Are you pregnant and considering your birthing options in Miami? Perhaps you don’t want to deliver in a hospital, but a home birth doesn’t feel right to you either. If you are seeking a natural childbirth and want a “middle ground,” a birth center in Miami might be the best fit for you!

You may be wondering, “Is there a birthing center near me?” The answer? Yes, there is! Magnolia Birth House, located in North Miami Beach, is a free-standing birth center that has been providing midwifery care to South Florida families for many years.

 Another question you may be asking yourself is, “What are the benefits of receiving care at a birthing center near me?” When it comes to prenatal care, birthing services, and postpartum support at a birth center, there are several advantages for parents and babies.

Why Should I Choose a Birthing Center Near Me?

When you decide to come to Magnolia, you get all the perks of birth center care. Some of these relate to the facility itself, while others have to do with our mindset around health, wellness, pregnancy, and birth. Here are nine benefits of choosing a birthing center.

Midwives Model of Care

A midwife’s approach to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is different from the typical medical model that you’ll find at most prenatal clinics. Midwives believe that pregnancy and birth are normal life events, not conditions that need to be treated. Our Miami midwives at Magnolia follow the Midwives Model of Care, which includes the following:

• Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the parent throughout the childbearing cycle.

• Providing the parent with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support.

• Minimizing technological interventions.

• Identifying and referring those who require obstetrical attention.

Data has shown that treating pregnancy and birth as healthy physiologic processes reduces the likelihood of birth injury, trauma, and C-sections.

Holistic Team Approach

When you choose Magnolia, you will meet and partner with our team of professionals. At our birth center in Miami, midwives, educators, mental health professionals, and other experts provide families with prenatal, birth, and postpartum care, childbirth education, and breastfeeding help.

 These highly trained individuals collaborate and communicate to provide the highest level of care to you and your baby. In every interaction with our staff, you will feel supported and valued as a human being with feelings and opinions, not a number or a chart full of checkboxes.

Freedom of Movement

When you’re in labor at Magnolia, you are free to move around the birth center. You can walk the halls or go outside in our garden area. We believe strongly in freedom of movement during labor, and evidence shows that periodic position changes help the childbirth process move along efficiently.

⁠This freedom of movement is possible because you’re not tied to machines, like those that are common in hospital settings. Throughout labor at the birth center, the midwife or birth assistant will regularly listen to the baby’s heartbeat using a handheld device called a Doppler. This allows them to monitor the baby’s well-being while you can also move about freely without having to constantly wear a fetal monitor.

Minimal Intervention

Throughout labor at our Miami birthing center, we let physiologic birth unfold naturally and normally. Our midwives perform intermittent monitoring to keep you and your baby safe, but we don’t interrupt what’s working for you as you do the hard work of labor. That could look like being held by your partner or sitting on a birthing ball.

⁠During the childbirth process, the body releases stress hormones if the laboring parent is disturbed. Evidence indicates that these interruptions can interfere with labor and slow down progress. At Magnolia, our midwives don’t intervene unless it’s necessary.

Encouragement to Eat and Drink During Labor

 When you’re in labor, it’s crucial to give your body the nourishment it needs. We encourage you to eat and drink as needed before you arrive at the birth center, and we support you as you continue to fuel your body during labor at Magnolia.

⁠We recommend foods that have protein because they will give you the long-term energy you need. As labor progresses, you may not feel like eating. In fact, some birthing parents get nauseous during labor. If you're feeling tired, good options to combat exhaustion are honey sticks, electrolyte drinks, and coconut water.

Hydrotherapy Options and Water Birth

Some parents choose to labor in the tub and get out for the delivery, while others give birth to their baby in the water. Either is OK, and both have benefits for the birthing parent. Getting in the shower and allowing the water to massage your back, shoulders, or neck is also a great form of hydrotherapy.

Research has shown that laboring in the water can:

• Reduce pain⁠

• Decrease anxiety⁠

• Help laboring parents feel buoyant and supported⁠

• Allow laboring parents to relax and rest between contractions⁠

• Shorten labor⁠

⁠In addition, a recent study found that birthing people who gave birth in the water experienced fewer postpartum hemorrhages⁠, fewer severe perineal lacerations⁠, and fewer hospital admissions in the first six weeks⁠.

Welcoming Environment for Support People

During your pregnancy, we suggest hiring a birth doula, a labor support professional who provides informational guidance, physical comfort measures, and emotional support. Some hospitals limit or restrict doulas during birth, but at Magnolia, we always welcome doulas.

We also encourage you to have support from your partner or a loved one. Whether your partner offers physical touch or verbal affirmations, it’s important that they’re available during your most vulnerable hours of labor and birth. Having a partner who is there to watch, wait, and listen helps the birthing parent feel safe and loved, which is really important to keep oxytocin flowing during labor.

Comfortable Atmosphere

If you’ve asked yourself, “How is a birthing center near me different from a hospital?” Magnolia’s home-like environment is definitely one of the most noticeable characteristics. We’ve created a space that’s private and safe, without feeling clinical. From the waiting area to the prenatal room, our birthing center is relaxing and comfortable.

In addition, our birth rooms are welcoming and peaceful. With a queen bed and homey accents, each suite features many amenities, including Himalayan salt lamps, oxygen-producing plants, state-of-the-art air filters, essential oil diffusers, birthing balls, and Bose speakers. During labor and birth, you or your partner are also free to use the birth center’s kitchen.

Enjoyable Postpartum Experience

After your birth, you’ll be able to hold your baby, offering lots of skin-to-skin contacts. This is helpful for bonding and gives you and your newborn a chance to initiate your breastfeeding relationship. Our Miami midwives will perform your baby’s newborn exam at the bedside, so your little one will never have to leave you. A popular question we hear is, “At a birthing center near me, how soon after my baby’s birth can I go home?” You will typically leave the birth center within about four hours of your baby’s birth.

In the days and weeks after your baby’s birth, you will have four postpartum appointments with our midwives. We will focus on assessing your health, providing breastfeeding support, and screening for mood disorders.

What Are the Takeaways About Selecting a Birthing Center Near Me?

Our independent birth center is a safe and empowering option for low-risk pregnant folks. If you are seeking midwifery care and planning an unmedicated birth, our birthing center in Miami might be the best fit for you! Fill out our form to schedule a free consultation.