Alternative Delivery: Everything You Wanted To Know About Birthing Centers

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Growing up, I heard of two different options for birthing your babies. You either delivered at a hospital or you delivered at home. Honestly, I grew up with a negative connotation attached to home deliveries. Home births were too much work, you wouldn’t be comfortable, they’re not the safest option, you only do it to save money, etc. After having two of my sons at birthing centers, and answering questions from friends and family, I knew I had to share everything you wanted to know about birthing centers.

What I Didn’t Like About the Hospital

My Mom had all of her babies at a local hospital. It worked out great for her! The small, local hospital was 10 minutes away, on the edge of a small town. She always felt well respected by the staff and she had her privacy. Due to it being small and local, there was lots of leniencies and she loved her doctor. She even was home within 24 hours with a couple of her babies.

Naturally, hearing her birth stories about how smoothly everything was caused me to expect that same experience when I delivered. When it came time for baby number one, the thought of having a home birth never even crossed my mind.

My Experience With My First Son:

The first major disappointment I had after arriving at the hospital was that the doctor I had seen for all of my prenatal care wasn’t going to be at my birth. I literally met the doctor who delivered my son while I was pushing.

The nurses definitely coaxed me into getting an epidural. I discovered after the fact that this is typical. During the “busy delivery season” (which it was), they tend to do this because it causes birth to go faster. How? They can administer Pitocin at the same time as the epidural and hurry things along.

I know a ton of ladies that love the epidural, and that’s great for them. I hated it, lol. So we’re making that reason number two of why I wasn’t a fan of the hospital birth.

Additionally…

They took our baby quite a few times during the post partum recovery stay. Their excuse was that he needed to be under a lamp due to jaundice. It really bothered me. I quickly learned that I wasn’t one of those moms that wanted the baby to stay in the nursery during the recovery phase (like my mom was).

Lastly, I was just really uncomfortable and wanted to go home. I didn’t feel like I was listened to when I talked about how I wanted my birth to go beforehand. I felt like the staff treated me like a number rather than a person. When we left the hospital, I knew I didn’t want to go through that again.

Preparing For Birth Number Two:

Fast forward to a year later, and we found ourselves pregnant with our second bouncing baby boy. At the time, we were renting a duplex in a decent sized town. We had neighbors right next door to us and honestly, it wasn’t the best part of the neighborhood. I definitely did not want to be delivering in a tiny duplex.

Peter had gotten his pilot’s license and was in his first season as a crop duster pilot. We were paying off the money we had put into his flying hours. Also, he was making minimum amount of money due to his small plane and it being his first season. We were broke. Discouraged, I knew a hospital birth was going to be expensive, but I didn’t feel like I had any other option.

The Hidden Gem

I was about 5 weeks pregnant when one late afternoon, Peter suggested we go take a drive and “explore”. This was our way of taking a date night at the time. We would pick up Sonic (typically we go on a Tuesday when it’s half-priced burger day), strap baby in the car seat, and drive around and see what we would find.

We found ourselves in a small town that definitely had Amish vibes. Yes, there were some horse and buggies scattered around at various businesses. As we drove around the town, we drove by a birthing center. I made Peter drive by again so that I could get their number down. I called them the next day and set up an appointment for an interview.

About a Birthing Center

Everything else is history; we ended up having our next two babies there before moving away from the area. From these births, I’m able to share a bit about my experience of everything you wanted to know about birthing centers.

To Preface:

Before I begin, there’s a few points to outline. First, I realize this option isn’t for everyone. Some of us aren’t privileged with our health or able to have low-risk pregnancies that allow us to deliver outside of a hospital. This post in no way is to shame those of us who can’t. Rather, it’s written to inform those of us who are able to have healthy labors and deliveries and want some more information.

Secondly, every birthing center is different, just like every birth experience is different. What I state here is true to my own experiences, but not necessarily true to everyone else’s. As usual, you should do your own research and consult with your medical professional when considering alternative birth plans.

Basic Facts

As a general rule, there are certain things to expect with a birthing center that will be different from a hospital. Part of these statistics are skewed, and I would like to share why I think they are.

