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Most families leave the center four to eight hours after birth, compared to 24 to 48 hours at a hospital. Because fewer medications and medical interventions are involved, recovery time is shorter than at a hospital. At a hospital, on the other hand, your movements could be limited (since there can be continuous electronic fetal monitoring), food is restricted in the event you choose to have an epidural and you’ll likely have to give birth lying on your back on the bed. You even get to eat a light meal or snack and drink during and after labor (no food or drinks during the pushing phase though). You can walk around and be as active as you like, and wear what you want. Birth centers always provide private rooms for expectant mothers. In many facilities, families are encouraged to personalize the room by hanging pictures, lighting candles or turning up the tunes. Birth centers usually have soft lighting, a queen or double bed, a television, a rocking chair, couches for family and friends and a shower, Jacuzzi tub and, sometimes, a kitchen. Labor Contractions: What Do Contractions Feel Like? What are the benefits of giving birth at a birth center? Some centers also offer nitrous oxide gas. Instead, they turn to alternative pain relief options, such as hydrotherapy, breathing exercises, massage and acupuncture. Keep in mind, too, that most birthing centers don’t give epidurals. And procedures that are standard or at least common in a hospital setting (such as continuous fetal monitoring, routine IVs and induction of labor) aren’t routine at a birthing center. While a labor room in a hospital looks like, well, a room in a hospital, birthing rooms at a birthing center tend to be a little more comfortable. Trusted Source American Association of Birth Centers The Birth Center Experience See All Sources What's the difference between a birth center and a hospital?Īt birth centers, care is typically led by midwives, though birth centers may work in collaboration with OB-GYNs, pediatricians and other health care professionals - meaning they consult them if the need arises.īut delivering at a birth center and giving birth at a hospital differ in a number of ways. Besides offering a comfy place to deliver your baby, birth centers provide many services, including well-woman exams, preconception counseling, prenatal care, childbirth education, breastfeeding classes, postpartum care and support, and post-baby birth control. In most birthing centers, midwives (and not OB-GYNs) are the primary care providers. Usually, birth centers are freestanding facilities, but sometimes they’re adjacent to or inside a hospital.

A birth center is a low-tech birthing option for moms-to-be who desire a an unmedicated childbirth experience.
