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.

Maternal and neonatal outcome of births planned in alongside midwifery units: a cohort study from a tertiary center in Germany.

Background: For healthy women entering birth after uneventful pregnancy, midwife-led models of care have the potential to reduce interventions and increase the vaginal birth rate. In Germany, 98.4% of women are giving birth in consultant-led obstetric units.

Survey of alongside midwifery-led care in North Rhine-Westfalia, Germany.

Background Alongside midwifery-led care (AMC) was introduced in Germany in 2003. The aim of our study was to collect data about the utilization of AMC within North Rhine-Westfalia (NRW), Germany's most populous state, and to collect information regarding the approach used for implementation of AMC and providers' experiences in day-to-day work. Methods Quantitative data were collected by questionnaire, telephone interview and comparative analysis of documents created for use in AMC.