Why are women deciding against birth in alongside midwifery units? A prospective single-center study from Germany.

Objectives: For healthy women entering labor after an uneventful pregnancy, advantages of birth in midwife-led models of care have been demonstrated. We aimed to study the level of awareness regarding care in alongside midwifery units (AMU), factors involved in the decision for birth in obstetrician-led units (OLU), and wishes for care and concerns about birth in women registering for birth in OLU who would have been eligible for care in AMU.

Methods: Healthy women with a term singleton cephalic fetus after an uneventful pregnancy course booking for birth in OLU were prospectively recruited.

Model of care and chance of spontaneous vaginal birth: a prospective, multicenter matched-pair analysis from North Rhine-Westphalia.

Background: Advantages of midwife-led models of care have been reported; these include a higher vaginal birth rate and less interventions. In Germany, 98.4% of women are giving birth in obstetrician-led units.

Analysis of cesarean section rates in two German hospitals applying the 10-Group Classification System.

Objectives: In Germany, cesarean section (CS) rates more than doubled within the past two decades. For analysis, auditing and inter-hospital comparison, the 10-Group Classification System (TGCS) is recommended. We used the TGCS to analyze CS rates in two German hospitals of different levels of care.