Bringing forth a baby into this world is an extremely special phenomenon for every mother. Hospitals and labor rooms could be intimidating and scary to many. If it was up to them a majority of the mothers would love to have their baby in the comfort and safety of their own homes. It is this very concept that brought into being birthing centres and birthing suites.
Birthing centres offer a homely environment for mothers-to-be so they can be at complete ease to welcome their family’s new member. Such centres could often be run by the midwives that take care of the mothers before the birth of the baby. The birthing centres are more home-like and less hospital-like and they can offer a natural childbirth experience for the mother without restricting her the ambience of a home. Some centres even provide the option of a water birth.
Birthing centres can offer numerous benefits as they come equipped with utmost privacy in the most comfortable of settings. Such centres could either be located within a public hospital or near to it as well. If you have a low-risk pregnancy and is in the best of health without any possibilities of complications for the baby or for yourself then birthing centres can be a great option for the delivery. Some private hospitals have birthing suites, which can accommodate the mother and the partner. In this case you can choose an obstetrician to deliver your baby.
Birthing centres are very much in demand nowadays so if you decided to go with this option rather than hospitals then it is better to book well in advance. By week 10 or 16 into your pregnancy you can pay a visit to the doctor or midwife at the centre and learn more about prenatal classes run through the birthing centre if any.
Before choosing a birthing centre it is crucial to understand that such centres always aim for natural births with the least medical intervention. Pain relief options might only be in the form of relaxation therapy or moving around unlike in hospitals. Most birthing centres are located near major hospitals so if an unexpected medical emergency arises during the course of the delivery the mother will be immediately transferred to a hospital.
Comfort is the basic criteria for birthing centres so during the labor it is entirely left to the mother to find her own comfortable position for the birth and she can even choose who she wants around her during the birth or if she wants music or chants. Even children can be allowed at birthing centres unlike hospitals.
Once the baby is born a midwife will be appointed to regularly attend to the mother’s and baby’s every need. They can advise on taking care of the baby, or about breastfeeding methods and the bond that the mothers form with the midwives right from the start will also be helpful for her to convey her post-delivery problems.
When compared to hospitals where there are medications involved, the discharge from a birthing centre is so much faster and less complex. As for antenatal care, some birthing centres do provide this either through the centre itself or through the hospital that they are attached to.
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