Women in the modern world can choose from several setting options for their deliveries. Each provides a distinguishable type of birthing experience. Diverse birth settings have their own advantages and disadvantages to be weighed, depending on what surroundings, philosophy of care, support, and routines matter most to the mother.

As the middle ground between hospital care and a home birth, a birth center is a viable, beneficial solution that every healthy expectant mother can consider for childbirth. Let’s examine more closely three advantages of birth centers you should know about.

They Offer Warm, Comfortable Laboring Environments

The surroundings in one’s birth setting are main decision-making factors for many expectant mothers. With a birth center, you’ll experience an atmosphere illuminated in warmth and comfort. Many women describe birth centers as “home birth” that are not at one’s personal home. Unlike general clinical settings, you won’t feel like a guest in a space that is not your own. During the laboring process, expectant mothers and their families can stay together with all the comforts of home.

Birth centers also customarily offer private rooms, home-like décor, softer lighting, larger beds, lounge areas, and kitchen facilities. Feeling relaxed and safe within one’s environment may favorably influence the ease and speed of the birthing process.

They Provide More Privacy and Freedom

Laboring on your own terms offers a unique opportunity for a more private and pleasant experience. In a birth center, low-risk laboring mothers are allowed to be active when they want to, eat or drink when they need to, and labor in any position or location they desire—even in the shower or tub. They can share the experience with whomever they desire, too, and choose the exact support they need by their side.

Each mom-to-be can create a plan unique to their birthing experience—and typically have that plan fully accommodated. This widened scope of freedom is one of the core advantages of birth centers you should know about. Expectant mothers can assume greater responsibility for their own health and wellness alongside their families.

They Offer a Holistic, Empowering Approach

Listening closely to your intuition can be empowering if the idea of a non-hospital birth feels right to you. This remains especially vital when you’re pondering which medical staff will be there during the birthing process. In a birth center, the midwife model of care tends to be more personal throughout all the phases of labor.

In birthing centers, expectant mothers and their care teams can prioritize consistent quality of care with specialized midwifery supplies or customized birth kits purchased online from a leading professional healthcare supplier. Some laboring mothers prefer the fewer medications and medical interventions involved with midwifery alongside the holistic education and support from prenatal to postpartum care. Either way, consider the advantages of each particular setting as you determine which childbirth experience will work best for you and your family.