A birthing center is a free standing facility for low risk laboring mothers. There are hospitals that title their obstetrical units birthing centers‚ but these are not true birthing centers and can't offer the same support for natural birthing that a free standing facility can. http://www.birthcenters.org/

The Birth and Family Place
http://www.birthandfamilyplace.com

The Birth and Family Place, the birth center where we practice, offer a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. Women eat, drink, and move about freely in labor. A majority of our births occur in water with the rest occurring where the mothers desire, including on birth stools. Partners and mothers are encouraged to receive their own children into the world with midwives and birth assistants/nurses acting as lifeguards so families can relax and enjoy the birth experience.

The laws that govern birth centers vary from state to state but in our home state of Utah there is special license required for any facility that has more than one birth room. At the present time there is only one licensed birth center in Utah that is open to the public. http://www.birthandfamilyplace.com Please note there is a difference between business licensing, professional licensing for an individual, and birth center facility licensing. We are working to change birth center laws to pave the way for more local, licensed free standing birth centers. (political action)

A licensed free standing birth center is regulated by the state and statistics are kept by the government for accuracy. In the United States our birth intervention rate is higher than any other industrialized nation and our infant mortality rates are higher than all industrialized nations and some third world countries.

The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
http://www.motherfriendly.org/

Consortium for the Evidence-based practice of Obstetrics
http://www.sciencebasedbirth.com/

Ricki Lake's movie on birth in the United States
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/

Our birth center statistics for the years 2003- 2007 are: Cesarean Section rate of less than 4 in 100 compared to our national average of 1 in 3. Fetal mortality rate of 1 in 562 (still birth in hostpital) compared to the national average of one in 145. Our maternal death rate is 0 and our infant death rate is 0. We love our facility and invite you to come for a tour.

Call for a tour with a provider (801) 278-3102.