Birthing Centers In Houston: A Mama Bear’s Guide To Planning For Her Delivery

Posted on by
birthing centers in houston
180 Shares

Birthing Centers In Houston: A Mama Bear’s Guide To Planning For Her Delivery

Having a baby can be both one of the happiest and most stressful days of your life.

Simply visiting a doctor’s office for routine bloodwork is a frightening experience for me (don’t judge me) so I can imagine how intimidating a hospital might be for expecting mothers.

It’s fears like these lead to the creation of birthing centers.

In this article, I will share a listing of Houston birthing centers with you as well as discuss the following:.

  • What is a Birthing Center?
  • Who works at a birthing center?
  • Are birthing centers safe?
  • Who should consider Birthing Centers?
  • Cost of having a child at a Birthing Center vs hospital
  • Where you can find Birthing Centers in Houston?

If you’re ready, put on your plastic gloves, surgical mask and continue reading as we first learn what is a birthing center?

What is a Birthing Center? 

A birthing center is a healthcare facility that specializes in childbirth.

Think of a birthing center as a home that can deliver your baby.  Birthing centers offer a more cozy environment than a hospital labor ward. At the birthing center’s mothers have more options like food, drinks, music, even having family and friends there for support.

Birth centers can also include queen size beds, birthing tubs, or showers for water births. At birthing centers mother are encouraged to be themselves by squatting, walking, or even shaking their groove thing to  “the Wobble” to help the labor process along.

Birthing centers also have shorter stays than hospitals. A mother can deliver her child and both be back home only 6 hours after birth.

Who Works at a Birthing Center? 

Birthing centers are typically staffed by nurse-midwives, midwives, doulas, and coaches. Here is a description of each. 

  • The certified nurse-midwive is (CNM) is the head honcho of the group and functions as your primary healthcare provider during childbirth. As long as the pregnancy is not “high risk” the CNM can deliver your baby. Pregnancies that are considered “high risk” must involve a physician and always take place at a hospital.
  • A midwife also works at a birthing center. There role is to assist in the delivery of your baby. Midwives can deliver babies in high-risk situations like breech births, twin births, or posterior positions.  The difference between a CNM and Midwife is the CNM also has a nursing degree. Some states require birthing centers to have CNMs, Texas is one.
  • A doula is birth companion or birth coach. A doula is a non-medical position. Their primary role is to provide emotional and physical support to mothers in labor.

Are Birthing Centers Safe? 

Birthing Center’s are safe. In fact, childbirth in the United States is safe regardless of where you have your baby at.

That being said a recent study stated that babies born at Birthing Center’s were twice as likely to die as babies born in hospitals. Of every 1000 babies born at birthing centers, 3.9 died. At hospitals, 1.8 babies out of every 1000 died.

Overall birthing centers are safe, although they are not mini-hospitals which is why “high risk” pregnancies must be carried out at hospitals.

In the next section, we’ll discuss why birthing centers cannot accommodate “high-risk” pregnancies.

Who Should Consider These Facilities?

Only women who have “low risk” pregnancies should consider birthing centers.

Again these facilities are not hospitals. If you are planning on having a c-section birth a birthing center isn’t for you because they’re not equipped for that procedure.

Birthing centers are equipped with IVs, oxygen, medication, and even infant resuscitation equipment. Should there be in complications during labor these pieces of equipment can keep you and your baby safe while you are transported to a hospital for help.

As much comfort as a birthing center provides it should only be an option for you if you have a “low risk” pregnancy.

Cost of a Birthing Center vs a Hospital 

Birthing centers are a lot less expensive than hospitals.

Here are stats from a report titled The Cost of Having a Baby in the United States: 

The average private insurance will pay hospitals $9,759 for a vaginal birth and $17,140 for a cesarean birth. Medicaid pays less at $4,492 per vaginal birth and $7,722 for cesarean births.

Compare those numbers to a price tag of $2,277 for a vaginal birth at a birthing center.

Birthing center are able to charge less for birth for two reasons; lower hospital fees and limited medical procedures. Birthing centers do charge fees but not nearly at the rate of hospitals. Also, remember birthing centers aren’t equipped to perform cesarean births or use anesthesia.

Birthing Centers in Houston

Here is a list of birthing centers in Houston. Below you will find some regular hospitals mixed in with birthing centers. If you only seek birthing centers, look for those words in the title.

Also, there are two Houston birthing centers that accept Medicaid. Those locations are North Houston Birth Center and Rite of Passage Birth Center. 

Conclusion

Having a child can be scary and overwhelming.

Its a life-changing event that comes with lots of decisions. Researching and preparing yourself for this experience is the best way to calm yourself. Reach out to family members, ask your doctor questions, call Anya Doula for advice, or take a tour at a birth center. No amount of preparation will completely rid you of your anxieties, but the more you do research like this and speak to healthcare professionals about your concerns the more at ease you will be with the childbirth process. 

All the best to you and your baby during your pregnancy! 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *