Birthing Centers A Different Approach to Child Bearing Written bY Emily O’Brien
B
Birthing centers are contemporary healthcare facility alternatives designed for women who want to have a non-medically centered birthing experience, and are known for their collaborative efforts in supporting the motherto-be to have the labor experience of her choosing. They are typically low-tech, freestanding buildings, but are sometimes enclosed inside a hospital. They offer warmer, more “home-like” accommodations with many additional features like non-traditional furniture, birthing tubs and showers, encouragement to eat and drink during labor, and customized music. These centers offer a distinctive one-on-one approach to child bearing from conception to delivery to post-partum care. Most importantly, birthing centers are meant for healthy women with low-risk pregnancies and birth complications. While they may be equipped for immediate care during emergencies, the centers will transfer the patient when medically necessary – they are not small-scale hospitals. Women who desire a labor experience centered on homeopathic
may | june 2013 livingwellnesskc.com
31