The majority of people are good candidates for an out-of-hospital birth. Things that might deem you as higher risk include high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, or being pregnant with twins. For more information about the safety of birthing out of the hospital, check out the landmark study conducted by the Midwives Alliance of North America, which confirms the safety for low-risk families who choose to birth outside of the hospital.

We monitor our clients throughout their care to make sure you and your baby remain good candidates for birth at the birth center. One of the benefits of our care model is that if you or your baby need a higher level of care, you can remain with your Moxie Birth providers and pivot to birthing in the hospital.

The most common reason clients transfer to the hospital from the birth center is for rest. Labor can be long and unpredictable, and sometimes pain medication can be a good tool to help a laboring person get a break and regain strength for the remainder of their labor. In the event that this becomes a good choice for you, your Moxie Birth team will continue your care and help you birth your baby in the hospital.

In rare cases, there will be an emergency transfer from the birth center to the hospital. This could happen in the event that the birthing person was bleeding too much after the birth of the baby, or the baby needs additional help transitioning after birth beyond what we provide at the birth center. Emergent transfers are rare, as the Moxie Birth providers are trained and certified to help assess you and your baby along the way and ensure everything is remaining low-risk. In the unlikely event of a true emergency, our team will accompany you and/or your baby to the hospital.

We are not contracted with insurance for birth services. Our clients pay a cash fee for their care, and we will provide you with a superbill and information for a trusted third party biller who can help you submit to your insurance for reimbursement. Most people with a PPO plan will receive some amount of refund from their insurance, depending on their deductible and out-of-pocket maximums. HMO insurance does not typically refund for out-of-network services (such as the birth center care).

For well-person care, we are contracted with several insurance plans. Check with our office staff about doing your annual exams, birth control, and gynecological services at our office.

Your Moxie Birth providers will join you at the birth center when you’re in active labor. This is when labor becomes a workout for you and your baby, and medical monitoring is recommended. We will stay with you at the birth center throughout the remainder of your labor and the birth of your baby. Postpartum, you and your family stay about four hours, which is how long it takes for us to be sure that you and your baby are stable and thriving. We’ll do a head-to-toe exam on your baby before you leave, and follow-up with a home visit check-up for you and the baby 24-48 hours after the birth.

Some of our pain reduction tools include the laboring person being free to move as they like, change positions, eat and drink in labor, and have continuous support with a team that you trust. In addition, our birth suites have deep birth tubs that let you submerge fully in warm water, which is proven to greatly reduce pain in labor and provide a soothing environment for birth. We do not have epidurals or narcotic pain management options at the birth center.

The “due date” is the 40 week mark, but it is well documented that people may birth full term babies as early as 37 weeks and as late as 42 weeks. After 40 weeks, we may recommend additional non-invasive monitoring to ensure that your placenta (a temporary organ that is nourishing and oxygenating your baby) is still doing well. This may look like a few longer appointments twice a week after 40 weeks.

The option to induce your labor would be discussed if any medical indications present themselves. Induction approaches could include natural methods, such as acupuncture or certain exercises. In the event that a medical induction of labor was recommended, a hospital birth with your Moxie Birth team would be necessary.