FAQ

Yes! We welcome anyone to come learn about and visit our birth center during one of our scheduled group Orientation and Tours. It is important that clients feel our model of care is a good fit for them, so people considering coming to Beginnings Birth Center for pregnancy care are required to attend an orientation before scheduling their first appointment.  Click here if you would like to schedule a free orientation and tour of the birth center.

We like to start seeing our clients for their fist prenatal visit around 8-12 weeks of pregnancy. We will accept clients transferring their care from another provider/office up to 32 weeks of pregnancy. Beyond 32 weeks, we will consider a transfer of care from another provider/office on a case-by-case basis.

Some conditions/situations that are risk factors and make a client an inappropriate candidate for birth center birth include the following (this is not considered an exclusive list, other conditions/situations may occur that require transfer of care).

  • Heavy vaginal bleeding
  • Multiple gestation (twins, triplets, etc.)
  • Preterm labor prior to 36.4 weeks with cervical change
  • Post Term Pregnancy: pregnancy beyond 42.0 weeks
  • Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)
  • Polyhydramnios or oligohydramnios
  • Intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD)
  • Incompetent cervix
  • Placental complications including but not limited to placenta previa or placental abruption.
  • Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes Prior to Onset of labor (PPROM).
  • Ectopic pregnancy
  • Gestational diabetes requiring management with oral medication or insulin.
  • Anemia unresponsive to treatment: hemoglobin levels below 9 despite iron therapy during the 3rd trimester
  • Syphilis (primary)
  • HIV Positive
  • Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy
  • Conditions that require blood thinning medication be given throughout pregnancy (with the exception of low-dose aspirin in certain situations)
  • Preeclampsia with or without severe features
  • Gestational hypertension

It is our experience that doula support makes a significant difference toward having a successful natural birth experience. In births where a trained professional doula was present there is a:

31% decrease in pitocin use (if pitocin is needed, a transfer out of birth center care is required)

28% decrease in risk of c-section birth (if a c-section birth is needed, a transfer out of birth center care is required)

12% increase in likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth (which means staying at the birth center)

9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief (which means staying at the birth center)

14% decrease in the risk of the newborn being admitted to special care nursery (which means mom and baby stay together at the birth center)

34% decrease in risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience

This is why we require doulas especially for our first time parents and for those having their first VBAC, and why we strongly encourage having a doula for all our clients.

We cannot guarantee a certain midwife will be present at your birth. We practice as a team of nurse midwives with a rotating call schedule. Our goal is that you have built a relationship with the midwife who is on call who meets you at the center for your birth. So, we need you to meet with each midwife multiple times throughout your prenatal care. The midwives rotate call so that the on-call midwife can be relatively rested to be able to provide the best possible care to you and your family.
You will experience Nurse Midwifery care in the Wellness Model. Midwifery care is relationship-based care where you get to know your midwife and your midwife gets to know you. To facilitate this care, each of our prenatal appointments are at least 20 minutes long. The wellness model means we believe in prevention through education to best care for yourself and your family. Our midwives work with you during your pregnancy to give suggestions and options to help keep you as healthy as possible. We believe YOU are in charge – it is your body, your pregnancy, your family, your birth, your baby – YOUR care. We provide you with information, and you decide what to do with it. With the exceptions of routine prenatal lab tests, regular attendance at prenatal visits, 20-week and 3rd trimester ultrasounds, and listening to the baby intermittently with a doppler during labor, all care is yours to accept or decline. We are also the only local facility that offers water birth!
Yes, we have a sonographer on staff and offer ultrasounds at the birth center. We offer an early ultrasound to help make sure your due date is correct. A 20-week anatomy ultrasound and a 36-week ultrasound for confirmation of baby’s position are required as part of prenatal care at the birth center. The early ultrasound and positional ultrasound may be performed by either the sonographer or a nurse-midwife, all other ultrasounds are scheduled with our sonographer. We can also offer growth ultrasounds, some follow-up ultrasounds, and Biophysical Profile (BPP) ultrasounds at the birth center.
An appointment for an early ultrasound is offered at 8-10 weeks. First prenatal appointments are typically scheduled around 10-12 weeks. We see each client every 3-4 weeks until about 30-32 weeks when we start seeing you every 2 weeks. Between 30-36 weeks, we will schedule your Birth and Postpartum Prep Class to go over information for coming to the birth center in labor and going home with your newborn. After 36 weeks we will schedule weekly office visits until your baby arrives. We will schedule a visit at the birth center 24-48 hours following your birth to check on both you and your baby. Then we will schedule birth center visits for 4-6 days and 10-14 days postpartum for both you and the baby, and 6 weeks postpartum for you. More postpartum appointments can be scheduled if needed.
We promote healthy bodies and well positioned babies which helps decrease the intensity of labor. Freedom of movement allows mom to work with her body uninhibited and hydrotherapy, such as the shower or the tub, is a proven pain relief method. If you absolutely needed to get through a tough spot, we offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) analgesia.

