INCREASED POST COVID DEMANDS FOR HOME BIRTHS & BIRTH CENTERS

Since the pandemic happened, giving birth in a hospital setting has become a lesser option to expecting families. As pregnant women become more at risk with the spread of the Covid-19 virus, families choose a location that is less part of the main healthcare system and its regulations and infection risk exposure. Giving birth at home has become a more enthralling choice as well. Now that the pandemic is almost over, women have reconsidered their birth plans, increasing the demands of home birth and birth center facilities. According to The New York Times and Chicago Tribune, midwives across the country are experiencing a surge of interest in home births. A recent study of Jama Network proves that homebirths practitioners have reported an increase in their services. (Trends in Home Birth Information Seeking in the United States and the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 Pandemic)

Most of our today’s families looking for best birthing options would be a great candidate for out of hospital births. We are in an amazing time in history for massive demands and needs for access to midwifery services, particularly in the out of hospital setting. Let’s take this momentum and show our communities the care we provide. Consider precepting and expanding your practice from solo to a team model of midwives. See how you can improve the backdrop efficiency of your practice to keep up with these demands while still taking care of yourself. I love helping midwives all over the country fulfill their ultimate practice dreams with strategic planning, improving their revenue streams, and expanding services to help fill the needs of families better.

Especially birth centers, the grants and funding available to start this venture has never been more pronounced! To me, birth centers fill the perfect balance of home and hospital services where midwives can support communities at a concrete location versus burning out driving a large home birth radius they serve. The midwives can take a bit more clients doing birth center than home birth practices can with keeping their care high quality and safe. Many insurances recognize birth center deliveries over home birth deliveries so families can also benefit from having their insurance plans cover the midwifery services desiring for their birth experience.

Covid-19 just proved to us that we can adapt to anything. Even this spread of the virus taught us that staying at home is not a bad idea at all. This pandemic has unveiled the true importance of midwives in keeping the health of mothers and babies as well as all members of the family. It greatly showed us the challenges every midwife is facing in the healthcare system, and not being recognized at all. It also proved that midwife is capable of surviving within this ever-changing world and can provide the care everyone needs. By this, we can definitely agree that midwives play not just vital but a very important role in our ever-changing world.