Birth Centers?

[nikkiana]

Having a baby is a long way off for me (not even TTC yet), but I've just been poking around and doing research and I wondered if anyone's gone the stand-alone birth center route? I like the idea of homebirth, but the possibility that we may be still living in an apartment at that point makes me want to consider other options because I wouldn't want to upset neighbors. A birthing center seems like a happy medium.

Unfortunately, based on the websites I've seen on the three that I could find in my home state, I feel like I have no feel for what they're like (and since having a baby is so far in my future at this point, I feel like calling to ask is a waste of time at this point).

So, I was wondering what kind of experiences people had who've gone this route? How long were you at the center before and after birth? How far is too far to travel for a birth center?

[alegna]

I would only use a birth center if I felt my home was unsafe in some way (WAY far from a hospital, filthy, falling down, mean people living there etc)

IMO going somewhere in labor would be torture.

-Angela

[g&a]

All good questions!

We are choosing a birth center this time around as we live uncomfortably far away from a hospital for a VBAC.

This is our birth center: arbour birth center

We are using a midwife, which I think is MORE important than finding a birth center. It's a completely different paradigm. Find a midwife and then figure out where it's going to happen.

Our midwife tells us that the birth center has nothing in it in terms of equipment etc. that we wouldn't have at a homebirth. It's like giving birth at someone else's house. Except there are big tubs and you are close to the hospital. So, don't expect extra safety, it's more for the convenience of it. Of course, your birth center may be different, but that's the story here.

g.

[dove]

i was just talking to dh about this last night.
we used a b/c we were also temporarily living in an apt (had just moved x-country) and our downstairs neighbors drove me nuts. i was afraid they would harsh my mellow or do worse (they were awful).

well, on the way there we almost got in a horrible accident. we were about ten mins from the birth center at that point (an hour drive total). my rockin labor pretty much came to a complete standstill b/c of the adrenaline surge/fear.

we should have just gone back home at that point.

but, we stayed...and eventually i got back into a good pattern and many, many hours later i had our babe...but i am convinced to this day that i would have delivered in much much less time had we never gotten in the car.

afterwards, i hemorrhaged. there was someone else in labor, the staff was really tired, and i needed to get up and go home. i know worse can happen to a person, but i seriously remember getting up and going home as one of the hardest things i've ever done in my life. i was unstable from a medical standpoint, i was exhausted to the point of passing out, i was 4 hours postpartum, and bleeding like crazy. it was nuts.

being at home in my own space would have been soooo much nicer in so many ways. with this baby, you won't drag me kicking and screaming from my home. and ya know, in retrospect, i wouldn't have given a rats butt what the neighbors thought, and at the time, that was my biggest worry.

hth...

[nikkiana]

Originally Posted by dove

afterwards, i hemorrhaged. there was someone else in labor, the staff was really tired, and i needed to get up and go home. i know worse can happen to a person, but i seriously remember getting up and going home as one of the hardest things i've ever done in my life. i was unstable from a medical standpoint, i was exhausted to the point of passing out, i was 4 hours postpartum, and bleeding like crazy. it was nuts.

That was one of the things I was afraid of, actually. None of my area's birth centers seemed to come out and say how long after the birth was normal for a person to stay there.... and I dunno, four hours postpartum seems like a really short amount of time between birth and going home to me.... I would have hoped for some more down time before being sent home.

I'm beginning to think taking over my parents house for a week or two sounds like a better option.

[transformed]

me! I loved my birth center experience. Mine is about an hour...could have been an hour and a half with traffic. I hope to have this baby at home though, because its basically the same thing. (My birth center will bring a birth tub and everything)

The thing I didnt like was that you get to go home so soon after birth and for me, it was an hour drive, and I just wanted to pass out! (Its like 3-6 hours after birth and you have to eat and pee before they let you leave.)

[Belleweather]

I had a great birth center experience at the Madison Birth Center here in Wisconsin. We're actually birthing our second baby with their practice, although we chose a homebirth this time (because we're poor... Otherwise I would love to go back to the birth center. Their birth tubs are FABULOUS!)

I went into labor at about 10pm, we ended up at the birth center at 6:30 am or so, and he was born about 10:30am. We stayed at the birth center until 7ish that evening... their propaganda said most people stay between 4-6 hours, but I didn't feel like they wanted us to stick to that timetable or like I was rushed or pushed out at all. We birthed, napped, had some food, and hung out with our son for a while and then left at what seemed like a comfortable and natural time for us, and I was fine when we got home.

