44: Birth Center

A birth center is a middle ground between a home birth and a hospital. You get the benefit of a natural birth in a home-like setting, with some of the safety net that you would have in a hospital. Birth centers are generally based on midwife led care, focused on prenatal and postpartum care for low-risk women. The majority of birth centers are free standing entities, and more are popping up in hospitals with the same focus of natural birth but are fully integrated within the hospital system in the event resources or care from the hospital are needed. This episode covers what a birth center is, what you can expect during your prenatal care, how everything works during your labor and birth, and the research on the safety of birth centers.