When Cat Gieser became pregnant with her second child, she chose to deliver her baby in a birth center. The experience she had with her first child in a hospital – laboring for a long period that eventually led to a c-section – was not the birth experience she wanted to live through again.
It wasn’t that the hospital was lacking in their medical services, it’s that a birth center has so much more to offer! For Cat, who is now a yoga teacher, she wanted to have more control of what was happening with her body. For other moms to be, it’s the need for an authentic support system away from a clinical and impersonal atmosphere. Giving birth, after all, is a celebration of life!
In 2016, the United States recorded 20,000 babies that were born in a free-standing birth center. And the numbers continue to rise because, with a birth center, you get the best of both worlds! You receive top-notch midwifery care in a homey, nurturing environment with all the necessary medical equipment for safe delivery. Could this be the best delivery option for you? Let’s dive in, and find out!
What is a birth center?
For mommies-to-be who are low-risk pregnancies, birth centers offer an alternative that’s inexpensive and natural. Plus, you get to be with empowering women who are involved in your overall well-being.
You get the care and attention you need as early as possible. No confusion or uncertainties on what you’re supposed to do. In free-standing birth centers, your primary care providers are midwives. One that you’ve built a trust relationship with throughout your pregnancy.
That’s not the only thing that separates a birth center from home births and hospitals!
4 Benefits of Giving Birth at a Birth Center:
- Comfort and Privacy
Imagine giving birth surrounded by people you have spent precious moments with, midwives and team members who you’ve known the past few months because you receive prenatal care and education from them. It’s the comfort of being with people who know what you’re capable of doing.
The private room where you will be giving birth is no longer a foreign place to you. You’ve seen it during your visits. Best of all, birth center rooms are decked up in all the amenities that make them warm and homey. Soft lighting, comfy beds, a family room, or a kitchen are often available. You can even personalize the room and fill it up with trinkets and memorabilia that provide encouragement and warmth for you.
- Education and Support
Choosing a birth center means choosing to birth naturally. Prenatal classes are offered to help birthing moms learn alternative pain relief methods like breathing exercises, prenatal massages, optimal birth positions, and more!
You can attend classes that help prepare you for labor including what you should be eating during pregnancy and even after. Learn the most important things moms should be doing after labor to strengthen mother and child bonding. You can be a part of active support groups for breastfeeding moms. In the right birth center, you get a real community of women who empower each other.
- Families Stay Together
When babies enter our world, they should rightfully be spending their first minutes with their family, not whisked away to another room! In a birth center, there is no separation of mother and baby. We want you to practice skin-to-skin contact with your newborn. This is one of the most important activities after labor because it facilitates the release of positive hormones that benefit both mommy and baby.
During your labor, you can decide who you want to surround yourself with in the room. Husbands and partners are encouraged to be part of the experience and welcome their baby into the world. They are free to hold their newborn child as well.
Even throughout the baby’s first month during postnatal care and newborn screening, everything is done in front of the new parents. Birth centers care for the well-being of the whole family.
- More Affordable
With fewer medical interventions involved, and no drugs in the new mother’s system, recovery time is shorter than at a hospital. Most families can go home as soon as they are able, which is often just four hours after birth. Enjoy your and your baby’s first night in the comfort of your own home!
We understand that the financial aspects of your pregnancy and birth are additional stressors, one that healthy mothers do not need! The best birth centers for you will offer fully or partially covered insurance packages. At Casa Natal, you can also choose an affordable, out of the pocket payment plan. To find out your insurance benefits, click HERE.
These benefits listed above are just the tip of the iceberg on why birth centers are the best for women without any prevailing risk factors. For most families, safety is the greatest concern. That’s why birth centers like Casa Natal have gained the trust and loyalty of families all over California.
Our Midwives will take the time to talk with you, counsel you, and provide individualized education. It’s not just about numbers for us, it’s about building a trusting and lasting relationship with moms and dads.
Casa Natal provides your standard pregnancy care, checking your blood pressure, pulse, heartbeat, and all other important lab tests. We offer the same genetic screening, blood tests, ultrasounds, and newborn procedures as you would be offered when seeing a hospital-based care provider.
But on top of all that is you. You have the power to make the informed choice for your body, your baby, and your family.