Great question! 

• Independent birth centers are facilities designed to provide care to women with low risk pregnancies who want to participate in their own care.
• They are separate from and not owned by hospital organizations.
• They provide prenatal and postpartum care, labor and birth services, and may also provide childbirth education, annual gynecological exams, and family planning.

• Hospitals often call their labor and delivery units “birth” or “birthing” centers, especially after they remodel their facilities to be more “home-like.” However, hospitals are often larger, frequently with have more protocols and less flexibility, and a greater focus on efficiency.
• Independent birth centers provide individualized care centered around the woman’s goals, the midwifery model of care, and the latest research.

• The midwifery model of care is based on the belief that childbirth is a natural, physiologic process that does not require interventions without evidence of a problem. It produces high satisfaction, lower incidence of birth injury, trauma, complications, cesarean sections and higher rates of breast feeding.
• Appointments at Well Body & Birth tend to be longer than other providers, including an hour for the first prenatal visit to allow for plenty of time for questions and information sharing. Similarly, a first visit for an annual gynecological exam is an hour and return annual visits are 40 minutes long.

• Birth centers require state licensure and must demonstrate they practice according to rigorous, evidence based, standards designed specifically for birth centers.
• Numerous studies have documented the safety of midwifery of birth center birth,
  including the 2013 National Birth Center Study II (NBCSII) and in 2014, The Lancet’s “Series of Midwifery.”

• • More than 80% of pregnant people are low-risk for complications during pregnancy and birth, so most pregnant women and people are good candidates for midwifery and birth center care. Midwifery and birth center care is best for healthy people who are ready to take an active role in their health care. We ask that clients work with Well Body & Birth
    staff to keep healthy and low-risk for the entire pregnancy and birth by:
    • Attending all appointments
    • Attending required classes as necessary
    • Asking questions during prenatal visits
    • Taking advantage of community resources and letting your WBB team know if there is something we can help you access during your care with us
    • Continuing to exercise in preparation for birth and recovery

• Yes! If eligible, you have the option of laboring and birthing in water. The Serenity Room has a free standing birthing tub that may be used for laboring and birthing in water.
• Water birth is safe. Studies have shown that “laboring in water poses no extra risks to birthing parent or baby and helps relieve pain, leading to less use of pain medication”.
• The benefits to laboring and birthing in water are:
  • A decrease in episiotomy rates
  • A decrease in 3rd and 4th degree tears
  • Increased maternal satisfaction
  • Possibly shorter labors
  • Possibly less intervention needed to help labor along
  • Possibly less anesthesia

• In many cases, you can transfer your care to Well Body & Birth during the middle of your pregnancy. You’ll be aske to present your medical records for WBB to review and determine that you are a good fit for low-risk, community birth care. Please continue to attend your regular prenatal care with your current provider and complete all necessary lab work and ultrasounds while you are waiting to transfer care. Please complete the Eligibility Form to initiate this process.
• Documentation of the prenatal care you’ve received during this pregnancy is required to transfer. This information will be reviewed to confirm that you meet the criteria for low-risk care.
• Because we value building strong, personal relationships with every client and the, we’re only able to accept new clients who are no more than 34 weeks pregnant at the time of transfer. This allows us the time needed to provide thorough individualized care and to ensure that you feel truly seen supported, and prepared for birth. 

• Midwives are well-trained to recognize any complications that may affect the health and safety of you and your baby and will consult with physicians and hospital-based staff as needed for complications.
• If you or your baby’s health changes, and you are no longer eligible for birth at Well Body & Birth, your WBB care team will help transition your care to an appropriate provider. This sometimes can be a local area OB/GYN or hospital-based care at the hospital, both of your preference. Please be reassured that the team at WBB will help you transition care smoothly if you need a different care provider during your care with us.

• If complications arise during labor, clients are transferred to Piedmont Hospital – Fort Mill, or another local hospital. The location of your transfer depends on the urgency of the transfer, your insurance and your preference.
• WBB will facilitate all transfers of care for our clients. We will follow up with you by phone after your birth and in most cases are able to see you for your postpartum visits at WBB.

• Well Body & Birth believes in you and your right to have a Vaginal Birth After a Cesarean section (VBAC). However, the state of South Carolina does not consider VBACs low-risk for birth center care. WBB supports our excellent midwife colleagues who offer this option in a hospital-based setting.  Please seek this option through the midwives at Novant Providence OB/GYN or Atrium Health Women’s Care Piedmont OB/GYN.

• Yes! Our Certified Nurse-Midwives take care of the reproductive health needs of clients of all ages – including annual exams, contraceptives, STI tests and more.
• You DO NOT need to have had previous prenatal/childbirth care at Well Body & Birth to schedule a primary gynecological appointment.

• Currently, Well Body & Birth is not in-network with any insurance providers. If you participate in a Health Share Plan, or would like to utilize your out-of-network insurance benefits, we are happy to connect you with our billing representative to help you submit your insurance claim.
• WBB also offers a self-pay discount. Self-pay rates are available for services that would have otherwise be covered by our global charges, such as prenatal visits, labor and delivery services, postpartum visits, and initial lactation support. Other services and fees are not offered at a discounted rate, including well woman exams, WBB’s registration fee, ultrasounds, lab work, non-stress tests, medications, etc.
• While we are not enrolled as a Medicaid provider, we believe everyone deserves access to respectful, high-quality care, so we proudly offer a discount for families with active Medicaid coverage. Please contact us to learn more about eligibility and how the discount works.
• WBB does offer payment plan options for some out-of-pocket costs.