What Happens at a Birth Centre Birth?
Arrival at the birth centre
Your midwife will tell you when to page or call once you are in labour. They will first assess your labour over the phone; your first in-person assessment(s) usually happens at home. Sometimes, like if your labour seems to be progressing very quickly, your midwife will ask you to meet them at the birth centre for an in-person assessment. Regardless of where this first in-person assessment happens, you will be admitted to a birthing room once you are in active labourActive labour is when contractions are: around five minutes apart or less so strong most people can’t talk through them strong enough to open the cervix so the baby can move into the birth canal.
Before you go to the birth centre, your midwife will call ahead to let a Birth Centre Aide (BCA) know you are coming and confirm that there is a birthing room available. Find out what happens if the birth centre is full.
BCAs are essential frontline staff at the birth centre with many important responsibilities.
They:
- prepare the birthing room and fill up the tub for labour before you arrive
- clean the birth rooms
- prepare food for birthing families
- access supplies for midwives
- provide administrative support for midwives
Labour and birth
Once you are admitted to a birthing room, you will have access to all the amenities the birth centre has to offer, such as:
- large birthing tubs and showers
- birthing balls and stools
- suspended birth slings
These items help support labour progress by encouraging movement while providing stability.