How Do I Know If a Birth Center Is Right for Me?
Deciding where you want to give birth is an important decision. It is imperative that you choose a place that aligns with your principles and your expectations.
Birth centers are maternity-care providing centers that are built on principles of midwifery and holistic care. If you’re considering choosing it as your child’s birthplace, it’s important to know if that’s the best choice for you.
What is a birth center?
Birth centers are midwife-led, meaning Midwives are the primary care providers there. They may be assisted by nurses and birth assistants. They are made to have a home-like environment and are ideal for low-risk pregnancies that do not require any medical intervention.
Birth centers focus on natural birth, family involvement, and personalized care. They implement the use of natural methods and holistic care techniques to assist with pregnancy-related discomfort.
They strike the perfect balance between the comfort of home and the safety of professional support.
Signs a birth center might be right for you
If you’re deciding between a hospital and a birth center, here’s why you might want to lean towards the latter:
- You want a natural, low-intervention birth.
- You value longer prenatal visits and a relationship-based model of care.
- You like the idea of a calm, home-like birth environment.
- You want freedom of movement, food, and labor positions.
- You’re healthy and have a low-risk pregnancy.
Not only this, but birth centers are associated with better outcomes for both the mother and the baby.
When a hospital might be a better fit
As wonderful as birth centers are, they might not be a great fit for everyone. Some of these situations include:
- High-risk conditions: these are conditions like preeclampsia, multiple pregnancy, like twins, placenta previa, and uncontrolled diabetes that require medical management and close monitoring during labor to intervene if needed. Birth centers don’t have the equipment or specialists required for this care
- Desire for routine pain medications like an epidural. If you want an epidural or stronger pain medication during labor, you might be better off at a hospital. Birth centers don’t offer epidurals, and they have limited pain medication options.
- Need for continuous fetal monitoring or specialist care. This may be required if the mother or baby has a condition that puts them at risk.
Questions to ask yourself (and the birth center)
If you’re choosing between birth centers, here are some questions that may help the research process:
- Do I feel safe and comfortable in the environment?
- How do I feel about natural birth and fewer interventions?
- Does the center accept my insurance or Medicaid?
- What is their plan for emergencies or hospital transfers?
- Who will be with me during labor: midwives, assistants, doulas, family?
You can always add your own questions to the list, depending on your birth plan.
Taking the next step
Birth centers are a wonderful option for many families, offering safety with the warmth of home.
We understand that they’re unfortunately not the right choice for everyone, and that’s okay. As long as you choose the place that feels right for you, you’re already setting the tone for an empowered birth experience.