Natural Childbirth
Giving birth is a natural part of life and we want your birth story to be memorable and the story you want it to be.
Whether you're pregnant, trying to conceive, or thinking about becoming pregnant, this is an exciting time in your life. Giving birth is a natural part of life and we want your birth story to be memorable and the story you want it to be.
We respect those that desire a natural childbirth experience, letting the miracle of birth unfold through attentive waiting and low interventions, while providing empowerment to make choices and offering natural alternatives for pain management.
About Natural Childbirth at NH+C
If your goal is a birth with minimal intervention, while having all the resources of a hospital if needed, we’ve got you covered. Women’s Health and The Birth Center are proud to offer natural childbirth options that you and baby will love.
We offer patient-centered care, open and honest communication, and providers who are experts in their fields and go the extra mile to ensure that your pregnancy and childbirth is what you want it to be.
Women’s Health - Care For Your Pregnancy
Your journey will begin in Women’s Health for all of your clinic visits. From childbirth planning to fertility issues, from the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy and postpartum, our team offers supportive, compassionate care. You probably have many questions. Our providers, with years of experience caring for moms and babies, have the answers. Because the team is all-female, they understand your needs as a woman and provide caring, support and guidance including emotional well-being based on your personal needs and wishes.
During prenatal care and childbirth, we will:
- support your birthing choices
- provide natural, holistic care
- empower you to make the choices you want for your pregnancy and birth
- provide education and support
- offer natural alternatives for pain management such as encouraging movement and different labor positions, labor in shower or tub, massage, aromatherapy, birthing balls
- support your decisions regarding medication in labor. Self-administered nitrous oxide, IV medications, and epidural are available.
The Women's Health Team
The Women’s Health team is made up of OB/GYN doctors, advanced practice providers, midwives, a maternal fetal medicine specialist for high-risk pregnancies, nurses, nutritionists and radiologists who all support providing a natural childbirth. The care amongst the team is seamless and you can feel confident that whomever you meet will honor your choices. Learn more about midwife services.
Pre-conception Planning
When you’re trying to get pregnant, your provider can help you figure out your optimal fertility days which can shorten the amount of time it takes you to get pregnant. Your pre-conception health assessment might include conversations about nutrition, weight, mental health, sexuality, exercises to consider and to avoid, supplements and prenatal vitamins, infectious disease prevention, and genetic history considerations.
We also offer genetic testing to help you determine your carrier status, and inform you of any risk of passing chromosomal disorders to your potential children.
What to expect from clinic appointments
Your first OB visit will happen between 8–10 weeks of pregnancy and will include two separate appointments on the same day. This includes:
- First appointment: You will have an ultrasound so we know how far along you are. You may decline this if desired and discuss it further at your appointment.
- Second appointment: You will meet with your provider to review your past medical history, current medications, previous pregnancies, and do a physical exam. She will also answer any questions you have, explain the frequency of visits and prenatal tests offered, and review important information you should know to have a healthy pregnancy.
- After your appointment, you will go to the lab where you will need to have your blood drawn and provide a urine sample.
Frequency of visits thereafter:
- Every 4 weeks up until 28 weeks of pregnancy
- Every 2 weeks up until 36 weeks of pregnancy
- Weekly from 36 weeks up until delivery
- Postpartum appointments at 2 weeks and 6 weeks after delivery
The Birth Center – Delivering Your Baby
We offer a nurturing, family-centered and safe environment that allows you to focus on the miracle of your new baby. The Birth Center provides a customized natural labor and delivery experience in a safe hospital setting. Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. You’re only moments away from experts who can step in should a problem arise.
The expanded Birth Center was built with mothers in mind. Some of the features to aid in natural childbirth include:
- Soaking tubs and showers for hydrotherapy
- A water birth suite
- Huge windows with calming nature views
- Room-darkening blinds
- Variety of seating: rocker, recliner, couch
- Natural childbirth aids in all labor and delivery rooms:
- Birth/labor sling
- Birthing chair
- Birthing ball
- Peanut ball
- Squat bar
- Yoga blocks
- Beanbag chair
- Aromatherapy
The Labor and Delivery Team
Besides the women’s health team you’ve already met, your care team will include labor and delivery nurses that support your desire to have a natural childbirth. Our nurses are highly experienced and have training in natural childbirth techniques. You will often have the same nurses during your stay. They understand your journey, respect your wishes and provide for your personal and baby care needs.
Movement During Labor
We encourage you to move as much as you want during labor. Your provider and nurses can coach you through movements and positioning using natural childbirth aids such as the birth chair, birth sling, peanut ball, birthing ball, and so much more. We encourage movement to improve comfort during labor as well as to help labor progress. If we need to continuously monitor baby, we offer wireless monitoring to allow for movement.
Our nurse-midwives and labor and delivery nurses at The Birth Center are trained in Spinning Babies®, a technique using different positionings and movements to get babies into the right place and position for birth.
Unmedicated Birth
We support your decision regarding medication during delivery. We offer natural alternatives for pain management including warm water immersion therapy (hydrotherapy) in our birthing tubs, showers, massage, aromatherapy, birthing balls, and encourage movement and various labor positions. Of course, should you decide to have pain medication, we offer a variety of options.
Water Birth
Laboring in warm water can feel calming, relieve pain, and reduce the risk of tearing during birth.
The Water Birth Suite features a large tub that gives freedom of movement, allowing you to get into positions that feel comfortable throughout your labor.
The tub is accessible from three sides, so it’s easy to monitor and offer support during labor. Built-in seats at various heights let you get into different positions and your support person can sit on a ledge alongside you. Multi-colored LED lighting adds to the calm setting.
When baby arrives, there’s a gentle transition onto your chest for skin-to-skin contact and bonding. The Water Birth Suite has everything you need to labor and deliver in warm, soothing water... plus all the resources of a standard labor and delivery room if you need them. Are you interested in water birth? Talk with your women’s health provider during your pregnancy.
Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping
Your provider will delay cord clamping to maximize healthy blood flow to your baby from the placenta. If mom and baby are doing well, this is done for a minimum of 30 seconds, but is often done for longer, including waiting for the cord to stop pulsing if you desire. Delayed cord clamping is an evidence-based practice associated with several benefits for newborns:
- Increased blood volume and better circulation
- Lower iron deficiency anemia rates
Newborn Bonding
We believe in immediate bonding after both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. This includes skin-to-skin contact and encouraging breastfeeding within an hour of delivery.
Breastfeeding / Lactation Services
We provide you with education and support to help make breastfeeding a positive experience for you and your new baby. While you are in the hospital, our International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and lactation trained nurses, will help you through each step of breastfeeding to ensure your baby has a healthy start to life. Once you are home, you can make an appointment to meet with the lactation consultant one-on-one to provide additional support, discuss problems and answer your questions. Learn about Breastfeeding / Lactation Services.