- What is a Birth Center?
- What is the difference between a birth center and a hospital?
- What is a Certified Nurse-Midwife?
- What is a Direct Entry Midwife or a Certified Professional Midwife(CPM)?
- Are Birth Centers safe?
- Will my insurance pay for Birth Center care?
- What if an emergency happens or may baby needs to go to the hospital?
- Who can be with me at the birth?
- What options do I have for pain management?
- Who can use the Birth Center?
- How soon after the birth can we go home? What can we expect?
- How is the birth center licensed and accredited?
- How can I learn more about the Birth Center?
What is a Birth Center?
A Birthing Center offer's today's family an alternative to maternity care in a safe and comfortable setting. We provide care to women who are anticipating normal, low-risk births as well as routine gynecological care.
A Birth Center is run by professionally accredited, licensed professionals who have the skills and sensitivity to provide a "best of both worlds" scenario. Doctors back these professional midwives. A birth center meets all local, state and federal health, fire and safety regulations and is licensed by the state Department of Health. At the national level, a birth center is pending accreditation by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers , the accrediting agency of the National Association of Childbearing Centers.
The Birth Center also has the complete backing of the medical industry. Most insurance companies provide reimbursement for out-of-hospital childbirth facilities that have been fully accredited and are run by qualified staff. The cost is usually less than traditional hospital deliveries and the stay is much shorter.
We pride ourselves on providing comprehensive maternity care in a setting similar to your home. A Birth Center care is personalized. We encourage the family to take an active role with an "I can do it" mentality. There is a great deal of individual freedom - Moms and Dads (or chosen companion) decide on what type of experience they want. Siblings and other family members are welcomed.
The families who choose A Birth Center are fully educated on labor and delivery. Classes on childbirth are offered as past of your standard care. They also provided at no extra cost to the family and are included in what is called a "global fee". Support groups are formed, happy stories are shared, and common fears and anxieties are conveyed and dealt with. By the time the baby arrives, the family is ready and confident to handle their new addition with the knowledge that they had a positive and active role in the welcoming of this new life.
Having a baby is a natural family event. A Birth Center's goal is to provide the safety of a hospital and the comfort of a home atmosphere, all with the assurance that competent, attentive staff is helping your family realize a dream come true.
What is the difference between a birth center and a hospital?
A birth center allows a woman to birth at her own pace therefore does not rush or slow down the labor process. A Birth Center encourages pregnant women and their families to take greater control over the plan for their birth experience. A birth center encourages woman to interact with family, eat, drink, walk, and be supported by the people around her.
The Birth Center is based on the midwifery model of care and views pregnancy as normal and natural part of life therefore focuses on giving birth naturally without use of any invasive technology or procedures.
What is a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)?A certified nurse-midwife (CNM) is a registered nurse (RN) who has completed graduate education at one of more than 50 advanced education programs accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. A CNM must pass a national certification examination and meet strict requirements set by state health agencies.
Nurse-midwives provide personalized care, focusing on education so you can take a more active role in maintaining a healthy pregnancy. They attend women during labor and birth and are trained and experienced in prenatal, postpartum and normal newborn care.
In addition to maternity care, CNMs provide primary health care to women including gynecological care, breast examinations, Pap smears and family planning. Nurse-midwives provide care that meets the unique physical, spiritual and social needs of women.
What is a Direct Entry Midwife or Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)?The Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) defines a direct-entry midwife as "an independent practitioner educated in the discipline of midwifery through self-study, apprenticeship, a midwifery school, or a college- or university-based program distinct from the discipline of nursing. A direct-entry midwife is trained to provide the midwifery model of care to healthy women and newborns throughout the childbearing cycle primarily in out- of-hospital settings."
A Certified Professional Midwife is an independent practitioner who has met the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and is qualified to provide the midwifery model of care. The NARM certification process recognizes multiple routes of entry into midwifery and includes verification of knowledge and skills and the successful completion of both a written examination and a skills assessment. The CPM credential requires training in out- of-hospital births.
Are Birth Centers safe?
Yes, birth centers are safe because they have knowledgeable, professional, and licensed midwives whom focus on the mothers and baby's best interest. "The National Birth Center Study," a multi-center study of over 17, 000 women seeking birth center care published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that birth centers offer a safe and acceptable alternative to hospital birth for selected women, and that birth center care leads to fewer cesarean sections.
Will my insurance pay for Birth Center care?
Please see our section on Insurance. There you will find which insurances we are providers with and which ones we are working on becoming providers with. If you do not see your insurance there that does not mean necessarily your insurance company will not pay for all or part birth center care. Most insurance companies reimburse nurse-midwives and birth center charges. We can help you to obtain the necessary information to verify coverage.
What if an emergency happens or my baby needs to go to the hospital?
