With maternal health on the rise and moms seeking doulas and researching water and home birth, birth centers have also become an option for moms. Birthing centers are healthcare facilities where care is provided by midwives. Birth centers are also known for less intervention, better birth experiences and low cesarean rates.
I birthed my two children at the Vidone Birth Center located inside the St. Raphael Yale Campus Hospital in New Haven, CT and it was the best experience ever. It is by far the best birth center. Despite the emergency I had during labor, the staff at St. Raphael treated me with respect, love and gave me so much support. I felt like a queen. I will never give birth at any other hospital and it is my #1 recommendation. St. Raphel’s Vidone Birth center; is 6 bed ward, it follows the midwife and patient centered model, it is equipped with a whirlpool and other pain management services, volunteer doulas and student midwives are available.
Is it Better to Give Birth with a Midwife
Hell yes its better to give birth with a midwife ! Midwives matter and you should have one. Growing up I always knew midwives were preferable for birth, but I did not fully understand the midwife model and how important they are until I was pregnant At the Vidone birth center the ward is ran by certified midwives, who want to support you and will try their absolute best to make sure you have a vaginal birth and both mom and baby go home in tote. Midwives care about the well being of a mother, like they really care about you from head to toe, their approach is very gentle. A midwife will provide you with pre and post-natal care that includes educational counseling about pregnancy, breastfeeding, delivery and more. For instance, my midwife provided educational material every trimester about each stage of pregnancy: foods to eat and not, body changes, when to give them a call.
In addition, I had quarterly counseling with the nurse: she counseled me on breastfeeding, delivery, how to advocate for myself during delivery, breathing exercise, pain management options and more. I don’t believe I could not have been more prepared for motherhood if it was not for my prenatal team at Cornell Scott Hill Health Center, a community health center. Choosing a midwife also reduces birth injury, trauma and is more likely to have a natural birth. The tragic stories of black mothers dying at birth, were all seen by OBGYN’s. A great place to find a midwife is registering as a patient at your local community health center in connecticut.
Is it Better to Give Birth at a Birthing Center
In addition to the midwives being present, the Yale student midwives will be there to cater to you as well. Not to mention, in 2020, US New ranked the Yale nursing-midwifery school was #2 in the US. The student midwives are there to provide you with the utmost support. Because of its small bed capacity, the staff are able to give you the attention and patience you deserve. They will work with the midwife and nurses to recommend certain exercises to help labor progress and manage pain. The student midwife at the time of my son’s birth gave me a massage from heaven, she sat on the bathroom floor with me, she said affirmations to me, offered me the peanut ball, showed me and my husband what exercises to do together: the rocking chair, slow dance. That student midwife never left my side. Her name was Alyssa.
The team, offered me different positions when it was time to push. They studied me. My prenatal midwife, Elise Resh and my labor team at the time of my birth made me feel like an absolute Queen. They catered to my needs and wants. They made me feel so confident and empowered. I felt like I was the only mom in labor. The attending midwife even ran to set up essential oils in my room to help me manage contractions. That midwife’s name is Erin Morelli. Erin is one hell of a midwife. She is awesome. In addition, to the midwives, the resident and nurses an OBGYN is always present to handle any situation outside the midwives scope of practice. So you see you will have more than enough support.
Virtual Tour of the Vidone Birth Center
Whirlpool at CT Birth Center : Is there Nitrous Oxide
Who doesn’t love a hot bath after a long work week. Well at the vidone birth center you can enjoy a hot bath at the end of the 9months. You cannot have a water birth, but you can soak in the whirlpool to relieve contractions. I was not able to experience the whirlpool bath, because my mucus plug came out and it was being used (2nd labor), but there was a standup shower in my room, so I was able to sit down in the shower for as long as I wanted.
My pain management was none, so the shower, other exercises, the peanut ball, praying to God and massages were a great help. Towards the end of my labor ( I started contractions Thursdays morning I gave birth Friday afternoon. You do the math lol) I opted in to use nitrous oxide aka laughing gas. Of course it did not take the pain away, but it put the pain in a different perception and ease my anxiety. I had a very long labor, so the nitrous oxide also allowed me to get some rest.
Are Doulas Allowed in the Hospital ?