Also, the midwives came by the next day and a couple of days after that, so I didn't feel medically abandoned or anything.

[natural_mama89]

I had a really great birth-center experience with my son. I only gave birth there over home because we lived with DP's parents at the time and they wouldn't let us do a home birth in their house. I am looking forward to not having to get up and go home right after the birth this time. In my state you are required to stay at the birth center for a minimum of two and a maximum of 6 hours after the birth. I went home after 3. FWIW lots of people have homebirths in apartments.

[thefragile7393]

I had a wonderful experience at the birth center here....everything was as I wanted it, it looked and felt more like a nice hotel, the midwives were awesome. Even so I'd prefer a homebirth next time.....don't know if it will happen but if it dosn't I definitely would go back to the one here.

[angelpie545]

Both my children were born at the same free-standing birth center, just two streets down from the local hospital. For me, I liked the idea of being so close to a hospital (although I didn't live that far away from one at all, so I probably could have given birth at home), and I lived in an apt. and was afraid of making too much noise for the neighbors. I had great experiences both times.

[Peony]

Originally Posted by nikkiana

I'm beginning to think taking over my parents house for a week or two sounds like a better option.

I know someone who did this, and it worked out quite well for them. They basically just traded houses for the birth and until she felt like going home. It was much closer to a hospital for them, and it still felt familiar and homey.

[ABand3]

Two of my three dc were born at a midwife-run birth center (the third was at home). It was about 30 minutes away from my house. With #1 I arrived about 12 hours before he was born, and stayed about 5 hours after; with #2 I arrived about 4 hours before he was born and stayed 5 hours again. I don't feel like the postpartum time was rushed at all - I was eager to go home and would have left sooner if we felt ready. I felt well cared for in those 5 hours, there was a lot happening but it didn't feel rushed. I ate, nursed, cleaned up, changed, had visitors, watched the newborn exam, dressed baby, there was a little paperwork. The midwive & nurse examined both of us (the first time I had stitches too), helped us get situated with nursing, and cleaned up and did a lot of paperwork in the adjacent room. When everything was done they asked if I felt ready to go, and I did, so they helped us to the car and we left. I actually liked the drive home, I felt all glowing and giddy looking out at the cars around us knowing that everyone would be amazed at what I did just 5 hours earlier. I got home, got in bed, ate, nursed and slept for three days. The midwife called within 24 hours and visited on day three.

[luckymamato2]

I lived in NJ at the time, and drove to PA - about an hour. In my current state, the only FSBC is about 6 hours away. I had a good experience. I was not prepared for a homebirth or an unassisted birth, so I'm not sure it would have worked out as well as going to the BC (dh would have probably called EMTs). Next time I will be planning a homebirth. Being in the car during hard labor/transition was pure torture. My labor was shorter than I expected (although my mother's only labor was 6 hours long) at 12 hours from the first real contraction to birth, so I felt alot of anxiety in the last 3 hours, when our babysitter and doula were almost too late. I was at 5cm 9 hours in, but the *serious labor* emotional and physical signposts were there at 7 hours in - when I started throwing up - things may have gone faster if I had stayed home, but I chose to follow the m/w's instructions and come to the BC. I arrived at 130pm and she was born at 432pm. I stayed a little over 12 hours afterwards because I was GBS+. I didn't get antibiotics, and my dd was fine. I didn't really sleep there because I had the birth "high" but my dh was exhausted. We got home around 6am and slept until around 10.

Anyhoo, I would travel up to 1 hour for a first birth, just to get the confidence to stay home for the next one(s). I am glad I chose a FSBC because I would have fallen prey to any nurse offering pain meds, which the FSBC didn't have. Now I have the confidence to do it again and hopefully cope better next time!

[dove]

Originally Posted by nikkiana

That was one of the things I was afraid of, actually. None of my area's birth centers seemed to come out and say how long after the birth was normal for a person to stay there.... and I dunno, four hours postpartum seems like a really short amount of time between birth and going home to me.... I would have hoped for some more down time before being sent home.

