Birthing center

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A birthing center or centre is a healthcare facility, staffed by nurse-midwives, midwives and/or obstetricians, for mothers in labor, who may be assisted by doulas and coaches. By attending the laboring mother, the doulas can assist the midwives and make the birth easier. The midwives monitor the labor, and monitor the well-being of the mother and foetus during the birth. Should additional medical assistance be required the mother can be transferred to a hospital. Sometimes there is confusion when a hospital calls part of it's labor and delivery ward a birth center, when in fact, birth centers are not located at hospitals.^{[citation needed]}

A birth center presents a more home-like environment than a hospital labour ward, typically with more options during labor: food/drink, music, and the attendance of family and friends if desired. Other characteristics can also include non-institutional furniture such as queen-sized beds, large enough for both mother and father and perhaps birthing tubs or showers for water births. The decor is meant to emphasize the normality of birth. In a birth center, women are free to act more spontaneously during their birth, such as squatting, walking or performing other postures that assist in labour. Active birth is encouraged. The length of stay after a birth is shorter at a birth center; sometimes after just 6 hours the mother and new baby can go home.

1 Birth Centers in the USA
2 Australian Experience
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Birth Centers in the USA

Like clinics, birth centers arose on the coasts of the U.S. in the 1970s, as alternatives to heavily institutionalized health care. Today, use of birthing center facilities is even covered by health insurance. Several of the practices which were innovated in birth centers are beginning to enter the mainstream hospital labor and delivery floors.

There are certain requirements that a woman needs to meet in order to be able to birth at a birth center. First, she must have an uncomplicated, low-risk pregnancy. Twins, VBACs, and breech babies are not allowed to be delivered at birth centers. Free-standing birth centers require hospital backup in case complications arise during labor that require more complex care. However, even if a delivery can not happen at the birth center due to a high-risk pregnancy, birth center midwives might provide prenatal care up to a certain week of gestation.

[edit] Australian Experience

In a response to the National Maternity Action Plan, State and Territory Governments in 2002 started to respond to consumer demand for an increased number of birth centres to be made available to women. Whilst most birth centres are attached to hospitals, some are being established as free-standing centres much further away from hospital back-up. As long as they are within 90 minutes of a hospital, they are considered 'safe'. Most birth centres are now being run solely by midwives, with obstetric back-up only used when there are complications.

Some birth centres in Australia are moving away from the 'low-risk' model and are moving to an All risk model where women with medical complications are accepted into the birth centre but extra care is provided to them where necessary.