The maternity care provided at the Corpus Christi Birth Center is provided by a Certified Professional Midwife. Our care includes providing all the necessary lab work and sonograms.
Prenatal Care:
- First visit (approximately 1.5 hours)
- comprehensive health history and physical exam
- prenatal education
- prenatal blood tests
- Return visits (30 mins to 1 hour)
- exams to listen to the baby’s heart beat and monitor mother’s well being
- prenatal education & nutritional evaluation
- birth desires & emotions discussed as you prepare for labor/parenthood
- Referrals to consulting physicians are also available through our care if needed.
Pre-labor/early labor:
- If you choose to birth at the birth center, we do ALL the advance preparation for your labor and birth! – No need to order supplies, set up, rent a pool, or anything else to get ready for your birth. We do it all and have everything ready for you when you arrive.
- If you choose to birth at home, we will ask you to order a supply kit for the birth and give you instructions on how to set up for the day of the birth. We will also make a visit to your home for an assessment near the time of delivery.
- Wherever you choose to give birth, we offer full labor support as needed. During early labor, you may come and go or come and stay at the birth center. If you are laboring at home, we may choose to come and go from your home to check on you until active labor is established. Or you will have the option to drop by the birth center or prenatal office to be checked as well.
Active labor:
- Once active labor is established, if you are planning to birth at the birth center, you will stay at the birth center with continuous labor support by a licensed midwife and usually one or two other birth assistants. If you are planning a home birth, the birth team will come to your home and remain with you throughout the entire labor and birth.
- maternal and baby assessments and vitals are checked throughout labor
- no ‘routine’ interventions
- freedom of movement, eating and drinking
- husband or labor partner will be offered guidance to enhance involvement, including assistance in catching the baby when desired
- your personal birth plan will be both encouraged and respected
- coordination of care during transfer and continued attendance by a member of your team during labor if hospital care becomes necessary (except when hospital restrictions might prevent labor support to attend).
Birth:
- freedom of birth position, including laboring or giving birth in water (waterbirth)
- our labor/birth pools are carefully equipped for safety and ready to use when needed
- cutting of the cord delayed and no separation of mother and baby
- uninterrupted breast feeding as soon as mother and baby are able
- emergency equipment and medications provided as needed
Immediately postpartum:
- At the birth center, you many stay as long as you like and you may also go home as soon as you like as long as both you and your baby are rested and stable. (minimum stay is 2 hours. average stay is 3-4 hours)
- Likewise, at your home we will stay a minimum for 2 hours but the average stay time is 3-4 hours, longer if necessary.
- physical exam and assessment of baby
- an herbal bath for mother and baby may be provided by the birth center for those who request one
- birth linens washed and birthing area cleaned by our staff (but we do not disturb you while you are bonding with your baby)
- Postpartum follow up
Postpartum Visits Day 1 & 4:
- These visits will be done in your home if needed (whether you had a home or birth center delivery)
- physical exams of mother & baby
- baby weighed and checked for anything abnormal
- pulse ox test done on the baby to screen for heart valve defects
- breast feeding assistance will be provided by our lactation specialist or one of the midwives
- continued education & emotional support
- first newborn metabolic screen
2 weeks after birth:
- Postpartum follow up of mother and baby
- 2nd newborn metabolic screen
- Referral for newborn hearing screen
6 weeks after the birth of the baby:
- final postpartum visit for mother and baby
- GYN exam with pap if needed (or scheduled for 12 weeks postpartum)