 75% of US births: $8.5 billion/year
• Health care cost savings by bringing US cesarean section rate into compliance with WHO recommendations: $1.5 billion/year
• Health care cost savings by extending midwifery care and demedicalizing births in the US: $13-20 billion/year

From the book Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent