Someday, soon, you’re going to be sharing the story of one of the most sacred and sentimental experiences of your lifetime – the birth of your child.  Frisco Birth Center truly embraces the belief that your experiences through pregnancy, birth, and the first weeks of your baby’s life will have a profound impact on you and the way you see yourself and the world. 

Throughout pregnancy you will work through a wide range of emotions and uncertainties.    And when the day of your birth finally arrives, and your  newborn looks in your eyes as you bring her to your chest for the first time, you’ll have a whole new, rich, wave of emotions. 

We believe that birth can be more than just safe.  It can also be sentimental, satisfying and transformative.  Frisco Midwifery & Birth Center is committed to supporting you and your growing family. 

Frisco Midwifery & Birth Center is committed to creating an intimate, concierge-style birth experience.  We never want to be so busy that we lose connection with the people we are serving.  And, we never want to miss a birth!  For that reason, we limit the number of clients we take each month.   We take an average of 4-6 clients per month. When you decide you want to birth with us, you should go ahead and reserve your birth date sooner rather than later.

Yes!  When you are ready to start care with us, we’ll make it a super-easy process.  We’ll give you a records request form to sign.  We’ll take care of the rest.  It’s seamless and simple.

Honestly, the differences are almost too many to list.  The entire way we see birth is different!  So, the way we interact around it is different too.  In a hospital, policies are created to manage birth as if it’s a medical condition or sickness.  As a result, the kinds of choices women have are limited, and the interventions they get are extensive.  The Midwifery Model of Care is opposite.  Frisco Midwifery provides care exclusively to low-risk women with healthy babies.  Because we believe birth is normal, we don’t over-complicate it.  We do one-on-one  assessments of your health and your baby’s growth, and we do what we can to create a safe experience for both of you without unnecessary interventions.  Our clients birth in dimly lit, calm environments surrounded by skilled care providers who offer labor support, encouragement and skilled midwifery care.  After the birth, we continue to support the whole family with focused attention on successful breastfeeding, beautiful bonding, and building your confidence to enter the next season of your family’s growth.  We care about your whole experience – Body, Mind and Heart.

In short:  Yes.  Research shows that healthy, low risk women have the same – or even better outcomes - when they birth in their home or in a birth center than if they birth in the hospital.  Your safety is our priority.  Safety is supported by risk assessments incorporated into each prenatal appointment, referrals or transfer of care when needed, and continuous care during labor, birth and the immediate postpartum period.  We practice “evidence based care” meaning we do not offer services that increase your risk of complications, and we do offer holistic care that increases your health.  For example, we incorpoirate nutritional support, exercise and natural resources into your care, and we do not do things that evidence shows increases risk, including inductions, continuous fetal monitoring, or medications. The Midwife Alliance of North America has created this resource that you and your family may find helpful when you are learning about the safety of Community Based Birth.   http://www.mana.org/blog/home-birth-safety-outcomes

Let’s find out!  Most women are good candidates for midwifery care in a community setting.  We would love to talk with you and do a complementary risk assessment / screening to be able to answer the question of whether community based birth is a safe option for you and your baby. 

Schedule a free consultation by clicking HERE

Once you become our client, we provide all of your prenatal care, on basically the same schedule as your Ob/Gyn did.  Unless something comes up that we need to consult with a doctor about, we provide all of your care.  We do refer all of our clients to a specialty physician who works with midwives for your 20-week anatomic screen.  We also consult with physicians if something more complex comes up in your health. But, if you are the typical, healthy mom with a healthy baby, you don’t need to see anyone else

Frisco Midwifery & Birth Center attends births in homes or in our birth center.  Ideally, you should birth where you feel the most comfortable.  Your comfort may be affected by so many individual factors.

There is the perception that a birth center is significantly different from each other.  In reality, other than the décor and location, they are essentially the same.  When a client comes in to birth at Frisco Birth Center, take birth supplies from the supply room and put them on a cart we set up in the birth suite.  When we attend a home birth, we go to the same supply room, and take the same supplies, and take them to your home.  It really is that simple. 

In both locations, after the birth we stay with you until you and the baby have both had your first meal.  We do a full newborn exam.  And we give you detailed information about caring for your baby. 

If you birth at home, we tuck you all into bed, start the laundry, take out the trash, and let ourselves out. 

If you birth at the birth center, you secure your newborn in the carseat, and drive home about 3-1/2 hours after the birth. 

We connect with you by phone after you wake up from a good nap. 

Then, we come to your home the next day to do a newborn exam, weigh the baby, and finalize your baby’s birth certificate.  We return the day your milk comes in, and again at 10 days, 3 weeks and 6 weeks after the birth.

Our transfer rate varies depending on the needs and risk factors of the families we are caring for at any given time. Some months, we may not transfer anyone. Other months, the rate may be higher.

The most common reasons for transfer are situations that require a higher level of medical support, such as preeclampsia, labor dystocia, or, rarely, an urgent emergency.

Our goal is not simply to avoid transfer. Our goal is to make wise, timely decisions so that you and your baby are in the safest environment for birth.

