Birth centers provide an alternative to childbirth in a hospital. Women are empowered and given control during their labor and delivery. They wear their own clothes, eat and drink during labor, and walk around. Women can bring as many support people as they like. The birthing mother labors in the shower or birth tub, on birth balls, in a birthing rocker, on a birthing stool, or in any other position that is comfortable for her. The Nurse-Midwife is with her throughout labor. When it is time to give birth, the woman follows her body to get into the best position: hands and knees, squatting, sitting, lying on her side, or whatever feels right.
Well Woman Care
The Birth Center is not just for birth! We provide full-scope care for women of all ages from teens to post-menopausal. Our focus is to empower our clients through holistic health management and education.
Can you imagine looking forward to your yearly exam? Many of our clients do! Your 30-minute visit with your Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) includes a holistic review of your mental, emotional, physical, and gynecological health. You are truly booked for the 30-minute period entirely with the CNM. Plenty of time to have your questions answered!
We provide annual exams with Pap smears, mammograms, contraception/ birth control, Natural Family Planning, holistic management of menopause, preconception counseling, and much more. We also offer free pregnancy tests.
Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum Care
Prenatal Care – Excellent prenatal care is the foundation of a healthy pregnancy, labor, and birth. Our initial prenatal visit is one hour; all of the other prenatal visits are 30 minutes. We focus on nurturing healthy pregnancies through education, nutrition, exercise, and mental well-being. Building a strong relationship with each midwife is the core of our prenatal care, as that facilitates trust. We encourage family members to attend visits and participate in care and decision making.
Labor and Birth – At The Birth Center, pregnancy and birth are treated as a natural process, not a medical procedure. We encourage our laboring mothers to move, walk, eat, drink, shower, get on a birth ball or in the tub— whatever their bodies tell them to do! You may even birth your baby into the water birth tub. The CNM stays with the family throughout labor providing labor support, comfort measures and medical monitoring. The result is a relaxed, empowered woman laboring effectively to birth her child naturally and safely.
At The Birth Center, we appreciate and celebrate your individual birth choices. We provide education, information and personalized care to help you learn about your body, its various stages and your individualized needs during these important times. We work with you to learn about natural birth, individualized birth plans and encourage you to develop the trust in yourself to give birth and transition into parenthood. The rewards of learning to trust your body’s innate ability to birth are deep and will have a lasting impact on your family.The midwife stays with you for a portion of your postpartum stay; the Registered Nurse stays with you for your entire postpartum stay. Infants are never separated from mothers. They stay skin-to-skin and nurse during the first couple hours.
Postpartum and Newborn Care – Welcoming a new baby into your family can be very frustrating and tiring! The postpartum support offered by The Birth Center is unmatched. From daily phone calls to a visit in your home by one of our Registered Nurses, to our New Parents & Breastfeeding Support Groups, you will be sure to feel connected and supported. If you are having trouble with breastfeeding, our Board Certified Lactation Consultant will be there to guide you.
Birth Center Doulas
Our doulas are there to help encourage you as you navigate your labor. She is there to serve you throughout your labor whether that is just her presence, hands-on physical support, or words of encouragement. Every mother has different needs and the doula is there to support mom in whichever way is best for mom. Doulas are for the first time mom or a mom having subsequent babies whether it be her second or sixth!
Waterbirth
When a woman in labor relaxes in a warm deep bath, free from gravity’s pull on her body, with sensory stimulation reduced, her body is less likely to secrete stress-related hormones. This allows her body to produce the pain inhibitors-endorphins-that complement labor. Noradrenaline and catecholamines, the hormones that are released during stress, actually raise the blood pressure and can inhibit or slow labor. A laboring woman who is able to relax physically, is able to relax mentally as well. Many women, midwives, and doctors acknowledge the analgesic effect of water. Thousands of these mothers state they would never be able to consider laboring without water again.
Breastfeeding Support
Breastfeeding is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences a woman can have. It is a journey of emotional, personal and physical growth. It is the introduction into motherhood. But, breastfeeding can be very challenging. It can be scary, painful and overwhelming. Having a concrete support network is one of the strongest indicators of breastfeeding success. Let us help! We utilize a multi-dimensional method to support you in reaching your own personal breastfeeding goals.