Home Birth — The Birth Center of St Pete

Home birth differs from birth center birth in that it is in your house, not ours.

We bring all necessary equipment from the birth center to your home, including oxygen, emergency medications, gloves, and supplies for taking care of you and your baby. If you plan to give birth at home, your midwives will provide a list of household items to have ready. Your birth team meeting at 36 weeks will take place in your home, where your support team can ask questions and prepare a plan for birth.

The midwife and her assistant will arrive when you are ready, helping to facilitate a calm, safe birth atmosphere. After birth we stay with you for at least two hours, longer if needed. We encourage early breastfeeding and bonding between family members. We help you up to the bathroom and ensure you eat a good meal. We give the baby a general exam, empty the birth tub, put a load of laundry in the wash, and do a general clean up of your home. Before leaving we review postpartum information and ensure your needs are met. We return to your home within 48 hours to check on you and your baby. The two and six week appointments occur at the birth center, with encouraged contact between clients and the midwife in between appointments.

Until the 1900s, the vast majority of people were born at home. Families are choosing home birth more frequently, returning to midwifery care and exploring their options. Often, when the discussion of home birth arises, questions of safety come shortly after.

In 2014 the Midwives Alliance of North America published the largest study of home birth ever done in the United States. According to this study:

Over 93% of women had a normal, physiologic birth
87% of women attempting a VBAC were successful
5% of women planning a home birth transferred for a C-section
of the 10.9% of women who transfer to the hospital from home, the majority do so for non-emergent reasons