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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The slumping economy is becoming a factor in where some Utah women decide to give birth.
Licensed home-based midwives say they've seen a slight increase in business in part because their service tends to be less expensive than giving birth in a hospital.
The number of price-conscious women touring the Birth and Family Place, a birth center in Holladay, is up by about a third.
Consulting appointments are also up at BellaNatal, a one-room birth suite in Orem.
A hospital-based birth can cost about $8,300. Deliveries at home or at a birthing center can be substantially less expensive.
Still, midwives say, cost is rarely the only factor in deciding to give birth at home or at a center. It typically only makes sense for women with low-risk pregnancies and for those willing to forgo epidurals and Caesarean sections.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
