Choosing Center for Birth
1. Choose Your Midwife
Center for Birth is a little unique among birth centers in Seattle. At Center for Birth you have the freedom to choose from among several midwifery groups that have birth center privileges. See the list of these practices on the Midwives page.
Your midwife/ives will provide prenatal care for you at their office, and will let you know how and when to contact them in labor. When it's time, they will meet you at Center for Birth.
Your midwife will be with you throughout your labor and and birth at the birth center.
2. Register at Center for Birth
You may download a fillable-PDF of the registration paperwork directly from this website. Click here or see the registration page for more details.
Submit your registration (upload by clicking here) as early as possible in your pregnancy. That gives our insurance specialist enough time to check on your coverage if desired.
You may download and print the registration paperwork, or request a paper copy be mailed to you.
Catching their breath.
3. Come to the Birth Center
For families experiencing their first birth, or their first unmedicated birth, preparing with a childbirth preparation course specifically tailored to birth center birth can be very helpful.
Labor is unique to everyone. For most people, there is a period of early labor preceding what is termed "active" labor. Having a doula to assist through that transition from early to active labor is a great idea.
When you think you are in active labor you will communicate directly with your midwife to make a plan for going to the birth center when it's time.
Custom extra-deep tubs for laboring and birthing in are equipped with phototherapy lights.
Throughout your labor, you and your baby will be monitored following birth center guidelines. Midwives are the experts on normal labor and birth, which means they are also expert at identifying anything that is beginning to fall outside the realm of normal and can take the necessary actions to keep you and your baby well.
Following the birth, your midwife will help you and your baby get started with breastfeeding if you need it, and will do a complete newborn exam before you go home. You can expect to spend about 3 or 4 hours at the birth center following the birth of your baby. You and your baby, having had a normal birth uncomplicated with drugs or procedures that necessitate extra monitoring, will be ready. Rest assured, you will not be discharged until your midwife team determines you and your newborn are healthy and ready to go home.
Newborns are alert for a couple of hours after birth, and after that they enjoy a long nap to recoup from all the work they did to help you birth. Discharging you from the birth center soon after giving birth allows the new family to take advantage of this period of rest and get some sleep before beginning the next phase of caring for a newborn!