You’ll make plenty of decisions during pregnancy, and choosing whether to give birth in a hospital or a birth center is an important one.

Women who deliver in a birth center usually have already given birth without any problems or have a low-risk pregnancy (meaning they are in good health and are not likely to develop complications).

Women are carefully screened early in pregnancy and given prenatal care at the birth center to monitor their health throughout their pregnancy.

Epidural anesthesia usually isn’t offered at birth centers. So women are free to move around in labor, get in the positions most comfortable to them, spend time in the jacuzzi, etc. Comfort measures (such as hydrotherapy, massage, warm and cold compresses, and visualization and relaxation techniques) are often used.

A variety of health care professionals work at birth centers, such as registered nurses, CNMs, and doulas (professionally trained providers of labor support and/or postpartum care). A doctor usually isn’t on-site and medical interventions are rare. But most birth centers work with obstetric and pediatric consultants as a team. Nurse-midwives provide care during a woman’s pregnancy, labor, and delivery. The OB/GYN consultants are available if she develops complications that put her into a higher risk category.

The baby’s heart rate is monitored often during labor, typically with a handheld Doppler device. Birth centers do have medical equipment available, such as IV lines and fluids, oxygen for the mother and the infant, and other equipment necessary to treat sick babies and moms.

A birth center can provide natural pain control and pain control with mild narcotic medicines. But if a woman decides she wants an epidural or develops complications, she must be taken to a hospital.

Birth centers provide a homey birth setting for the mother, baby, and extended family. In most cases, they’re freestanding buildings, though some are attached to a hospital. They often include amenities such as private rooms with soft lighting, showers, whirlpool tubs, and a kitchen for the family to use.

Look for a birth center that is accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC). Some states regulate birth centers, so make sure the birth center you choose has all the proper credentials.

How do you decide whether a hospital or a birth center is the right choice for you?

Some things to consider:

· If you’ve chosen a health care provider, find out if he or she can only practice at a particular hospital or birth center.

· Check with your health insurance carrier to see which options are covered. Often, major insurance companies cover accredited birth centers as well as hospitals.

Some risk factors might mean that you’re not eligible to deliver in a birth center, such as:

lets you make sure that the staff is friendly and the atmosphere is one in which you’ll feel relaxed.