We are equipped with medication and equipment to manage complications or emergent situations for mother and baby. Often we will be able to manage those entirely here at the birth center, or if not, we have access to emergency services to get you to the care you need at the hospital two miles away – UCHealth Memorial North. If we go to the hospital during labor, a birth center midwife or nurse will go with you to get you settled. Once a plan is in place with the provider at the hospital, we fully transfer care to the OB hospitalist on call. We can resume postpartum care as appropriate and as you desire for you and/or the baby after discharge from the hospital.

Most of our clients have insurance plans to help cover the costs of their care, so the amount that will be due by each client depends on their specific plan coverage and their deductible/co-insurance/co-pay amounts. So, the answer to this is very individualized. Fortunately, Beginnings Birth Center’s billing staff is happy to help clients estimate what they can expect for out-of-pocket costs. The first thing we suggest is that you call the number on the back of your insurance card and find out if your insurance covers birth center and nurse-midwifery (CNM) care. You can then Contact Us and request to pay a small fee for a Verification of Benefits and then we can provide an estimated out-of-pocket amount based on this information. We do work with sharing plans, and for clients not working with insurance or sharing plans, we offer a pre-paid discount package option. All clients are set up on a payment plan for their estimated out-of-pocket cost to be paid in full by 36 weeks. Please contact us if you have other questions or would like to start this process.
Yes! As a courtesy to our clients, in most cases we will send billing for your care to the company you contracted for health care services. We have worked very hard to get contracts with most major plans, including Tricare Select (Tricare Prime with referral only), CHP+, Colorado Medicaid, United Healthcare, Cigna, Anthem BCBS, and Christian Care Medishare. We are considered in-network with *most* of the plans within each of these companies. We have also worked with clients with sharing plans such as Liberty HealthShare, Samaritan Ministries, Christian Care Ministries, and Altrua HealthShare.  Aetna Humana, and Kaiser remain out of network. Aetna has given “exceptions” to have care with us covered as in-network in some cases, and in other cases the out-of-network benefits with Aetna still result in lower out of pocket costs here at the birth center versus in-network OB/Hospital care. The best way to find out if YOUR plan covers care at the birth center is to contact us  and request to pay the small fee to get a verification of benefits to check your particular plan.

We want to thank all our clients for their understanding as we continue to make changes through the COVID-19 situation.

We are happy to say that we have opened up our waiting areas and are allowing visitors (including children) to come with you as long as everyone in your home is free of illness symptoms. We will be requiring all people coming into the birth center age 10 and over to wear a face mask. If visitors do not have a face mask, we will ask them to wait in the car.

You can put on your face mask, come in and check in, and wait for your appointment in our family room waiting area. Please maintain social distancing by waiting at least 6 feet from anyone else waiting at the desk, and by sitting in different areas of the family room. If you are not comfortable waiting in our family room, you may let Candace know at the front desk and step outside to our front patio or wait in your car and we can still contact you to come in.

While we are happy to welcome children back into the birth center, there will still not be toys available in the waiting areas or exam rooms, and NO FOOD is to be brought into the birth center. Please plan accordingly to bring appropriate masks and activities for your children if they are with you.

Classes and the Breastfeeding Support Group are being phased back in to in-person classes at the birth center, although we are planning some renovations of the education space, so these are being held in other areas of the birth center at this time. All people attending these classes must also wear a face mask while in the birth center.

