Is home birth legal in Poland?
Yes. The regulation on the organisational standard of perinatal care (consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1140) lists among patients' rights the right to choose where to give birth, in or outside hospital. The standard also says a pregnant woman must be able to make this choice and must be given full information about the chosen place of birth, including indications and contraindications.
Before deciding on an out-of-hospital birth, you must discuss risk factors with the person caring for you and agree what you will do if complications arise. You record these arrangements in your birth plan. According to the standard, the place of birth should match the documented risk assessment, except in emergencies.
Home births are rare in Poland. The Ministry of Health told OKO.press that in 2023, 1,109 babies were born outside a hospital or birth unit, but this figure does not separate planned home births from unplanned ones, for example on the way to hospital.
Who can give birth at home, and who cannot?
Home birth is meant for a healthy woman with a normal singleton pregnancy, a baby lying head down, and labour starting at term. A midwife assesses you based on your history and test results, and the risk assessment is repeated during pregnancy and at the start of labour. The perinatal care standard lists risk factors that mean a woman should stay under the care of an obstetrician in a hospital at the right level of care. They include, among others:
- chronic conditions, for example high blood pressure, diabetes, heart, kidney or liver disease, clotting disorders, and also obesity
- gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia (blood pressure over 140/90 mmHg with protein in the urine) and anaemia
- a multiple pregnancy, a baby not lying head down after 37 weeks, an abnormally positioned placenta
- threatened preterm labour or going beyond 41 weeks of pregnancy
- previous surgery on the uterus, including a caesarean section, a previous postpartum haemorrhage or a third- or fourth-degree perineal tear
- a positive swab for group B streptococcus (GBS)
- a first birth under 18 or over 35, a later birth over 40 or after having four children
- during labour, among others: waters broken for more than 24 hours, meconium or blood in the amniotic fluid, a temperature above 38 °C, the need to induce or speed up labour
The UK NICE guideline (NG235) lists similar situations in which it advises giving birth in an obstetric unit, for example a previous caesarean, gestational diabetes needing medication, a breech baby, twins or preterm labour. The Polish list is broader, though. NICE treats GBS, a high BMI or being 40 or over as factors for individual assessment rather than reasons to give birth in hospital, and it does not mention being over 35 at a first birth at all. So discuss your final assessment with your midwife and the doctor looking after your pregnancy.
Does the NFZ pay for a home birth?
No. A planned home birth is not funded by the NFZ (Poland's National Health Fund), so you pay for it yourself. In January 2026 the Ministry of Health told OKO.press it was not working on public funding for home births. On 3 June 2026, however, the Minister of Health set up a Team for Birth Centres and Home Births, which is to propose public funding and safety rules for out-of-hospital births by 31 March 2027. Until then nothing changes.
What you pay for is the private midwife's care at the birth. Antenatal education and postnatal home visits (wizyty patronażowe) from your POZ (primary care) midwife stay free, as does hospital care if you need a transfer, and the baby's compulsory vaccinations and screening tests.
How much does a home birth cost in 2026?
Midwives set their own prices, so they vary by city and by what is included. Below are examples from published price lists and the media (as of 2 November 2026). These are individual offers, not a market average.
| Source | Area | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midwife Ewa Mazurkiewicz, price list | Wrocław, Trzebnica, Oborniki Śląskie | 6,500 zł | 2 visits before the birth, booking the date, 24/7 phone on-call for 5 weeks, the birth, 2 hours after the birth and paperwork, 2 visits after the birth |
| Midwife Anna Sochańska, price list | Wrocław and surroundings, travel up to 150-200 km | 6,200 zł incl. tax | 2 visits before the birth and phone contact, on call from 37 weeks, the birth, 2 visits after the birth |
| OKO.press, January 2026 | Warsaw and surroundings | 6,000-7,000 zł | the midwife quoted in the article charges 6,000 zł and calls it a standard rate |
| Offers on MyMidwife, October 2026 | various cities | 5,500-6,000 zł | depends on the midwife, described on her profile |
Travel outside the midwife's area, extra visits and tests are usually charged separately. Also ask what you pay if labour starts at home but ends in hospital, and whether the booking deposit is refundable if during pregnancy you stop qualifying for a home birth.
What does a midwife's care for a home birth include?
A package usually has four parts. During pregnancy there are assessment meetings, agreeing the birth plan and the transfer plan, and getting your home ready. Around your due date the midwife is on call around the clock, most often from 37 weeks. Then comes the birth itself and at least 2 hours of watching over mother and baby afterwards. Finally she usually comes for 2 postnatal visits.
The standard requires the person attending the birth to be ready to step in for both the mother and the newborn, in particular to:
- put in an intravenous line and give a drip
- treat injuries to the birth canal, for example stitch the perineum
- clear the newborn's airway and ventilate the lungs
- maintain vital functions until the ambulance team arrives
As neonatologist Prof. Iwona Sadowska-Krawczenko explains on Medycyna Praktyczna (a Polish medical portal), the midwife who attends the birth is responsible for a baby born at home. She carries out the basic procedures, including eye prophylaxis and vitamin K to prevent bleeding.
