Birth Center Frequently Asked Questions

Considering a Birth Center Birth?

Choosing where and how you give birth is a deeply personal decision.

If you’re feeling drawn to a more supported, low-intervention experience, we would love to connect with you, answer your questions, and help you explore whether midwifery care in a birth center care is the right fit for you.

At The Center for Birth, a leading birth center in Keller, Texas, we provide personalized midwifery care for families across Keller, Fort Worth, and the greater DFW area.

Whether you're exploring natural birth, waterbirth, or homebirth, our goal is to give you clear, honest answers so you can make the best decision for your family.

What is a midwife, and how is care different from an OB?

Midwifery care is rooted in relationship, trust, and the understanding that birth is a natural, physiologic process. Not a medical event to be managed, but one to be supported.

Midwives and freestanding birth centers are licensed by the State of Texas. At The Center for Birth, we serve families throughout Keller, Fort Worth, Wise and Tarrant Counties, and surrounding DFW communities. You are seen on a similar schedule to a traditional OB practice, and we carefully monitor your pregnancy to ensure you remain low risk. We offer the same standard testing options, while emphasizing informed choice and shared decision-making every step of the way.

We follow evidence-based and best practices, ensuring you understand what each test is for and why it may be recommended.

We spend about an hour with you at each prenatal visit, allowing us the time to truly get to know you, your story, your body, and your baby. Care is personal, unhurried, and collaborative.

We work as a two-midwife team, so you will build a relationship with both providers and feel comfortable with the midwife attending your birth.

🛟 Is birth at a birth center safe?

Absolutely. For healthy, low-risk women, choosing a birth center in Texas is supported by research as a safe option with significantly lower intervention rates.

Our midwives have collectively attended thousands of births with excellent outcomes. We are highly trained and experienced to recognize subtle changes early and respond appropriately when needed.

We maintain strong relationships with several hospitals in the Keller and Fort Worth areas and transfer when appropriate. Not as a last resort, but as a proactive decision when additional support is beneficial.

We carry medications, IV fluids, and neonatal resuscitation equipment. Similar to what is used in hospital settings, while still honoring individualized care. These tools are available if needed, not used routinely.

We monitor your vital signs and your baby’s heart rate using ACOG-supported intermittent auscultation, allowing you the freedom to move, labor in water, and follow your body’s natural rhythm without being confined to a bed.

💧 Is waterbirth safe for my baby?

Yes. Waterbirth is not new. Midwives have been safely attending waterbirths for decades, and research continues to support it as a safe option for low-risk women. Many families specifically seek out our birth center for waterbirth in Texas, as it offers a gentle, low-intervention option for labor and delivery.

Babies do not breathe underwater. They continue to receive oxygen through the umbilical cord until they are gently brought to the surface. The transition is often calm and gradual. As your baby emerges and meets the air, along with the stimulation of being held, they take their first breath.

Our tubs are large enough to allow freedom of movement and ability to change into many different positions to help baby get into the right position.

Waterbirth is associated with gentle transitions for babies and increased comfort and less tearing for mothers. Many families find it to be a beautiful experience.

🌿 What do you offer for pain relief?

We offer a variety of natural comfort measures, including:

• Water immersion (often called the “natural epidural”)

• Freedom of movement and position changes

• Hands-on support

• Breathing techniques

• Calm, dimly lit environments with optional music and aromatherapy

• TENS units for additional support

We also offer Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) as an option for those who would like additional relief without an epidural.

Many families searching for natural labor pain relief options in a birth center setting are surprised by how effective these tools can be.

And importantly, you are never “stuck” at the birth center. If at any point you decide you would prefer an epidural, we will support you in transferring to the hospital.

🌿 Who is a good candidate for out-of-hospital birth?

Healthy, low-risk women who desire a more natural, supported birth experience are typically excellent candidates.

We carefully review your medical history, current pregnancy, and any risk factors to ensure that birth at our Fort Worth birth center is a safe and appropriate option for both you and your baby.

How do families pay for care?

Because birth is an investment, this is one of the most common questions families ask, and understandably so.

At The Center for Birth, we are a cash-pay practice, which allows us to provide deeply personalized, relationship-centered care without the restrictions and limitations that often come with traditional insurance models.

That said, we never want finances to feel confusing or unnecessarily overwhelming.

Many of our families choose a variety of payment options, including:

✨ CareCredit financing(we are a preferred provider)

✨ Healthcare co-op sharing programs, including options such as Good Samaritan

✨ Health Savings Accounts (HSA) / Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

✨ Payment arrangements discussed with our team

Many families are surprised to learn that the birth experience they truly want may be far more accessible than they initially assumed.

If finances are part of your decision-making (and for most families, they are), we encourage you to ask. We are always happy to walk through options and help you understand what may be available.

Your dream birth should feel possible.

Still have questions about financing or payment options? We’re always happy to walk families through what may be available.

What are your outcomes?

We believe in transparency, which is why we publish our statistics annually here on our website.

Between our midwives, we have attended thousands of births with outcomes that compare  favorably to national hospital averages.

We believe our strong outcomes are due not only to our education and experience, but also to our clinical judgment. We are thoughtful and proactive, often choosing to transfer earlier rather than waiting for a situation to become urgent.

While most women do not require hospital-level care, we deeply value our hospital partners and view them as an important extension of care when needed.

We are always happy to review our statistics in detail during your consultation.

What does labor look like at your birth center?

Labor here is calm, supported, and unrushed, allowing physiological birth to unfold naturally.

You are free to move, eat, rest, labor in water, and follow your instincts. We remain present, quietly supporting, guiding when needed, and holding space as your body does what it was designed to do.

During pushing, we increase monitoring and offer position changes to support your baby’s descent and rotation. We provide tools such as birth balls, stools, water immersion, and the bed to help you find what feels best.

While in labor and during pushing, we monitor your vitals as well as monitor your baby’s heartbeat. Keeping a close eye on both to ensure things remain within normal limits, while remaining vigilant and ready to respond accordingly if they do not.

After birth, your baby is brought directly to your chest for immediate skin-to-skin contact. Most babies latch and begin breastfeeding within the first hour, often alert and ready to connect.

🤍 Do you provide postpartum care?

Yes. Postpartum care is one of the most important parts of what we do. Our care extends beyond birth, offering comprehensive postpartum midwifery care in the DFW area for both mom and baby.

We offer a home visit 2–3 days after birth, where the midwife who attended your birth will assess both you and your baby, support feeding, and ensure a smooth transition. We encourage new parents to have their pediatrician see their baby within 1-2 weeks after birth.

We also complete all required newborn screenings that you would receive in the hospital. We continue to follow you closely at two, four, and six weeks postpartum; supporting recovery, breastfeeding, and emotional wellbeing.