Is a birth center right for you?
A birth center is an alternative way to care for and deliver your child. In recent times, birthing centers have risen in popularity as they offer a more relaxed and natural way to give birth. Instead of having nurses and doctors with countless other patients on their minds, midwives at a birthing center care for you.
Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of birthing at A Family Affair Birth Center in San Diego and to see if a birth center is right for you.
What is a birth center?
A birth center offers several amenities to help you during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. You can get personalized midwifery care at the birth center or in your home from licensed professionals.
Many centers have doulas who can provide emotional and physical support for your childbirth. After you deliver, you can get tips and assistance to help you on your journey as a new parent from lactation consultants and parenting education courses.
Generally, you will have a natural birth at a birthing center. That means vaginal births without pain medication. Since you will not have access to as much medical equipment, you must have a low-risk pregnancy and optimal health to have your child safely.
The staff at a birth center includes midwives, doulas, and OB-GYNs who will help through the delivery process. You may give birth in a bed, a bathtub with warm water, a chair, or an alternative birthing position without forceps or epidurals.
Usually, you will undergo birth preparation classes to get doula support, learn massage techniques, practice mindfulness meditation, use hydrotherapy, or complete breathing exercises. Other pain relief treatments include acupuncture, acupressure, and hypnosis. Occasionally, you can find nitrous oxide gas at a birth center.
After birth, you engage in skin-to-skin contact with your baby and breastfeed before taking the child’s measurements and vitals.
Benefits of a birthing center
Birthing centers have multiple advantages when comparing the birthing experience to a hospital. Let’s take a closer look at what those benefits are and if this is the experience you seek:
Comfortable, Private Space
Our birthing suites offer a comfortable home-like experience with a private space to call your own, as you prepare to birth your baby. You will find comfortable beds, and soothing decor, complete with dimmable chandeliers and candle light. Your bed will have enough room for your partner to join you, either during your labor, or when snuggling up with your new bundle of joy.
Because we want you to feel right at home, we encourage you to personalize your space with pictures and music, and to enjoy your favorite foods from home.
Freedom to Move and Eat
At A Family Affair Birth Center, you can eat whatever and whenever you want. While we offer a variety of soups, oatmeal, fruit, crackers, snacks and juices, we encourage you to bring your own version of gentle comfort food, and snacks for your partner. By contrast, most hospitals do not let you eat during labor.
In your room, you can move as much as you would like. We encourage it. And since you will not have monitoring devices connected, you will be free to engage in gentle activity and experiment with birthing positions to enhance childbirth.
Shorter Stay
Birthing centers provide fewer medical interventions and medications, so you will not need as long to recover. You can usually leave between four and six hours after birth. That way, you'll get home to your own bed, and your family sooner.
More Likely to Have a Natural Birth
According to the American Association of Birth Centers, nine out of ten people will have a vaginal birth at a birthing center. In addition, only 6% of low-risk mothers need C-sections, compared to 27% at a hospital. That means you will have a four times greater chance of having a natural birth at a birthing center than at a hospital, should that be important to you.
Stay With Your Baby
At A Family Affair Birth Center, you will never be separated from your baby after birth. Any attention or monitoring that your baby needs will happen in your room, usually in the comfort of your arms, or right next to you or your partner, on your bed.
Midwives/Doulas Are Always Present
Instead of seeing new nurses and doctors every few hours in a hospital, you you will receive personalized care from your devoted midwives, and a doula if you choose. You can create a friendly relationship and visit your team during the prenatal, labor, and postpartum periods. They will answer your questions, while providing ongoing support and encouragement as you prepare for birth.
Lower Costs
If you do not have insurance, a birthing center will cost much less than a hospital on average. This is because you spend less time in a birthing center and use fewer resources, so medical costs are significantly lower.
Since not all insurances offer out of hospital coverage, be sure to check with your healthcare provider before committing to an option.
If have have a high deductible policy, your policy's deductible and co-pays may even be more than the cost of a birth center alone.
Conclusion
A Family Affair Birth Center San Diego (located on the border of Rancho Bernardo & Poway)
If you have a low-risk pregnancy, and want personalized care, consider choosing A Family Affair Birth Center. You can enjoy a relaxing, comfortable, and welcoming environment with midwives committed to providing customized maternity care for you and your baby.
At A Family Affair Birth Center, we offer you a home away from home to welcome your baby into the world.
We have childbirth preparation classes, perform Spinning Babies body work to help prepare your body for labor, and offer referrals for doula support and other resources in the community.
Our birthing suites have comfortable beds, private terraces, warm candle light, deep soaking tubs, and ambiance to help calm your nerves and help to gently ease your baby into the world.
You will have a highly skilled midwifery team, breastfeeding support, and education classes from Childbirth Prep, Preparing to Breastfeed, Newborn Care, Baby Feeding class for safe bottle and formula preparation, and our Munch a Bunch Lunch Meet-Up Group that is scheduled to be starting January 2023.
Contact us today to chat with a midwife and schedule a complimentary tour. We look forward to meeting you!
Frequently asked questions
The safety of birthing centers varies depending on the specific center and the training and qualifications of the midwives and staff. It's important to thoroughly research the birthing center you are considering and ask questions about their safety policies and procedures. Additionally, it's important to have a thorough prenatal care plan in place and to have regular check-ups with a midwife or doctor to ensure the health of you and your baby. It's always best to consult with your care provider to determine if a birthing center is the right choice for you.
The cost of a birthing center birth and insurance coverage can vary depending on your specific insurance plan and the birthing center you choose. It's important to check with your insurance provider to see what is covered and to get a clear understanding of your out-of-pocket costs. Some birthing centers may offer payment plans or other options to help cover the cost of care.
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