Please check with your childbirth class /newborn class / breastfeeding class educators about how/where they are conducting classes if you have any questions about those.

For labor and birth, you may discuss your plans for visitors with your midwife at your appointment. Visitors will be allowed at the birth center and in the waiting areas again, all visitors age 10 and over are required to wear a face mask while in the waiting areas. We will be taking everyone’s temperature upon arrival to the birth suite, including our own staff, and documenting that everyone is without fever. We may also repeat temperatures on everyone periodically throughout the process. We, the staff, will continue to wear masks, as well. We will also ask everyone to wash their hands as they enter the birthing suite.

Children may come visit during labor, or after baby is born, but it is REQUIRED that there be a designated care provider for the children (age 16 or over) who IS NOT the birthing person’s partner or support person/doula, and who is willing to take the children out of the birth room or out of the birth center at any point, if necessary.

Thanks so much for your cooperation. We have been able to continue to provide birth center care and birth through the pandemic because of the understanding and cooperation of our clients. Please continue to be conscientious of updated recommendations in order to help prevent needing more restrictions again. Thank you for helping us keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible!

We are able to accept VBAC clients who have had one previous cesarean birth with a low transverse incision who are also otherwise candidates for birth center care. We do require our clients to sign a VBAC consent form and have an ultrasound that demonstrates placenta is not anterior and low lying (which could indicate it could be over the scar from the previous surgery). 

 

The Birth Center is fully equipped with most everything you would have in your bedroom at home but tailored specifically for medication-free birth. You will be able to use the built-in labor/birthing tub, birth balls, support sling, birth stools, private bathroom with shower, adjustable beds, adjustable lighting, Bluetooth speaker, heated towel racks, essential oil diffuser, and other equipment meant to help aid in the delivery process.

Items you’ll want to consider bringing from home include: swim top for mom & swim suit for partner, a nursing bra or tank, hair ties and a headband, a toiletry bag with toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, makeup remover, and lotion; a change of clothes for mom & partner for going home, healthy snacks and drinks, a great playlist, your preferred essential oils for massage/diffusing, your phone & charger, baby’s coming home outfit, a swaddle blanket, newborn scratch mittens, and your infant car seat installed. We discuss what is provided at the birth center and what to plan to have at home more in the Birth & Postpartum Prep class that all families take at the birth center.

We will file all the necessary paperwork to register your baby’s birth with the State of Colorado. The Social security card will be automatically mailed to you and you can pay for and pick up your baby’s official birth certificate with your county’s vital records office about 3 weeks after the birth.

The U.S. is unique from other countries in that it offers a variety of routes for becoming a midwife.
While the primary certifying organizations for midwives are nationwide, each state sets their own
regulations. This means there is a LOT of variety between midwives with different certifications in
different states.

Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) are licensed and trained as Registered Nurses and Midwives. The entry-
level education required is a Master’s Degree in Nursing. CNMs can practice in all states, can prescribe
and administer medications in all states, can attend births in all settings (home, birth center, or
hospital), and can provide care from puberty through menopause. CNMs are licensed Advanced Practice
Nurses in Colorado, the same as any other nurse practitioner. Being licensed and carrying malpractice
insurance allow us to be contracted with insurance companies.

Certified Professional Midwives (CPM) are trained in midwifery only. Someone can become a CPM
without going to a school by completing an apprenticeship and undergoing the PEP (Portfolio Evaluation
Process). If schooling is part of the process, the school may or may not be accredited. Non-accredited
schooling requires PEP as well. The minimum education for a CPM is a high school diploma or GED.
CPMs can practice in some states, but some states will not recognize CPMs. In Colorado, the state has a
process for registering CPMs and by registering they agree to follow certain rules about their practice;
CPMs are not licensed in Colorado and don’t carry malpractice insurance. CPMs in Colorado can attend
home birth but not birth center or hospital births. In addition, CPMs cannot write prescriptions or
administer certain medications, and the care they can give is limited to pregnant, birthing, and post-partum women.

Yes, but we do recommend that you bring something besides food along to keep them happy and occupied because your visits with the birth center can range from 25-90 minutes.