In the unlikely event of an emergency, the staff at the Birth Center is highly qualified to effectively initiate emergency treatments associated with labor and birth. The Birth Center is equipped with equipment needed to initiate treatment and is located just minutes from the hospital. In addition, the Birth Center has access to Memorial Regional Hospital and an agreement with the local ambulance company for immediate transport. The doctor has privileges at Memorial Regional Hospital and in the event of a hospital transfer, will continue to care for the mother and baby.
Who can be with me a the birth?
Having a baby is a highly personal experience and we feel that you should be able to share it with anyone you choose. This may include your husband or other primary support persons as well as other children, relatives, or friends. Your primary support person can actively participate in the birth experience. If you decide to have other children present, they will need to have advance preparation and be supervised by a second adult support person. We just ask that the people you have with you respect the midwives and give them room when they need it in order to provide the best care for the woman and baby.
What options do I have for pain management?
The pain of childbirth is different for each woman for pain is a perception that comes from a variety of factors, many not yet understood. Because pain is a perception of the person experiencing it, the response must be geared to relieving that individual's perception of the pain. At the birth center a woman's options for pain relief are water tubs (Jacuzzi), massage, homeopathics, smooth transition, interaction with others, and support from the Birth Center Team and the people around her.
Some women choose the birth center because they want to experience birth. They want the feeling that comes with the exclamation often heard, "I did it and if I can do that I can do anything." Other women want nothing to do with "the experience" and want analgesia and anesthesia as soon as possible in labor. Timing is very important in the administration of analgesia or anesthesia and is rarely recommended until the labor pattern and progress is well established. All women need to be informed when making the decisions about where and how they want to be cared for in the childbirth experience.
In birth centers, pain relief starts with the program of care. Alleviating fear through education, promoting confidence, and providing a non stressful environment is the beginning of reducing pain in childbirth. Studies have shown that the constant support and companionship of other women like a doula or the midwife shortens labor and reduces the perception of pain. The education program at the birth center helps women to understand how labor progresses, ways she can fully use her own resources to cope with the pain of labor and, if indicated, participate and cooperate in the decision to have medical help for relief of pain.
Who can use the Birth Center?
If you are healthy and have no chronic medical problems such as heart disease or diabetes or potential obstetrical problems as may occur with twins or breech presentation, you will probably be eligible for a birth center delivery. You will be carefully screened on your first visit and evaluated throughout your pregnancy to promote a safe and satisfying birth experience. Remember, care is on a continuum. Our goal is to meet your personal needs as well as insure your safety.
At the Birth Center, we begin preparing new families for their newborn while the mother is still pregnant. We will help you plan for the support and care you and your baby need at home in the first few days and weeks after birth. You will be instructed on how to know when things are not progressing normally. We do this so that you can begin your new life together in the comfort of your own home. After the birth, your baby will get a complete physical examination. You will be checked to make sure that there is no bleeding or complications, and that your baby is breastfeeding successfully. Providing that there no complications arise, the mother and baby are stable, and the baby has been nursed, women will remain at the birth center for up to 4 hours after giving birth. However, mothers can stay in the center from 6 to 8 hours if needed.
Once you are home, a birth center professional will visit you within 24-48 hours to check on you and the baby. While you can call the center at anytime with questions or concerns, we will also call you everyday. This way you can get the rest you need, time to bond with your new baby, and the health and wellbeing of you and your baby continues to be monitored. Your baby should be seen by a pediatric care provider within the first 72 hours. You will come to the birth center for a one week and a four-six week postpartum check-up.
How is the birth center licensed and accredited?
The Birth Center is licensed under the regulations for freestanding birth centers of the State Department of Health. Each year a state inspector comes to review the Birth Center for the state-defined standards of safety. Coalition for Childbirth Choices is licensed by the State of Florida.
The Birth Center is also nationally accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers - the only accrediting agency to use the National Standards for Birth Centers set by the American Association of Birth Centers . Accreditation is a voluntary process, based on carefully defined national standards. A site visit to the center is made every three years by a trained team of health care providers. They extensively review the operations, services, and outcome of care in the Center and report their findings to a national board of review. The certificate of accreditation symbolizes the excellence a center has achieved in providing quality care to childbearing families. Coalition for Childbirth Choices has completed all of the necessary requirements to receive accreditation from CABC.
How can I learn more about the Birth Center?
You can contact us anytime by at our address listed below or call us at 954-456-4888. We invite you to come to one of our free orientations and tours where you can learn more about the center.
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A BIRTH CENTER
3001 West Hallandale Beach Blvd Suite # 200
Hallandale, FL 33009
Phone: (954) 456-4888
Fax: (954) 456-9721
www.ABirthCenter.com
www.OBonCall.com
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American Association of Birth Centers
© 2008