Last week we celebrated our 500th birth in the center. The entire press release is below.
Please help us get the word out and share with your organization, insurer, politician, union, friends and family...
{readmore}
Press Release: Local Freestanding Birth Center Catches Baby #500
ENGLEWOOD, CO, November 17, 2009 – On November 11th, a local family celebrated the birth of their first child and Mountain Midwifery Center, a freestanding birth center in Englewood, celebrated the 500th baby born in the facility. Mountain Midwifery Center (MMC) is Colorado’s only licensed birth center and baby #500 is a sign that this unique practice is established and here to stay.
Per Tracy Ryan, founder and CEO of MMC, “We started slow, only catching 6 to 8 babies a month. Now we catch almost 30 babies a month and we’ve caught 500 babies in just over 3 years of operation, so we are very excited. It’s a real privilege to offer independent midwifery care to so many families.” MMC was licensed in September 2006 by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a freestanding birth center. The center employs 5 midwives that focus on natural birth (no pain medications, no inductions, no extractions or surgical deliveries) and they achieve a natural birth rate of 90 percent. If the woman or unborn infant develop a condition where natural birth becomes too difficult or risky, MMC transfers their care to Swedish Medical Center, just a block away. MMC’s overall rate of Cesarean Section surgical delivery is 6 percent. For comparison, the national rate of C-Section delivery is 31 percent.
To achieve this high rate of natural births and such a low C-Section rate, MMC plans ahead for each birth. Expectant parents are assigned an education plan for child birth, breastfeeding and newborn care. At a minimum, births are attended by a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) and a Registered Nurse (RN). Water birth or just laboring in a warm tub is available to every client. Doulas (birth assistants) are often present and are available for post-birth support. “Our immediate network of providers includes two wonderful physician practices and a strong and diversified team of doulas, including two ladies that also serve as our receptionists. We also work almost daily with a pregnancy-focused acupuncturist, an herbalist, and other holistic providers. This team is a critical asset that contributes to our high success rates in natural birth, breastfeeding and low newborn complications,” said Ryan.
Mountain Midwifery Center is located just a block from Swedish Medical Center at 3555 S. Clarkson Street, Suite 500, Englewood 80113. Those interested in learning more about Mountain Midwifery can visit www.MountainMidwifery.com or call (303) 788-0600.