Summit Maternity Care Center
Hospital Birth
Delivering a baby in the hospital gives a woman access to a full health care team including doctors and nurses. Hospitals have more extensive options for pain management than the out of hospital choices. Women are provided a more controlled approach to maternal health care.
We believe women are strong and capable, that when left to follow their own instincts will find the best way to give birth. Women do not need to be rescued from childbirth, they need to be supported.
Having a healthy pregnancy is one of the best ways to promote a healthy birth. Getting early and regular prenatal care improves the chances of a healthy pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. The average time frame a woman spends in prenatal care with typical obstetrical care is 5-8 minutes face to face with her provider.
At Summit Maternity Care Center we are happy to support women choosing a hospital birth by providing excellent prenatal care and postpartum care. Our appointments typically last an hour providing education, resources, and planning that reduce interventions and improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Benefits of prenatal care with a out of hospital midwife
According to a study done by Yale University, midwives caring for women throughout pregnancy creates continuity and builds better rapport leading to respect, which often translates into a smoother pregnancy. Midwife lead prenatal care supports women in their desires, provides informed consent, and education leading to better hospital birth outcomes.
Benefits to prenatal care with a out-of-hospital midwife:
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Focus on nutrition. Nutrition is the foundation of prenatal care and greatly affects birth outcomes and need for intervention. It improves health during pregnancy, baby, labor, delivery, and postpartum.
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Focus on mental health. Many women struggle with prenatal anxiety, depression, mood swings, and changes throughout pregnancy. Addressing mental health leads to approaching labor without fear, increase in bonding with baby, and reduces postpartum depression.
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Focus on activity. Women should be active throughout pregnancy. Exercise in pregnancy reduces back and pelvic pain, increases better quality sleep, fewer complications in labor, and increases recovery postpartum.
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Focus on informed consent. Women are provided the information on all testing, medications provided during labor, and newborn screenings. Women are given the risks and benefits to items offered throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. The family is able to make an informed, educated, and evidence based decisions about every step of their journey.
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Focus on support. Our midwife will discuss all the options provided in a hospital birth. We will help create a birth plan and discuss options for the newborn. We encourage the use of a doula when having a hospital birth. We will help you connect to our resources for community doulas. Doulas help reduce intervention, anxiety, reduce time in labor, support communication between hospital staff and family, and reduce chance of a c-section.