How safe is a birth center birth?
Numerous studies have shown that a birth center birth is as safe or safer than a hospital birth for low-risk women. Overall women in the care of certified nurse-midwives:
Have fewer interventions
Are less likely to require oxytocin to induce or augment labor
Are less likely to require continuous electronic fetal monitoring
Have fewer cesarean sections
Have fewer low birth weight infants
Have lower infant mortality rates
Please see the Evidence-Based Support for Nurse-Midwifery Care section of our web site for more specific data and citations.
How do birth center outcomes compare with hospital birth?
Health outcomes are significantly better because birth center clients have 1) significantly lower c-section rates, 2) significantly fewer epidurals and 3) significantly greater persistence with breastfeeding. These results are a direct result of the midwifery model, which provides more attentive prenatal and postpartum care than provided by a typical OB practice.
Much more time is spent with the clients (average prenatal visits are 60 minutes in duration), so the midwives are able to build a meaningful relationship with their clients, help them identify their physical and emotional strengths and weaknesses, and develop proper expectations and strategies for coping with their labor. Our clients enter labor very well-educated, calm and confident - and they do so in a warm and comfortable environment at the birth center. This makes a huge difference in the progress of labor.
The landmark National Birth Center Study followed outcomes for over 11,000 women and found a c-section rate of 4.4% for birth centers. Please see our website for additional "Evidence-Based Support for Midwifery and Birth Center Care" including citations and summary results from a number of studies that you may find of interest.
Promotion of breastfeeding is a very important public health goal because of the demonstrated positive impact it has on the life-long health of the child. Breastfed infants enjoy stronger immune systems and have fewer ear infections, urinary tract infections and allergies. Among other benefits, breastfeeding has been demonstrated to reduce asthma in children and to provide long-term benefits in weight control and the avoidance of adult-onset diabetes. Breastfeeding also decreases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer and osteoporosis for nursing mothers. Overall, breastfeeding mother-baby pairs are healthier and have far fewer visits to the physician. Madison Birth Center provides its clients with far and away the best breastfeeding education and support in the area. Our clients are provided postpartum home visits to ensure the healthy progress of the infant and provide important breastfeeding support. As a consequence, our clients not only choose to breastfeed, but they remain committed and persist in this.
Is Madison Birth Center too far away from emergency services?
Madison Birth Center is less than 15 minutes away from Madison's two tertiary care hospitals, so our ability to obtain timely emergency care is actually much better than that of most rural hospitals.
Do you have a medical advisory group that reviews standards of care policies etc.?
We practice under written standards of care that have been carefully developed and are in accordance with standards set by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM). Our consulting obstetrician has approved our practice guidelines, performs regular chart reviews and also sits on our Board of Advisors.
