Benefits of Birthing Centers, Essay Example

Introduction

Many people are not sure what exactly is meant by a birthing center, but in general it refers to a center where women are able to give birth in a more home-like setting than the hospital, while still avoiding dangers associated with giving birth at home. Many women see this as a good compromise between giving birth in the hospital (with all the medical expenses and potential for extra interventions) and giving birth at home (which some women choose to do but can be very dangerous if something goes wrong). This essay will explore the benefits that both mothers and their babies can get from using a birthing center, including the positive experience for mother and baby, the comprehensive care offered there, and the fact that giving birth at a center can help reduce the chances of having a risky cesarean section.

Development

A Positive Experience for Mother and Baby

Generally speaking, giving birth at a birth center allows women to feel more empowered and in control of their labor and delivery than when in a hospital setting. At a birth center, it is not about hospital protocol, but about the mother’s choice.  For example, mother-to-be is allowed to move around freely, eat and drink during the birth if she wishes, and invite as many people as she likes to be present at the birth.  They also are not required to be hooked up to an IV, have continuous fetal monitoring, or have their labor induced with the use of the drug Pitocin, as is sometimes the case in the hospital setting (Baby Center.org,2012, p. 1).  The atmosphere is more relaxed and less clinical than in a hospital and, provided that mother and baby are not having any complications, there is generally a shorter stay at a birth center than there would be at a hospital (American Pregnancy.org., 2013, p.4). This helps reduce the cost of giving birth, another major benefit of using a birthing center.

Holistic and Comprehensive Care

At a birthing center, a mother-to-be will be surrounded by a team of professionals, including nurses, doulas, midwives, often working with an obstetrician (American Pregnancy.org website, 2013, p. 1).  There are also services available for physical fitness, social work, nutrition, and most centers offer childbirth, breastfeeding and parenting classes as well.  The care is comprehensive, in that most birth centers offer ultrasound services, have laboratory capacities in case there are is any blood work that needs to be done, and there is often an obstetrician that the midwife can consult with if the need arises (American Association of Birthing Centers, 2014, p. 3).  It must be said, too, that sometimes there can be complications with labor that are unforeseen, even with moms who are healthy and have low-risk pregnancies: when this arises, these centers are equipped with oxygen, IV’s, medication and infant resuscitation equipment, and the mother can be transferred to the hospital if it is deemed necessary for the health of mother or baby (Baby Center.org., 2013, p. 2).  Generally speaking, only about 8-10% of women giving birth in a birth center will need to be transferred to a hospital (American Association of Birthing Centers, 2014, p. 3).  Still, it is reassuring for the mother to know that emergency, advanced treatment is there if by any chance something goes wrong.

Birth Centers Help Reduce Cesarean Sections

One important benefit of using a birthing center is that they seem to be a way to help reduce the number of cesarean sections (or C-sections) that women have in the course of their labor.  In a recent study, the American Association of Birth Centers looked at some 15,500 women giving birth in 79 midwife-led birth centers in 33 states between 2007 and 2010. They found that the ration of women needed C-sections was 1 in 16, compared to 1 in 4 with low-risk pregnant women who chose to give birth in a hospital setting (American Association of Birth Centers, 2012, p.1).  This is a major benefit for women, because C-sections carry major risks for both the mother and baby: for the mother, a C-section can bring with it postoperative infections, increased blood loss, extended length of stay in the hospital and extended recovery time; the baby can be injured during the course of the operation, and can also have respiratory problems and lower birth weight if the C-section is done prematurely (American Pregnancy.org, 2013, p. 2).

Conclusion

The fact is that women were built to have babies: childbirth is a natural and normal process and in birthing centers it is treated as such, while sometimes in hospitals it can seem that the pregnancy is treated as some sort of illness that needs to be cured by the birth of the baby. Many women feel more relaxed when the pregnancy is treated as a normal occurrence and it is clear from the evidence presented that there are many benefits for both women and their babies if they are using a birth center to give birth.  Midwife-led deliveries tend to make women feel more in control of the birth process and more relaxed about the birth itself.  There are many women who do not feel comfortable with things like induced labor or strong pain control medications during labor and these are not used at birthing centers; not using these things is also associated with better outcomes for the baby. However, it should be noted that if something does go wrong in the course of the labor it is possible for women to transfer to a hospital, and this minimizes the risk to both mother and baby.  On the whole, birth centers seem to be positive places for women to have their babies and this is probably why these centers are becoming more common and more popular.

References

“Birth Centers”. (2013). American Pregnancy Association website.  Retrieved from http://americanpregnancy.org

“Birth Centers as Alternatives to Hospitals”.  (2012). Baby Center.com website. Retrieved from www.babycenter.com/birth-centers-as-alternatives-to-hospitals.html

“New Study Shows Midwife-Led Birth Centers Improve Outcomes”. (2013). American Association of Birth Centers.  Retrieved from www.birthcenters.org

“Risk Factors for Cesarean Sections”.  (2012). American Pregnancy.org website.  Retrieved from www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/cesareansections