1. Cost

The first argument I hear a lot of people make on behalf of birthing centers is that they cost a lot less. Yes, that is for sure true. On a whole, birthing centers cost anywhere from $2,000 to 6,000 depending on where you live in the country, and this price includes prenatal care. As a reference, the prenatal care alone for my first child was $3300.

However, there are other factors to consider. If you don’t have health insurance at all, for sure, the birthing center or a midwife is going to be your best option from a financial standpoint. Also, midwives and birthing centers are more flexible about payment options and alternative insurances (think Christian sharing ministries) than hospitals are.

If you do have health insurance, there is a possibility that your insurance will not cover a home birth or birthing center. This was the case in my friend’s situation. Because of their co-pay, she would end up paying the same out of pocket, whether she delivered in a hospital or with a midwife.

2. C-Section Rate

Typically, a C-Section rate at a birthing center is much lower than for hospitals. There is an obvious explanation for this. Hospitals accommodate low-risk deliveries and high risk. Birthing centers cannot see high risk patients. Because a lot of this is determined before the delivery of the baby, naturally hospitals are going to have a much higher C-Section rate.

Sure, there are last minute emergencies where something goes wrong. Then, Mama has to be transferred to a hospital and an emergency C-Section is performed. That is a rare occurrence, though.

3. Episiotomy Rate

Birthing Centers have a 12% episiotomy rate, as opposed to a 90% among hospitals. This is true in my experience. There are several ideas as to why this happens; the best argument I’ve heard is that hospital births have more medical intervention to speed or “help” the birth along, causing baby to come at a faster rate.

The downside to this is the head can become stuck because Mama’s body hasn’t had time to stretch like she naturally would have without the medical intervention. So, doctors make a small snip to fix the problem.

You guys, it’s definitely not the most comfortable situation I’ve found myself in. I would argue that the postpartum recovery was worse because of it. Compare that to a natural tear that was much smaller in birth number two, and no tear at all with my third birth and I encourage everyone to avoid episiotomies at all costs.

What Can You Expect at a Birthing Center

During Prenatal Care

From the start, having a midwife is a different experience completely. My appointments last longer with a midwife. There is a lot more discussion going on than my 15 minute appointments with my doctor. I feel like a person who’s voice is being heard, rather than a number in a system.

Around 36 weeks, there is a deeper discussion about what exactly I want and am expecting for my birth, and my midwife is taking notes. I’m even asked detailed questions like “When you’re in labor, do you want us there beside you speaking, or do you prefer being alone and silence?”.

During Labor

Any sort of medical intervention is extremely limited at a birthing center and only done when the midwife feels like it is medically necessary. They use a doppler to measure baby’s heart rate during the labor, allowing you to move freely as you want. Typically you are not stuck with a needle until after baby has arrived.

You are allowed (and encouraged) to eat and drink as you like. The midwife’s (and the dad’s too) main goal is to keep you comfortable, so you really do get to do what you please within reason. I could go outside on their property and walk around during labor, I could lay on the bed, I was even allowed to sit on the toilet (some ladies swear by this) while experiencing hard contractions.

In Recovery

After baby comes, you really do get the most comfortable care. I nursed the baby, ate a meal, took a ton of pictures, and even took a nap with each birthing center delivery. The midwife and assistant never took the baby out of the room, and checked on me frequently to make sure I was doing okay.

Some birthing centers have sweet extras they add to make your experience better; my midwife’s assistant baked a birthday cake on top of everything else she did. All of the staff and Peter and I celebrated after everything was taken care of. Some places have neat hand and feet printing cards for you to take home with you.

By far, the best two parts about a birthing center is that you don’t have to prepare your home for a home birth or gather supplies, and you get to go home as soon as you want to. I never worried about ruining my bed mattress, if you know what I mean. With both my second and third births, I was home within 6 hours of delivery, but was given the option to stay longer if I wanted to.

Last Minute Thoughts

By the time most of us have our third or fourth child, we pretty much know exactly what we want in a birth. This post isn’t written to persuade. Rather, I’m seeking to inform you on a third option I never even considered until after having my own.