We create an emergency plan with each client.

Our birth team brings emergency equipment and medications, including suction, oxygen, positive pressure ventilation equipment, and emergency medications. Our midwives are trained and certified in neonatal resuscitation,

If we are using emergency tools and believe that you or your baby need a higher level of care, we call 911. The paramedics are located about six blocks from the birth center, and the closest hospital is approximately one mile away. For home birth clients, we will help you identify your closest hospital as part of your emergency plan.

We usually schedule the first prenatal appointment around 10 weeks. This is often when we are able to hear the baby’s heartbeat with the Doppler, which can make the appointment feel more reassuring.

That said, we are happy to see you earlier if you are experiencing bleeding, significant nausea, concerns, or simply need support. If you come in before 10 weeks, we may not be able to hear the heartbeat yet, and we will talk through what is normal for that stage of pregnancy.

During pregnancy, we typically see you:

·       Every 4 weeks until 28 weeks

·       Every other week from 28 to 36 weeks

·       Weekly from 36 weeks until birth

After the birth, we continue caring for you and your baby with visits around:

·       Day 1 or 2

·       The end of the first week

·       Around 3 weeks

·       6 weeks postpartum

This allows us to support your recovery, feeding, newborn transition, and overall well-being during the early postpartum season.

Our top priority is your safety.  We are trained to detect and manage most challenges that can arise in labor and birth.  We carry medical equipment and medications in addition to the more traditional tools of classical midwifery.  We have oxygen, IV fluids and medications for hemorrhage and other complications.  In the course of labor, if it becomes clear that either the baby or the mother would benefit from a higher level of care than we can provide, we will quickly and efficiently arrange a transfer of care to one of the hospitals and physicians with whom we have a working relationship.  In those rare situations where a transfer becomes necessary, we continue to actively provide care in a support role until the birth.  And, when appropriate, we resume your care at your home or our birth center through the 6 weeks following your birth.

Delayed cord clamping is our normal practice - every time. We wait for the placenta to deliver on it’s own — which might take up to an hour. Then, we have your partner hold the baby skin-to-skin while we check to see if you need sutures. Once you are settled into bed dressed in comfy jammies, we’ll clamp and cut the cord. Then, baby gets breakfast in bed . . . and so do you.

Yes! If you want to catch your baby, we’ll guide you through the whole process.

In fact, ideally, the laboring mother supports her perineum while the baby’d head is emergency. That means the baby’s head will be born straight into the mom’s hands.

Then, as the baby gently emerges, we invite your partner to put their hands next to yours. And your 4 hands claim the baby and move him/her to mom’s chest where Baby can Mom’s heartbeat — the one constant sound since before birth.

Yes!  Childbirth education is a central part of Frisco Midwifery & Birth Center’s care. Before pursuing midwifery, each of us in the practice were certified childbirth educators and trained doulas.  We incorporate education in many of our prenatal appointments.  And, we offer a variety of classes every month.

Learn more about:

• Preparing for Birth

• Breastfeeding for Mommas

• Baby Care Workshop

• Elimination Communication

• Baby Yoga

• Labor Coping Skills

And more!

We want your whole family to feel confident and equipped to take care of your precious baby.

Click HERE to see our class calendar.

Yes. You are welcome to eat and drink during labor.

We  recommend bringing simple options such as soups, light comfort foods, electrolyte drinks, and easy snacks you know you will enjoy.

We also love helping families plan a “celebration breakfast in bed” after the baby is born. You may want to bring a favorite easy breakfast casserole, muffins, fruit, or another simple meal that sounds comforting

Yes, we do need to complete standard prenatal labs and screening so we can identify the right support for you and your baby.

Glucose screening can be done in several ways. We’ll discuss all your options and create a plan that works for you.

This is your birth, and you get to choose who is invited into your birth space.

We encourage you to think carefully about who will truly help you feel safe, private, calm, and undisturbed. Labor usually unfolds best in a quiet, oxytocin-rich environment. For many people, that means keeping the birth space small and intimate.

We usually recommend having your partner and a doula present. Family and friends can often wait nearby or come a couple of hours after the birth, once you and your baby are settled and ready for visitors.

Most babies are not born on their due date, and it is very common to still be pregnant in the 40th or 41st week.

As you get closer to 41 weeks, we begin talking through gentle, natural ways to encourage labor when your body and baby are ready. These may include herbs, specific positioning or exercises, breast pump stimulation, and sometimes a carefully guided castor oil option.

Most of the time, these strategies work well to gently nudge the body toward labor.

Texas midwifery law requires us to transfer your care to the hospital if you reach 42 weeks and have not yet birthed. Because of that timeline, accurate dating is important.

If your cycles are irregular or you are unsure of your exact last menstrual period date, we will talk through your dates carefully so we can use the most accurate due date possible.

Yes. More than 90% of our clients choose to birth in the water.

Each birth suite has a large birth tub, and we also have inflatable birth tubs available to rent for families planning a home birth.

We find that warm water can be a wonderful source of comfort and pain relief in labor. It also helps create a calm, gentle birth experience for both mother and baby.