Hiring a doula is also a great professional to hire during your motherhood journey. A doula is a trained non-medical professional who provides emotional, informational and physical support to parents to be before, during and after delivery. It’s been proven that moms have better birth outcomes when a doula is present. Usually, doulas are not covered by insurance companies, but at the Vidone Birth Center the providers and the philosophy that is followed, the birth center offers volunteer doulas for moms during labor.
How Much Does a Birth Center Cost in CT ?
Surprisingly, insurance carriers do cover birthing centers, medicaid as well ! 70 percent of moms who gave birth at the Vidone Birth Center in 2018 were Medicaid recipients, including myself ! Your insurance also covers midwifery care as well, and yes including medicaid. The state of Connecticut understands how important midwifery care is and wants all families to receive quality care despite their income. Just make sure your provider has jurisdiction at the birth center you want to deliver at.
Birth Centers Near Me in CT
Connecticut Childbirth & Women’s Center
The Connecticut Childbirth & Women’s Center is a freestanding birth center (not inside a hospital) in Danbury, CT. It offers a home-like setting. It has been around since 1994. They follow the midwife model. Women can choose to give birth at the birth center or at Danbury Hospital. Either or the midwives will be there to support you and work alongside the hospital staff. What makes CT Childbirth & Women’s Center unique is that water birth is an option. They also offer various classes and a milk bank ! The CT Childbirth & Women’s Center takes Connecticut Husky/Medicaid, Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, Oxford, United Healthcare, Connecticare. They are located at 94 Locust Ave, Danbury, CT 06810 you can reach them at (203) 748-6000
The Vidone Birth Center at Yale New Haven Hospital, St.Raphael Campus
The Vidone Birth Center is where I birthed my two children and had the best experience. It is located in New Haven 1450 Chapel St New Haven, CT (203) 789-6273. The center is a 6 bed ward, so staff are able to cater to each mom’s individual needs. It is equipped with a whirlpool, volunteer doula services, a massage chair, highly trained midwives, physicians and nurses. The Vidone Birth center is very welcoming to family and friends. They welcome moms to tour the campus (pre covid). At the moment, the hospital offers many online child and parenting classes. The classes were very helpful for Jerry and I. Please sign up !
St.Vincent’s Family Birthing Center
The St . Vincent Family Birth Center is located inside St. Vincent Hospital 2800 Main St, Bridgeport, CT 06606
This family birth center has a private entrance, and midwives will meet you at the lobby and escort you up. There are two style suites with queen size beds. Each room is equipped with a shower and bathtub. The birth center also offers e-learning classes child and parenting classes. Sign up ! https://stvincents.org/services/maternity/midwifery
The Childbirth Center at Griffin Hospital
is located in Derby, CT 130 Division St, Derby, CT 06418. The birth center is a 5 bed ward that includes a private bathroom, with shower and rocking chairs. You have many options to manage labor: rocking chair, peanut ball and a jacuzzi ! In addition, moms are welcome to sign up for their virtual breastfeeding support and birth classes. To my surprise, they even have classes for pelvic floor issues. You can reach them at (203) 732-7252
The Manchester Hospital Family Birthing Center
is the only birthing center in Hartford County. The birthing center rooms have a private bathroom with shower. A spa room is available with a jacuzzi. You can even have a water birth there too ! At the moment, online educational classes are available. There are even classes for grandparents !. Lastly, the birthing center offers paid doula services, for $950 dollars. You can reach the center at (860) 647-4735 https://www.echn.org/services/maternity/family-birthing-center/
Are Birth Centers better than Hospitals
I give honor and thanks to the staff at St. Raphael’s Vidone Birth Center. I am grateful for the care, support and love they gave to this journey called motherhood. With my first child, I had a very scary medical emergency, but the staff acted quickly and competently to reverse the issue. They saved my life. I always felt heard. They were patient with me. Anything I did not want to do or was not ready to do they did not force me or roll their eyes. For example, I did not want to keep the monitors around my belly, because it just made me more uncomfortable; and that was fine with them, they just checked me and the baby’s vitals periodically. There was never a time I called after hours and no one picked up or called me back immediately. Sign up for a tour of the birth center of your choice, make sure you find a provider who is allowed to see you at a birth center, hire a doula. In all, please remember to advocate and educate yourself and ask questions.
Read next What Happened During My Labor
This was very informative. I’m not a mom yet but with this info I’m sure of getting a Midwife to assist me through labor. Thank you Asia!