Intrapartum time intervals and transfer of nulliparae from community births to maternity care units in Germany.

Background: Over one-third of nulliparae planning births either at home or in freestanding midwife-led birthing centers (community births) in high-income countries are transferred during labor. Perinatal data are reported each year in Germany for women planning community birth. So far, data sets have not been linked to describe time-related factors associated with nulliparous transfer to hospital.

Prior cesarean section--an acceptable risk for vaginal delivery at free-standing midwife-led birth centers? Results of the analysis of vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC) in German birth centers.

Objectives: Is out-of-hospital vaginal birth at a birth center safe for women with a previous cesarean section? Do their maternal or neonatal outcomes vary significantly from those of a "non-cesarean" control group?

Study Design: Retrospective evaluation of prospectively collected data on documented singleton births (cephalic presentation, >34/0 weeks of gestation), all of which were second births, occurring between 2000 and 2004 in 1 of 80 German birth centers. Births that occurred in the birth center or when labor had started in the birth center prior to transfer were included for analysis.

Results: Three hundred and sixty four women (5.