Let’s Talk About Home Birth vs Hospital Birth: Where and With Whom to Have Your Baby

Hospital birth, birth center, or home birth...and how do you even decide!? In the first official episode of Let’s Talk About Birth, board-certified OB-GYN Dr. Jennifer Lincoln is joined by Ashley Walter, CNM; birth photographer & doula, Monet Nicole; and Dr. Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, to unpack the realities of birth settings, safety, and choice. This conversation cuts through the noise with evidence, empathy, and clarity so listeners can feel empowered to choose what’s right for them and their babies. 

We Talk About... 

• Hospital vs. birth center vs. home birth 
• OB-GYNs, midwives, and doulas — who does what? 
• What the evidence says about safety 
• Risk tolerance and personal choice 
• When and why birth plans change 
• The emotional side of birth and feeling supported 

Pre-Order The Birth Book: An OB-GYN's Guide to Demystifying Labor and Delivery here!  

Follow your host @drjenniferlincoln 

Episode Links & Resources 

Ashlee Walter, CNM, MSN 

Certified Nurse Midwife at Women’s Healthcare Associates 

Website: https://www.whallc.com 

Monet Nicole 

Licensed Midwife and Founder of Monet Nicole Birth Services 

Website: https://www.monetnicole.com/ 

Dr. Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN 

Founder of Evidence Based Birth® 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth 

Evidence Based Birth® Website: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/author/ 

Learn more about the evidence on doulas at https://ebbirth.com/doulas

Learn more about the “My Doula Visit” Workbook at https://evidencebasedbirth.com/doula-workbook/

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). (2017, reaffirmed 2023).” ACOG Committee Opinion No. 697: planned home birth.” Obstet Gynecol 129(4): e117–e122.
• Bovbjerg, M. L., Cheyney, M., Hoehn-Velasco, L., et al. (2024). “Planned Home Births in the United States Have Outcomes Comparable to Planned Birth Center Births for Low-Risk Birthing Individuals.” Med Care 62(12): 820-829.
• Comeau, A., Hutton, E. K., Simioni, J., et al. (2018). “Home birth integration into the health care systems of eleven international jurisdictions.” Birth 45(3): 311-321.
• Dias, Y., Achebe, N. E., Doering, M. M., et al. (2025). “Intrapartum doula support and Cesarean delivery rates: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Obstet Gynecol 147(1): 73–84.
• Falconi et al. (2024). “Role of doulas in improving maternal health and health equity among Medicaid enrollees, 2014–2023.” Am J Public Health 114(11): 1275–1285.
• Hutton, E. K., Cappelletti, A., Reitsma, A. H., et al. (2016). “Outcomes associated with planned place of birth among women with low-risk pregnancies.” CMAJ 188(5): E80-E90.
• Snowden, J. M., Tilden, E. L., Snyder, J., et al. (2015). “Planned out-of-hospital birth and birth outcomes.” N Eng J Med 383: 2642-2653. 
• Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Campbell, K., Carson, G., Azzam, H., Hutton, E. (2019). “No. 372 - Statement on Planned Homebirth.” JOGC 41(2): 223-227. 

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