Experience with birth centers?

jpomo · January 2017

Hi ladies! Is anyone out there considering a birth center over a hospital? Or does anyone have experience with birth centers? The more I read about them the more I am leaning towards a center but hoping you guys have some insight to share

lyse01 · January 2017

I wish! But CT appears to be a geographic no-go zone for birth centers.

chaser61 · January 2017

I selected a birth center with my first and going there again. It is a wing in a hospital though. It is kind of a nice arrangement because you get the midwives, birth tubs, and family centered experience but if anything goes wrong, you just travel to the other end of the wing. I had a great first experience.

and_peggy · January 2017

I don't have any experience. I had my first in a hospital and will again. I was looking into birth centers for this time but a lot of insurance companies don't cover much. So you might want to check the coverage on your plan before you commit to that.

jpomo · January 2017

@KristiSigma that definitely seems like the best of both worlds. Did the birth centre feel separate to the hospital (as much as it can given they're in the same building? By that I mean did it seem less...anti septic (for lack of a better term!)

hupp0013 · January 2017

We had a birth center in both of our hospitals that I delivered at. I had my own private room at both hospitals, with areas for H to rest and room in with me and baby too. One of my hospitals had more options for birth center services (like water birth, more essential oil uses, bathtubs in the rooms for laboring, etc. than my second hospital did. Which didn't matter to me because I ended up with a repeat c section anyway. The labor and delivery areas definitely felt like they were in a different area of the hospital.

breanna428 · January 2017

i had my first in a birth center and will have this one in the same place. i loved it! honestly my favorite part was the king size bed DH was in bed with me during the entire labor and birth and we slept together that day too(DD insisted on being born at 5:15 am) we were a half a mile from the hospital so no big deal if something went wrong. i had a birthing tub i could have used and a ball to bounce on if labor was taking forever (it didn't i got there at 2:30am and had her two and a half hours later) midwife also bought us breakfast from panera that morning too. but i couldn't eat i was too worn out. they had a kitchen where we could bring our own meals to cook if needed but we got to leave around 3 that day which is another plus most hospitals you stay a couple days and we could have as many visitors as we liked

lewliv · January 2017

As long as everything goes ok, I'll have my baby at a birth center. My birth center is in a house across the street from the hospital. They also offer all sorts of women care so I've been a patient for a while. I love the place. They gave me a big binder with tabs for every appointment and before each one I have stuff to think through and fill out depending of how far along I'm (for example, right now it's all about nutrition and exercising). I'll also have classes for birth, breastfeeding, and first days at home. I feel very supported there. My first appointment was 1:30 hours without even an ultrasound. They really take the time to talk to you about everything pregnancy related and answer all your questions.

chaser61 · January 2017

@jpomo It felt a little anti septic! The biggest difference was the big birth tub and the queen size bed. DH could have stayed over night with me and slept in the same bed. They also have other things to help with the labor process.

jpomo · January 2017

Thank you all! Glad to hear you had pleasant experiences.

frizzell76 · January 2017

I had my first 2 babies in hospital, last baby was born in a birth center. I loved my birth center experience so much, I'm planning a home birth for baby #4. I loved the support and education I received through my birth center. it was a very empowering experience. birth centers are marketed and designed to make you "feel at home". I never felt really comfortable there. of course there is no place like home,. but I liked the quiet atmosphere and hands off approach.

Mango517 · January 2017

I'm not going with a birth center, but I was born at one!!! My mom did not like the hospital birth she had with my sister and sought out a something different for me. She says it was a really positive experience.

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