(Updated) Poll: Why Are Home Births on the Rise?

Home births have increased by historic numbers in the United States, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers, and are gaining popularity in Maryland as well.

According to the CDC, in 2009, there were 29,650 home births in the United States, the highest level since data was collected in 1989.

U.S. home births increased by 29 percent from 2004 to 2009, when they represented 0.72 percent of all births, according to the CDC. Home births are gaining popularity more rapidly in Maryland where they increased by 62.5 percent in that time period, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The state Department of Mental Health and Hygiene said that despite the increase, home births still account for less than 1 percent of births in Maryland.

While planned home births often result in fewer medical interventions (such as an epidural), they are also associated with “three times the number of infant deaths,” according to Time, which was quoting research from a study published in 2010 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Some experts are saying the trend in increased home births is due to an increase in Caesarean section hospital deliveries, which some women may hope to avoid.

"It may be they're more comfortable challenging the system," Eugene Declercq of Boston University, who helped conduct the analysis, told NPR.

Katherine Prown of The Big Push, which is advocating for making it easier for families to have a home birth, told NPR that home and hospital births are equally as safe for low risk women, but home births have "significantly reduced rates of preterm birth, low birth weight and unnecessary Caesarean sections."

Although home births are gaining popularity, at least one midwife in Maryland is under investigation for not following proper safety procedures.

Catonsville midwife  is currently  due to multiple complaints in recent years alleging she performed home births without a physician backup or an approved medical plan.

 is awaiting a final ruling from the Maryland Board of Nursing to find out if her license to practice in Maryland will be revoked.

As it is, very few nurse midwives do home births in Maryland, according to Jeremy Galvan, of Hagerstown, who is the president of Maryland Families for Safe Birth.

The organization is advocating for the approval of a certified professional midwife, which is a type of certification in many other states, and would mean more professionals are able to do home births.

Galvan said Monday the No. 1 motivator for women to pursue home births is the desire to have a VBAC--or a vaginal birth after a caesarean section--which many hospitals are unwilling to allow.

"Also," he said, "I think a lot of women just want to be left alone during child birth; they want a private family experience."

This story was updated at 9:45 a.m. to add photos of Maryland home births. Do you have touching home births photos to share? Add here or email Lisa Rossi at lisa.rossi@patch.com