I'm beginning to think taking over my parents house for a week or two sounds like a better option.

you need to ask about "total stay" time. i am pretty certain there are some states that say that the total time in the birth center should not exceed 24 hours. at least that's the way it was when i worked at one birth center years ago...that's why we suggested to moms to try to make sure to not come in on the first contraction so that they could stay longer and recover and be pampered afterwards...
and iirc, our consulting md could be called to ask for a verbal order for more time for extenuating circumstances...

anyway, i think in retrospect that's what was going on with my sitch...
i did get really good care overall, but that part really, really blew.

and when others post that they got great follow-up care - well, i certainly did not. i would get their policy for f/u care in writing. i was told repeatedly all through my visits that someone would come to my home and check on me. a couple days later i got a phone call from the doula who was at the birth, no one else. i was having a really rough time and could have used the f/u care (and yes, i asked for f/u care but was told there wasn't enough staff/too busy to travel that far, even thought the one mw lived in the same city as me). so, that is really really important, also.

the politics (and subsequent burn-out of the people working there) of what was going on at this particular birth center at the time i delivered i think really affected my care. it's a shame. the bc ended up closing very shortly after.

[GISDiva]

With the birth center we're using (it's like the one g&a described above) outside of Milwaukee, it's for the use of any licensed midwife so you contract with the midwife of your choice (just as if you were doing a homebirth) and then the use of the center is just an extra fee if you want to use it. The center really doesn't have much say in how long you stay, it's whatever you feel like, between you and your midwife. I don't know how common that is...

[xelakann]

We are planning on a birth center birth... it is one of the few areas where we can have a water birth... I am not that into the idea of a home birth, for reasons not necessary on this thread.

We are three miles away from 2 different hospitals (just in case) and only 2 miles from our house. The birth center is beautiful... it feels like a nice bed and breakfast.

There is a 4 hour min we have to stay, but no real max, most people stay 1 or 2 nights depending on when they birthed. Also they come to our house 3 days later to do a postpartum mama and baby check, then three more times after that.

It's good you are thinking about this now, but keep in mind you can change your mind at any point during your pregnancy. Up until 29 weeks pregnant we were going to have a hospital birth... I am now 36.5 weeks pg.

[hapersmion]

We were planning a stand-alone birth center birth, until the baby was breech and they couldn't attend the birth any more. Then we ended up driving 5 hours to the Farm (but it was a good drive, it was early labor). With any birth care provider, you would want to ask lots of questions about the circumstances under which they will discontinue care, but at a birth center I think there are usually more regulations to contend with than at a homebirth - ours weren't allowed to attend anything but perfectly average births, it seemed. So that might be something to watch out for.

I believe the average stay for people at the birth center was 6-12 hours.

Next time, I'll be planning a homebirth with a midwife with breech experience.

(Oh, and btw, if it's only the neighbors you're worried about with homebirthing, I've seen lots of birth stories set in apartments, and in most of them, the neighbors didn't even know that there was a birth. It depends on how thick your walls are, I guess, and how observant the neighbors are. )

[onlyboys]

The birth center I work for does have certain policies in place--bring your own food, pads, drinks. And most women do go home by about 4 hours postpartum, but this is by CHOICE. I've only ever seen one woman who opted to stay for an extended period of time and there were extenuating circumstances.

By 4 hours or so (could be 6) postpartum, you're bathed, fed, nursed your baby, dressed and ready to rest. Most of the women we serve are about 30 minutes to 1 hour from home and their own bed calls to them. Their baby begins to embark on his or her first long sleep and many mamas feel like they want to ride in the car with a sleeping baby versus a crying baby. By the time they get home their baby is snoozing and the mom is ready for the same.

No one believes me in my CBE classes that they will likely WANT to go home. But they do!

[ancoda]

My reasoning for going to a birth center is that I did/do not want extra people in my house while I labor. If I am at their place then I can relax and let them take care of me, if they come to my house I feel I need to hostess to them. Also my birth center makes some of the best berry energy shakes around for when you are in labor, and I don't know that they would bring them and make them at my house.
Last time I was there about 11 hours after giving birth. I gave birth at a little after 10pm, and left the following morning around 9 I think.

[PPK]

I had a great birth center expereince. I arrived at 8 cm, and had ds 2.5hrs. later. I thought before hand that being in the car in labor (let alone transition)would be a drag, but it wasn't that bad. It was actually kind of nice. We live in a big city and it was after midnight, so it was just dh and I on the highway, it was really surreal. I thought I'd want to hb, but for ins. reasons, we did the freestanding bc. I actually liked getting out of our apt., laboring on my carpet was getting old

We felt ready oto go a few hours pp, no biggie...

BTW, we were at N. Houston Birth Center