At Magnolia Birth House, we are committed to honoring our clients’ wishes, including where to give birth. While most of our clients choose to deliver at our natural birthing center in Miami, some folks decide to have their babies at a hospital, supported by an obstetrician.

We call this hybrid care model Prenatal Care+, an approach developed by the team of midwives at Lakeland Midwifery Care, which we have adapted for use at Magnolia. The main goal is to help each expectant parent achieve a healthy, full-term pregnancy. It’s an approach that involves seeing midwives for prenatal and postpartum care but delivering at a local hospital. We know how important your baby’s health is to you, and our Prenatal Care+ team—comprised of a board-certified OB/GYN, licensed midwife, doulas, and childbirth educators—is dedicated to providing individualized services to expectant families. 

Our hybrid model is a great option for clients who prefer the midwifery model of care but are not interested in or appropriate for out-of-hospital birth. Prenatal Care+ helps remove the fear of unmedicated birth and allows clients to feel comfortable delivering at a hospital. Additionally, if you are low-income, through this program you can receive prenatal care, pregnancy, and breastfeeding education classes, and doula care at low cost.

How does Prenatal Care+ work at Magnolia?

Anyone who is interested in Prenatal Care+ at Magnolia can call, email, or submit our online form to sign up for a free consultation. During that initial meeting, we can discuss your wishes for prenatal appointments, labor and delivery, and postpartum care.

There are some rare cases when a client has a medical risk factor that means a birth center delivery is not possible. An example is a gestational diabetes which is being managed by medication, not by diet. However, for most clients participating in the Prenatal Care+ model, a hospital delivery is their choice, not a requirement due to risk factors.

Clients who participate in hybrid care at Magnolia follow the same prenatal visit schedule as those who plan to deliver at the birth center. Appointments occur on the following timeline.

• 8-10 weeks

• 15-16 weeks

• 21-23 weeks

• 27-28 weeks

• 32 weeks

• 34 weeks

• 36 weeks, and then weekly until labor begins

At some point during pregnancy, Prenatal Plus+ clients may meet our medical director, Mark Spence, M.D., and tour North Shore Medical Center, where Dr. Spence has privileges. The staff member who does the tour is knowledgeable about the hospital and how labor and delivery work there. Meeting Dr. Spence and seeing the facility help ensure a smooth transition for clients who prefer to give birth at the hospital.

When labor begins, Prenatal Care+ clients go to the hospital, rather than Magnolia Birth House. We recommend that all hybrid care clients have a doula for their hospital birth. This is because the Magnolia midwives will not be with you during labor, and a doula is someone with whom there is a relationship, helping to establish continuity. If you end up with C-section at the hospital, you may see the doctor once to check your scar and healing, but all other postpartum appointments will be with the midwives at Magnolia.

What are the benefits of Prenatal Care+?

The foundation of midwifery care is a collaborative, supportive approach. We see you as a whole person and honor your desires for pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. That is why we have decided to implement Prenatal Care+ — to support your choices while still providing you with high-quality midwifery care.

Let’s break down the benefits of hybrid care into three categories.

Prenatal Care

When you come to Magnolia for prenatal care, you get longer appointments and personalized, comprehensive care that you will likely not find in a traditional obstetrics practice. In a private or community clinic, it’s rare to build a relationship with your provider. When you see the midwives at Magnolia, you have people who know your name, remember where you work, are invested in you as an individual, and are more present with you.

This is especially important for marginalized populations that don’t typically seek midwifery care, including people of color, the LGBTQ community, and people who are low income. It matters to have someone taking care of you, and a holistic approach of midwifery care has the potential to improve outcomes.

Labor and Birth

When you receive prenatal care at a traditional or community clinic, it’s very likely you won’t know the people attending your birth, including the provider who will catch your baby. You will get whomever is on call when you arrive at the hospital in labor.

When you come to Magnolia for prenatal care, you have the chance to meet Dr. Spence before your baby is born. In addition, through Magnolia’s sister company, The Gathering Place, you have access to a doula, who will help you advocate for yourself at the hospital. You will be able to safely deliver in the hospital with Dr. Spence.

Postpartum Care

Much like prenatal care with the hybrid model, postpartum care will also be with the midwives at Magnolia Birth House. This wraparound approach will focus on assessing your health and well-being, supporting the breastfeeding relationship, and guiding you through the transition to parenthood.

For Prenatal Care+ clients, the first postpartum visit will take place in your home somewhere between 7 and 10 days after you give birth. We also do three-week and six-week follow-ups at the birth center.

Postpartum visits include plenty of time for discussion, breastfeeding support, and checking your vitals and your baby’s vitals. We also screen for postpartum depression and anxiety during your check-ups and keep open lines of communication as we discuss your emotional and mental adjustment to parenthood.

Finally, we talk about family planning. Research has shown that short intervals between pregnancies increase the risks of prematurity and low birth weight. We encourage our clients to let their bodies rest between pregnancies and offer support for contraception.

Are you ready to discover the benefits of the hybrid model with Prenatal Care+? Schedule a free consultation by filling out the form.