Where Are Amish Babies Born? (3 Places)

Amish children are born in hospitals, birthing centers – and at home

Amish families have on average six to nine children (depending on the community). Amish parents make different choices about where to have their children. Some Amish prefer having children at home, in special birthing centers, or in conventional hospitals.

Why some Amish prefer home birth:

1. Cost – Amish do not carry commercial insurance, and Amish females typically have 6-8 or more children
2. Comfort – the home environment offers more comfort, and midwives and local doctors often better understand Amish culture
3. Closeness – giving birth at home or in a local birthing center allows a mother to be near family

Home birth and birthing centers

Amish often prefer the at-home setting to the clinical environment of a hospital. Traditional Amish groups tend to favor home births over hospital births.

In An Amish Paradox, Hurst and McConnell cite a survey of an Ohio community which showed that 59% of Old Order and New Order Amish births took place in hospital (as compared to 84% of non-Amish births), while less than a fifth of Swartzentruber Amish births did.

Amish appreciate midwives and doctors who understand Amish culture. The home setting is less stressful than that of a hospital. Some Amish appreciate the chance to welcome new life into the world in the security of home.

Since Amish have large families, cost is also an issue. As Amish do not carry commercial insurance, it is of even greater concern. Home birth can greatly reduce the cost of delivering a child. Midwives and birthing centers generally operate for much less than the cost of delivering a child in hospital.

Midwives who assist in Amish births may be Amish or from outside the community. Midwives may offer pre-natal care for an expectant mother. A baby may be born in the midwife’s home, which will be equipped to assure the mother care and comfort.

Amish midwives are experienced and trained to handle the job. Doctors are usually available at short notice and are even present at many of the births. In special cases, such as breech births or twins, hospitalization is usually required.

A book by Dorcas Sharp Hoover called House Calls and Hitching Posts describes the career of Dr. Elton Lehman among the Amish of Wayne and Holmes counties in Ohio. Perhaps the most well-known Amish midwife, “Bill” Barb Hochstetler, plays a prominent part.

Amish have built birthing centers in Amish communities as well, such as the Mount Eaton Care Center in the Holmes/Wayne county settlement in Ohio, which is staffed by doctors and trained midwives.

Others of varying standards are found throughout this settlement. Amish who patronize them also appreciate their proximity, as opposed to hospitals which can be located relatively far away.

An Amish Woman Recalls Her Home Birth

Lovina Eicher, an Amish mother of eight who writes the Amish Cook column, once reminisced in a column about the birth of her first daughter.

She recalls giving birth with the help of a midwife. The midwife actually happened to be a relative in this case. And, there was a doctor at hand just in case (one that had a multi-generation tie to Lovina’s family).

Here’s the relevant excerpt from her column:

June 14 was the 28th birthday of our first-born daughter Elizabeth. I wish her many more happy and healthy years. She has been married almost seven years to a nice loving husband, Tim, and they have been blessed with four precious children Abigail, 5; Timothy (T.J.), 3; Allison, 2; and Andrea, 4 months.

This year was hot on June 14, just like in 1994. That was a very hot night when Elizabeth was born at 9:58 p.m. We were living with my parents, and Joe’s aunt was my midwife. Dr. Osborne was also there just in case there were complications. Dr. Osborne had delivered me in that same house 23 years earlier. He delivered all eight of us siblings.

I had a long labor, and I remember how warm it was. It was warmer than when all my three July babies were born. We didn’t have fans like we do now, except my dad would use a little square fan that ran with batteries when it was that hot. He had asthma and hay fever, and that little fan would help him breathe. I still remember when Dad saw me having all the hard pain; he handed that fan to me and told me to use it for myself.

I was often thankful to have my mother there those next weeks when I tried to take care of our first baby. I had problems getting her to breastfeed, and Mom spent lots of nighttime hours helping me. I have many precious memories of my parents!

The excerpt reveals several touching acts of love and care – the father’s sharing of the meager little fan to give his daughter some relief; an aunt playing the role of midwife; the very same doctor that delivered Lovina at hand to make sure her first birth went well. Not to mention the birth happening in the comfort and familiar security of home.

It’s easy to see why many Amish prefer home birth with the aid of a midwife – considering how personal even this excerpt, which only has relatively sparse details, feels.

Controversy over home birth

At the same time, home delivery has seen its share of controversy and criticism. Hurst and McConnell note that some medical professionals criticize the varying levels of care found among Amish-patronized birthing and midwifery centers.

Controversy has also arisen around the licensing of midwives. Cases in Pennsylvania and Ohio have been brought against midwives for practicing without a license and for illegally administering prescription drugs. Amish have come out in support of midwives under prosecution, as happened in 2007 in a case in Pennsylvania.

The use of midwives and birthing centers varies among Amish, with more conservative groups generally favoring the practice. Hurst and McConell note that an Amish couple’s decision of where to have children depends on a number of factors, including cost, beliefs, and proximity.

For more information, see:

• “Health Care”, Gertrude Enders Huntington, The Amish and the State
• An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community, Charles E. Hurst and David L. McConnell
• House Calls and Hitching Posts, Dorcas Sharp Hoover
• Plain Diversity: Amish Cultures and Identities, Steven M. Nolt and Thomas J. Meyers
• Do Amish visit doctors?

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