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Are birth centers safe?

Birth centers have been shown to be a safe option for low-risk, healthy people, offering the comfort and reduced stress of a home-like environment with the benefits of a well-equipped health facility. The National Birth Center Study II, published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health has shown that birth centers have excellent outcomes for birthing people and babies, with a significantly lower rate of cesarean sections. The following statistics are extracted from that study, which is nicely summarized in this article.

Among people intending to birth in birth centers: 

• 94% of people admitted in labor achieved a vaginal birth indicating a 6% c-section rate vs. the national average of 26% for low-risk women;

• Less than 1% of low risk people were transferred for emergent reasons during labor;

• Less than .5% transferred for emergent reasons for birthing person or baby after birth; and

• There were 0 maternal deaths and most cases of postpartum hemorrhage were handled safely in the birth center with no transfer needed

Among people who gave birth in hospitals:

• Approximately 85% are considered low-risk and eligible for care at a birth center;

• 87% who labor in hospitals undergo continuous electronic fetal monitoring;

• 80% receive intravenous fluids;

• 47% have labor artificially accelerated with medications;

• 43% of first-time birthing people have labor artificially induced;

• 60% of women giving birth in hospitals are not allowed to eat or drink;

• 76% are restricted to bed; and

• 92% give birth lying on their backs.

There is strong evidence that routine use of these practices, when carried out without medical indications, has few benefits and often introduces potential risks for healthy mothers and babies.

How can pain be managed during a natural birth without an epidural?

As a culture, we’ve been trained that epidurals are the primary source of pain relief for laboring people. While this may be the case in a hospital environment, there are actually many other highly effective methods of managing pain during labor. Many birthing people who have unmedicated deliveries using one or more of these methods often report that they wouldn’t have necessarily even described the experience as “painful”, but may choose words like “intense” or “emotional” when describing the feelings they had during birth.

There are a handful of factors and tools that we integrate at the center to help make your birth as comfortable as possible:

• Fear Release- Being in an environment where you feel vulnerable, not in control, or don’t know the individuals in or around your space can create an underlying feeling of fear or activate a “fight or flight” response, all of which can increase the sensation or perception of pain. To help avoid these types of feelings during your labor, time is used during appointments and educational classes to address the mental preparation necessary for healthy birth. We strive to help you to confront any fears surrounding the birthing process and to spend time getting comfortable in the birth center while also developing trusting relationships with the members of the team who will be supporting you at your birth.

• Movement - Movement is an instinctive way to manage or alleviate pain and is an important element in the labor process as you respond to your body and baby’s cues, working in partnership with your baby to help them descend comfortably and to open your pelvis to allow their passage. Positions such as squatting have been shown to enlarge the opening in your pelvis by as much as 30%. At the birth center, you’re baby’s heartrate will be monitored intermittently by doppler and can be accomplished in many positions, allowing you to move around freely to find the positions that are most comfortable for you as you labor. To assist with this, we also offer birthing balls, stools, rebozos, birth slings (or yoga hammocks) and peanut balls.

• Hydrotherapy - also known as nature’s epidural, this form of pain relief uses the therapeutic benefits of water submersion in our deep tubs. Hydrotherapy provides relaxation and pressure relief. Many women enjoy this as the precursor to a calm and peaceful water birth.

• Relaxation techniques - our staff is supportive and well-versed in the techniques that will bring a birthing person’s body and mind to the state that allows for easier more gentle birthing. Utilizing relaxation scripts and recordings to help with guided imagery and meditation for the ultimate relaxation to help birthing people to work with their bodies during labor rather than against them.

• Partner education - having a confident partner who has been armed with techniques for supporting the birthing person both physically and emotionally during labor can have a significant impact on the level of comfort and overall experience of labor. Classes offered at the center and time allocated during prenatal visits will help prepare partners for their unique and important role in the birthing process.

• Heat - compresses made of warm rice socks, heating pads, soaking in warm water, or using the handheld shower with warm water on your back are all great ways of using the natural benefits of heat to provide comfort and to ease any pain.

• TENS Unit - we offer the use of a TENS unit to reduce pain by using gentle electric pulses to stimulate the nerves.

• Massage - with the right pressure or touch in the right area you can decrease pain significantly to help in achieving more comfort to support a natural birth. Our team takes an extremely hands on approach to our birthing support using the soothing benefits of touch for birthing people who find it helpful.

• Aromatherapy - specially chosen oils and scents can be used to help to promote total relaxation. Our diffusers, sprays and massage oils stimulate positive emotions reducing anxiety and fear while producing a sense of well-being.

What support is available to help me succeed at breastfeeding?

At Colorado Birth & Wellness we are committed to helping provide a strong foundation of support for your breastfeeding relationship.  Our staff consists of an IBCLC, lactation educators and doulas, along with several nurses and midwives that have supported countless families to establish and continue breastfeeding successfully. Our program integrates breastfeeding support through the following:

• Breastfeeding Class: ‘Nurture,’ our breastfeeding and newborn care class is offered to all birth center parents to help to inform and empower them to achieve success.

• Postpartum support: All families receive support immediately following birth to help get breastfeeding established well. We also see you more frequently than a hospital based provider in the weeks following birth.

• Weekly Feeding Group (Wednesdays at 10am at CB&W): for on-going support as your baby grows and your questions change along with your baby’s changing needs. This group alternates topics but is moderated regularly by our lactation educator who answers questions and offers tips, and is an opportunity for weigh-ins and peer-to-peer support as well.

What happens if something goes wrong during labor or I decide I want an epidural?

Our birth space is located within just a few miles of the nearest hospital with emergency services and a level III NICU. All staff of the center regularly participate in emergency drills and we involve local EMS responders in our emergency protocols, as well as having direct lines of contact with the hospital to facilitate a transfer of records, advance notice that we are coming, and as smooth of a transfer process as possible. 

For non-emergent transfers, we also have relationships with hospital-based midwifery practices who are happy to accept our clients into their care and will respect and preserve as many aspects of your original birth plan as hospital policy and circumstances will safely allow. 

Do I qualify for birth center care?

The most common conditions that would prevent delivering your baby in the birth center include:

• We are not able to accept transfers after 32 weeks

• History of more than one Cesarean birth*

• Gestational Diabetes requiring medication

• Hypertension or preeclampsia

• BMI over 40 pre-pregnancy (calculate your BMI here)

• Active drug or alcohol use throughout pregnancy (including THC and Nicotine)

• Other conditions that may impact the safety of an out-of-hospital birth

  If you have questions about a particular situation, please feel free to email us .

Age is not typically a risk factor for otherwise healthy mothers wanting a birth center birth. 

We invite you to call or schedule a Meet and Greet if you have concerns about your particular health history.