Safety standards
The concern about safety in an out of hospital birth makes sense in a culture where we only hear about births when something goes wrong. What's missing from this narrative are the statistics on planned birth center births with qualified midwives for low-risk pregnancies—which show excellent outcomes with significantly fewer interventions. The key factors are proper screening, qualified providers, and established transfer protocols. Out of hospital birth isn't appropriate for every pregnancy, but for low-risk women, it offers comparable safety with benefits that include lower intervention rates and higher maternal satisfaction.
It starts with the right client.
Safety for out of hospital birth starts with screening for healthy, low-risk clients . This screening process helps us to better understand who is eligible to receive care. Women who have a high-risk pregnancy or a complicated medical condition are unfortunately not eligible for care. These conditions include:
Blood clotting disorders
Twin pregnancy
A history of more than 1 previous cesarean birth
Hypertension
Diabetes
Obesity: BMI of 40 or above
Regular training
All our Certified Nurse Midwives and RN birth assistants receive training on CPR and neonatal resuscitation. We also do mandatory drills and training together as a team for postpartum hemorrhages, transfers, and shoulder dystocia.
We're trained to handle normal pregnancy and birth, recognize complications early, manage many common complications, and collaborate with or refer to physicians when needed. This isn't alternative care—it's specialized care focused on supporting normal physiological processes while ensuring safety.
Supplies and equipment
We have an extensive list of medications, supplies, and equipment to handle complications when they arise. We have the same postpartum medications as the hospital, IV fluids, antibiotics, catheters, oxygen, a bag and mask to resuscitate a baby, and lidocaine with sutures to repair perineal lacerations.
Transfers
We are only located 3 minutes from Carillion Roanoke Hospital, so when a transfer is needed, we are very close. Only 1% of births necessitate an urgent transfer to a local hospital. We coordinate with local EMS responders for a timely and safe ambulance transfer.