Deciding on home or hospital birth: results of the Ontario Choice of Birthplace Survey.

Objective: decision-making autonomy regarding where to give birth is associated with maternal satisfaction with childbirth but how women decide their location of birth is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to understand how pregnant women in Ontario, Canada decide to give birth at home or hospital and why they choose one birthplace over another.

Design: a mixed methods survey completed by midwifery clients in Ontario pertaining to sources of information about choice of birthplace and decision-making priorities.