2020 Statistics
2020- What a Year…
I think most of us are very glad to just put 2020 behind us. Here at Beginnings Birth Center, we saw the challenges that the uncertainty and restrictions put on our clients and on our staff, but through it all, we were able to come together to care for our clients and welcome many babies. It was our honor to be trusted to walk through this process with our clients during a difficult year, and with one last glance backward, we would like to share our statistics from 2020.
2020 Statistics
Beginnings Birth Center provided care to 461 pregnant persons in 2020. This includes those who birthed with us, those who transferred care, and those who are still pregnant. 16% of clients transferred care during pregnancy for medical reasons, the most common reason was developing high blood pressure in pregnancy.
197 babies were born at Beginnings Birth Center in 2020, 94 girls and 103 boys ranging from 4lbs 13oz to 10lbs 2oz! We cared for 80 first-time mothers and a mother expecting her 7th baby, for clients from 18 years old to 46 years old.
In 2020, 68% of births were water births, 61% of clients hired a Doula for labor, 16% of clients used nitrous oxide analgesia and 8% of clients got an epidural after transfer to the hospital. 88% of clients admitted to the birth center in labor birthed at the birth center.
12% of clients transferred to the hospital in labor, the most common reasons were: 13 babies required continuous fetal monitoring, 9 clients desired additional interventions for pain, and 6 clients required medications to augment labor. These statistics are very similar to our first year.
C-Section and VBAC
94.6% of clients who were admitted to the birth center at the start of labor had a vaginal birth. The rate for clients having a first C-section was 3.75% this year, which is amazing, and the total C-section rate for birth center clients in 2020 was 5.4%. These C-section rates are a little lower than the first year and show that even after transfer to the hospital in labor, birth center clients have a high rate of vaginal birth. We are so grateful to the amazing hospital Obstetricians who care for our clients when transfer becomes necessary. 82.4% of clients who planned a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) had a vaginal birth, and of those who needed a repeat C-section, about half were for medical reasons and half changed their mind during labor and decided on a repeat C-section. The total VBAC rate for Beginnings Birth Center is 93%.
Postpartum and Newborn
3% of clients transferred to the hospital postpartum, most commonly for bleeding concerns or additional support for laceration repair. 68% of clients had no tears or no repair needed. 25% of clients had 1st or 2nd-degree perineal tears with repair at the birth center. 2% of clients had a 3rd or 4th-degree perineal tear. Less than 1% of clients required an episiotomy during birth. 99.5% of babies born at the birth center received cord clamping longer than 3 minutes after birth (usually, the cord is not cut for 1-2 hours, and one client requested immediate cord clamping). 10% of the babies required initial help with breathing, but only 0.88% required more extensive resuscitation measures. 2.5% of newborns transferred to the hospital after birth for medical reasons, all for additional respiratory support.
How we use these numbers
The team at Beginnings Birth Center works continuously to grow and improve, and we believe that evaluating our own 2020 statistics is a big part of evidence-based care. We also review many cases as a team, including all labor, postpartum, and newborn transfers. We ask our clients to fill out evaluation forms so we can get feedback on what we are doing well, and what we need to work on.
Over 99% of our previous clients say they would recommend us to family and friends. While we love to be open and share this information, we gather statistics mainly because this is a big way to help us evaluate the care we provide to our clients. Our mission is always to provide outstanding, family-centered care.
This year, we took a deeper look at factors that contribute to transfers so that we can better educate and counsel clients to help them have a successful and healthy pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience. Our 2020 statistics are wonderful, but we will never stop working to improve. Our clients deserve nothing less.
Thank you for reading about our 2020 statistics for Beginnings Birth Center.
Read about our statistics from our first year.