Birth Center Visibility: Why It Matters

When I speak to families about birth centers and midwives, many say the same thing:

"I wish I knew about this when I was having my baby."

Why didn't they choose it? They simply didn't know birth centers existed — or they were basing their decisions on misconceptions about what midwife-led care really is.

Or maybe, they were just going with the flow.

Doesn't everyone give birth at a hospital? Isn't that the safest place to be?

For so many families, that assumption shapes their entire experience. But when we only see one model of care, we lose sight of the full spectrum of safe, evidence-based options available — including the midwife-led birth center model that is transforming maternal health outcomes across the country.

The Model That Changes Everything

Birth centers offer care that is deeply personal, relationship-based and focused on informed choice. They also play a powerful role in reducing disparities, especially for communities that have been underserved or overlooked in traditional healthcare settings.

When families can access midwifery care, outcomes improve — not just medically, but emotionally and culturally, too.

Yet too many families never hear about birth centers until after their babies are born.

That lack of visibility isn't just a marketing issue — it's a sustainability issue.

If families don't know you exist, they can't choose you. And if they can't choose you, even the most beautifully run birth center with the best outcomes in the world will struggle to keep its doors open.

Why I Built the National Birth Center Directory

That's exactly why I created the National Birth Center Directory — a central place where families can easily find birth centers across the country, and where birth centers themselves can strengthen their presence, connect with peers and grow visibility within their communities.

Because visibility matters. It matters for families seeking care. It matters for birth centers building sustainability. And it matters for the future of maternal health in this country.

And it's why I started my consulting practice in the first place — to help birth centers operate efficiently while maintaining the heart of the midwifery model of care.

I know from experience that balancing mission and management isn't easy. My work focuses on helping birth centers navigate everything from business systems and operations to accreditation and growth, so they can keep their doors open and their vision alive.

This Week: Ask Me Anything

This week, I'm doing something different. I'm opening up my inbox and social channels for an Ask Me Anything — a chance to ask me anything about birth centers, the midwifery model or the work I do behind the scenes to support these spaces.

You can ask about:

• Midwife-led care: What makes it different and why families love it

• Operating a birth center: How do you stay sustainable while staying true to your values?

• Opening a birth center: What does it really take to get started?

• New York State birth centers: What do you need to know about the CON process?

• The National Birth Center Directory: How to get listed, and why visibility matters

I'll be answering questions all week on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook — and posting some of the highlights on my YouTube channel too.

If you prefer to watch instead of scroll, subscribe to my channel to catch the full AMA video there!

Coming Soon: My Birthday Gift to the Birth Center Community

November is my birthday month — and I'm celebrating by giving back to the community that inspires everything I do.

Starting November 1, I'll be offering a special 50% off consulting promotion for birth centers who want to strengthen their systems and sustainability. Because when birth centers thrive, families and communities thrive too.

Let's Build Birth Center Visibility Together

If you've ever thought about opening, growing or sustaining a birth center — or just want to understand this model of care better — this is the perfect week to connect.

The challenges facing birth centers are real. Reimbursement struggles, regulatory barriers and systemic inequities make this work harder than it should be. But none of those challenges will get solved if families don't even know birth centers exist in the first place.

That's where visibility comes in. And that's where we can make a difference together.

Follow along, ask your questions and let's build a future where every family knows that birth centers exist — and can find one close to home.

P.S. We're celebrating a milestone too: the National Birth Center Directory just reached 50 centers nationwide! If you're not listed yet, now's the time to make sure families in your community can find you.

Further Reading / Sources

Source	What It Shows
Stapleton, S. R., Osborne, C., Illuzzi, J. Outcomes of Care in Birth Centers: Demonstration of a Durable Model. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 2013.	Women in birth-center care had very low cesarean rates (6-12%) and high rates of spontaneous vaginal birth compared with hospital birth settings.
Jolles, D. R., Stapleton, S. R., Alliman, J. Strong Start for Mothers & Newborns: Moving Birth Centers to Scale in the United States. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 2017.	The "Strong Start" initiative found birth-center participants had lower prematurity and low birthweight rates, fewer cesareans, and saved over US $2,000 per birth in Medicaid populations.
MACPAC (Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission). Access to Maternity Providers: Midwives and Birth Centers. May 2023.	This federal policy brief confirmed what birth center advocates have long known: midwifery-led and birth center models improve outcomes—including reduced racial disparities—while lowering total maternity care costs within the Medicaid population.
J. Wallace et al., An alternative model of maternity care for low-risk birth: Maternal and neonatal outcomes utilizing the midwifery-based birth center model. September 2023.	The analysis affirms that midwifery-based birth center care delivers high-quality outcomes for low-risk mother-infant dyads.