Anyone have a birth center delivery or planning one?

Brownie_222

Hi!  First c-section was after being induced at 41 wks, failed to progress and had fetal distress.  I'm not pregnant yet but am planning ahead and trying to get educated.  I do not want a repeat of my first delivery experience, which was traumatic for me.

In talking with a doula in my city, she recommends a birth center or home birth.  I'm not okay with a home birth, but am going to look into a birth center.  Does anyone have any first hand experience?  I'm going for a tour of one next month.  DH is supportive but worried about how they handle the unlikely event of a true emergency.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

MAprincess

I was supposed to deliver my first in a birth center but had to be transferred to the hospital for a c-section for fetal distress.  My birth center does not support VBACs.  It is my understanding that most don't.  I VBACed my second in a hospital with a midwife.  I found it to be a great compromise to be close to the medical interventions if need-be but to still have midwife support.  She was wonderful and I did successfully VBAC.

iris427

I would love to deliver at a birth center (I actually had a dream about that last night!) but none of the ones within several hours of me will do VBAC

Good luck! 

MissyOlivePants

I think birth centers & their midwives would love to do VBACs, but by law, they are not allowed to.

ShansBride

I think the laws about birth centers and VBACs must differ by state because I have a friend planning a VBAC at a birth center (I would have chosen a birth center over the hospital for my first VBAC if that was an option, but there are no birth centers near me.)

LittleEgypt

MissyOlivePants:

I think birth centers & their midwives would love to do VBACs, but by law, they are not allowed to.

This is the law in my state (WA), too. It's a state law, so it may be different where the OP lives.

I planned a birth center birth for my first, and I did appreciate the proximity (< 5 minutes) to a major hospital. My home is more like 25 minutes away by car, which is still reasonable. I do appreciate that we will be home and could possibly have DS in the house (especially if he is sleeping), which was obviously not a consideration last time.

iris427

MissyOlivePants:

I think birth centers & their midwives would love to do VBACs, but by law, they are not allowed to.

I believe this varies by state.  There is a birth center opening up in the St. Louis area and their website says they are planning to do VBAC.  There is also one here in NC that will do them as long as your birth that was a cesarean was a transfer out of their care (not sure how that makes sense but whatever).   

Brownie_222

Thanks for the replies.  In my state, they must not be prohibited by law because there is one existing birth center that does VBAC and one new one opening up that is planning on offering VBAC as well.  I'm not sure either take my insurance, so I'm looking into that.  Also, the existing center is licensed and the new one is still working on getting licensed... so in addition to their midwives and the feel I get in talking with them, I am also looking at those variables.