Houston Birth Center Births

Houston is home to 10 birth centers and they are a viable option for women interested in the comforts of a homebirth but the structure of a hospital. Most birth centers are located within minutes of a hospital. They provide the sterility and structure of a hospital birth, but many of the comforts of a homebirth. A birthing center has fewer medical interventions than hospital births, have professionals that are familiar to the mother and family (no strangers in the room), have natural pain relief options (including water birth), and more freedom of movement during the labor and delivery process than that of a hospital birth. Additionally, insurance is more apt to cover at least some of a birth center's costs, unlike homebirth.

However, delivering in a birthing center means that moms don’t have immediate access to complete pain relief, may have to transfer from the center to a hospital if emergency care is needed for complications, and may not have insurance coverage to a birthing center. Typically women leave the birthing center within 6-12 hours after birth and the baby can remain with them the entire time. Certified nurse midwives and certified professional midwives care for women in Houston birth center settings.

As a Houston birth doula, I have extensive experience with a variety of birth centers in the Houston area and would love the opportunity to assist you in finding the perfect fit for your needs and desires for birth.