Pregnancy
You are nurturing your baby inside you, and your body is going through a lot of changes. At Beginnings Birth Center, you will have regular prenatal visits during which we talk about these changes, your current stage of pregnancy, and discuss any questions or concerns you have. Our nurse-midwives provide holistic, relationship-based care where you get to know your midwives and we get to know you and your family. We offer Unity Screening for carrier and NIPT testing or SneekPeak early gender testing for gender only testing. We can collect routine labs and perform ultrasounds including early pregnancy ultrasounds, 20-week anatomy ultrasounds, and routine follow-up ultrasounds all at the birth center. Our visits are typically 20 minutes minimum, so this time allows us to discuss changes to your lifestyle or birth plan when needed, provide information so you can make decisions about your care for yourself and your family, and talk about classes to take, choosing a doula, and planning for your birth and postpartum time.
Birth
Here at Beginnings Birth Center, we are dedicated to providing a safe, relaxing, and comfortable atmosphere. We strive to help you meet your goals and give birth the way that you choose. Maybe you are considering an option other than a hospital delivery but are not certain which is right for you. Our Birth Center is a great option to consider! Our certified nurse-midwives and registered nurses will take care of you through every stage of your labor, birth, and recovery. Our clients receive contact information for the nurse-midwife on-call, and you will contact her as soon as you think labor is starting. Once labor is established, the nurse-midwife and registered nurse meet you and your birth team at the birth center to help you settle in for birth. You have access to a variety of luxury amenities to help you, including spa-like birthing suites with adjustable full-size beds, large private bathrooms with showers, birth balls, support slings, birth stools, and spacious, custom waterbirth tubs with as much warm water as you need. You also have the option of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, as an option to help during labor. We ensure that we have the necessary equipment and supplies nearby, and we check on you and baby frequently during your labor and birth.
Initial Postpartum Care
After birth, baby goes skin-to-skin immediately and you and your family can enjoy these special bonding moments together. We will assess and stabilize your baby as needed immediately following the birth, determine APGAR scores, and continue to check on you and baby frequently for the first hour to ensure everyone is doing well. We will help you get comfortable together in bed and the nurse-midwife will assist with the placenta and check for any lacerations requiring repair. As soon as baby starts showing feeding cues, we can help, if needed, with the first feed; our adjustable beds make it easy to get into a good position for feeding baby. Baby’s first exam is done next to you in the room within the first few hours of birth. We will check baby’s weight and length, do an initial physical exam, and make a keepsake birth certificate with footprints as well. We bake a fresh loaf of bread for every client in labor (gluten free options available) and we will bring you food and snacks to eat, help you get up to the restroom for the first time, and go over highlights of your discharge instructions. Families usually go home around 4 hours after the birth, so you can sleep in your own bed and recover in the most comfortable location of all – your home! The nurse-midwife is still available by call or text for any questions or concerns any time after you go home as well.
Ongoing Postpartum Care
The first postpartum visit for both you and baby will be at the birth center 24-48 hours after the birth. You will both also have “couplet” visits at 4-6 days and 2-weeks. We will complete physical exams for you and baby, evaluate baby’s feeding, talk about how the adjustment to your new baby is going, and answer any questions you may have. Our nurse-midwives provide well-baby care for the first 2 weeks and baby’s first visit with the pediatrician is usually at 1 month. The final postpartum visit is a 6-week visit for you (you’re always welcome to bring the baby and other kids too). We will talk about how you are healing, planning or preventing future pregnancies, and returning to sex, work, and exercise.