THE BIRTH CENTER
The Natural Birth Place, Inc., and the Natural Birth Place Providers, Inc., is the only women's health center and home to San Bernardino's most established free standing, birth center.
Our exclusive birth center, soon to be accredited, is the only birth center in San Bernardino who work towards the standards set by the CABC, for quality, and whose staff hold multiple credentials, which makes us unique in our field.
The founder and director, Maria King, CNM, RN, BSc (Hons), IBCLC, is well respected and admired Midwife who has gained the support and recognition of may OBGYN's, Perinatologists and Pediatrician's whom, also refer clients to her and her practice. She has built a comforting, calming and nurturing place for women and their families to come to for personalized care, where they are empowered, enabled and encouraged to retain their autonomy.
Women have given birth since the beginning of time, and most healthy women can spontaneously birth their infant without intervention. Our role is to observe, monitor and assist as needed, and to provide guidance and direction. In turn, this fosters empowerment. Our women and their families and friends are always treated with the utmost respect and dignity, and considered fit and healthy unless clinically proven otherwise. Having foresight, and expertise in recognizing deviations from the "norm" is critical and essential for safe practice, and asset we pride ourselves in possessing. We are always prepared for any unforeseen occurrences, and know how and when toa act responsibly and effectively, while ensuring as air of calmness is maintained.
We provide a true Midwifery Model of Care
“Just as a woman’s heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth.”
Virginia Di Orio
Why Choose a Midwife?4 Differences Between Midwives and Physicians
Education
The most obvious difference between midwives and physicians is the type of education they receive. An OB/GYN has gone through four years of formal medical school, four years of a medical residency that involves surgical training and an additional three years in a residency specific to obstetrics and gynecology. In most cases, an OB/GYN has never seen a home birth and may have never witnessed a birth in a birthing center. Midwives are also trained but their training is much different. Midwifery training is focused solely on the reproductive care of women, with the specific intent of supporting women through their pregnancy and labor, providing regular prenatal care to the mother and her baby as well as providing post-natal care and breastfeeding support. There are different levels of midwifery training, CNM, CM and LM/CPM.
Different Models of Care
This is where it gets a bit tricky. In the “general world” the midwifery model of care – which is mother-and-child-based – is much different than the medical model, which is about controlled medical management of a safe, healthy pregnancy and birth. This latter view of childbirth has led to medical interventions that are not always necessary, nor are they optimal for positive birth outcomes. However, the pendulum is swinging back into balance. For example, in a practice like ours – where Nurse Midwives are on staff – women can enjoy the best of both models. They can experience a normal healthy pregnancy and birth process (pregnancy is NOT a disease, or a sickness – it is a normal and healthy biological event!) and medical support is close at hand if it is needed.
Healthy vs High-Risk Pregnancy
An educated and trained midwife will never sign on as the sole healthcare provider for a woman who is experiencing a “high-risk pregnancy”. Once a pregnancy is determined to be high-risk, midwives will refer the mother to an OB/GYN if she doesn’t have one of her own so the OB and the midwife can work together as a team for the safest and healthiest outcome for mother and child. This is a wonderful alternative because the mother has all modern medical conventions can offer but still gets the continuous emotional support from her midwife.
The Birthing Experience
An OB/GYN is working in shifts in addition to being on call for her patients. This means that there is often more than one woman at a time in labor, and the
OB is dividing her time between them. In some hospitals, this may mean less one-on-one interaction with the OB. A midwife, or a team of midwives, works with women exclusively and is with the mother from the time true labor begins, all the way through the birth of the baby. Statistically, women who employ the
assistance
of a midwife are less likely to require labor induction, pain medications, epidurals and other medical/surgical interventions, which is why the combination of nurse midwives and OBs can be such a powerful one.
Your Team
Birth Suites