How often does a home birth end in hospital?
Quite often, especially with a first baby. In the UK Birthplace in England study, on which the NICE guideline is based, 450 in 1,000 first-time mothers who planned a home birth were transferred to hospital, and 115 in 1,000 women having a later baby. The most common reason was a long labour, and some transfers happened after the baby was born. Reasons for transfer from home:
- slow progress in the first or second stage of labour: 32% of transfers
- meconium in the amniotic fluid: 12%
- perineal repair: 11%
- abnormal fetal heart rate: 7%
- retained placenta: 7%
- request for an epidural: 5%
- concerns about the newborn after the birth: 5%
In Poland the standard sets out how a transfer works. If signs of complications appear, the midwife calls an ambulance team, which takes over care from the moment of the decision to transfer until the woman is handed over to the hospital. The midwife records the time and the condition of mother and baby and gives the hospital the full records. The standard also refers to agreements with hospitals setting out how a woman in labour or a newborn will be admitted. Before the birth, agree which hospital you would go to and how long it takes to get there.
Is home birth safe?
For low-risk women, the answer depends mainly on whether it is a first or a later birth. The Birthplace in England study included 64,538 women with low-risk pregnancies. Serious problems for the baby (death around the time of birth or a birth-related injury, such as encephalopathy, meconium aspiration syndrome or a broken collarbone) occurred on average in 4.3 per 1,000 babies. For a later birth, the place of birth did not change this risk. For a first birth planned at home, it was higher than in hospital.
| Per 1,000 low-risk women | First birth, at home | First birth, in hospital | Later birth, at home | Later birth, in hospital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serious problems for the baby | 9 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Vaginal birth without instruments | 794 | 688 | 984 | 927 |
| Unplanned caesarean | 80 | 121 | 7 | 35 |
| Forceps or ventouse | 126 | 191 | 9 | 38 |
| Episiotomy | 165 | 242 | 15 | 56 |
| Transfer to hospital | 450 | not applicable | 115 | not applicable |
Based on this, NICE tells women having a later baby that a home birth means fewer interventions and the outcome for the baby is the same as in hospital. It tells first-time mothers that planning a home birth carries a small increase in the risk of serious problems for the baby, about 4 more per 1,000 births.
A 2023 Cochrane review looked for randomised trials comparing home and hospital birth. It found only one, with 11 women, so such trials cannot tell which choice is safer. The authors note that observational studies such as Birthplace are of increasingly good quality, and that they concern home birth with a midwife, backed up by a hospital in case a transfer is needed. Neonatologist Prof. Iwona Sadowska-Krawczenko points out on Medycyna Praktyczna that the data are not conclusive and the positions of scientific societies differ.
What paperwork and newborn checks follow a home birth?
- Birth card (karta urodzenia): issued by the person who delivered the baby, that is the midwife, who sends it to the civil registry office (USC) within 3 days.
- Birth certificate: a parent registers the birth at the USC within 21 days of the birth card being issued, in person or online with a trusted profile (profil zaufany) or e-ID (since 1 January 2026 via e-Doręczenia). The service is free and the USC gives the baby a PESEL number. If you miss the deadline, the head of the USC registers the birth ex officio and chooses the name.
- Heel-prick blood spot screening: according to Medycyna Praktyczna, after a home birth the attending midwife or a community midwife brings the blotting card and takes the blood, under the supervision of a POZ doctor.
- Vaccinations: Poland's 2026 Immunisation Programme provides for the tuberculosis vaccine (BCG) and the first hepatitis B dose within 24 hours of birth. A missed BCG should be given as soon as possible. Since 2026 the NFZ has paid for outpatient BCG for babies up to 12 months old who were not vaccinated in hospital.
- Other checks: the standard also lists pulse oximetry and a newborn hearing test among the tests done on the maternity ward. Before the birth, agree with your midwife where and when your baby will have them and when a doctor will examine the baby.
- Postnatal visits: after a home birth you are entitled to free visits from your POZ midwife. Tell her about the birth as soon as possible, because she will not get a notification from a hospital.
How do I find a midwife for a home birth?
Start early, ideally in the second trimester. A midwife who attends home births takes few bookings a month, because she is on call for several weeks around each one. At the first meeting, ask:
- how many home births she has attended and whether a second midwife comes with her
- what her assessment criteria are and when she would recommend a hospital birth
- which hospital you would be transferred to and whether she has arrangements with it
- who will stand in if she cannot come
- what exactly the price includes and what you pay for separately
- how she will handle the birth card, screening tests and the baby's vaccinations
Also check that she holds a current licence to practise as a midwife. On MyMidwife you can find midwives who offer care at birth, compare prices on their profiles and book a first consultation, including online.
