Mercy Birthing Center Midwifery Care - St. Louis
A Home-Like Birth
The Birthing Center offers women a home-like birth, with high touch and low intervention. Certified nurse midwives help women deliver their babies in a more natural environment. Doulas and family members are welcome to be part of the birthing experience. We have several offerings for moms seeking a more natural childbirth:
- VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean section) after one previous cesarean delivery, with or without one previous vaginal delivery
- Well Women Care - this has been requested by our moms who have previously given birth in our Birthing Center
- Nitrous oxide to help women get over the hump of discomfort during labor - controlled by mom when she needs it. For more information, read the story about nitrous oxide in our newsroom.
The Mercy Birthing Center Midwifery Care is run by midwives with masters and doctoral degrees - all certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB). They attend your baby's birth and provide prenatal care, postpartum care and early newborn care. You will receive the same testing opportunities, such as genetic screening and ultrasound, as you would with a physician. In the event of a medical need, our nurse midwives collaborate with Mercy obstetricians. If you need to transfer to our regular Labor and Birth suites during your labor, your nurse midwife with will go with you upstairs and continue your care.
Most mothers and babies go home with their families four to six hours after giving birth and return the next day for follow-up care, or move to a Mother/Baby room for a traditional 1-2 day stay. We will check on both of you after you go home. Your baby receives the same testing after birth that all newborn babies receive at Mercy.
The cost of this type of natural birth is similar to a traditional birth, and it is covered by most insurance plans. We also have self-pay options for those without health insurance.
Find out more about our guidelines for a low-risk birth at Mercy Birthing Center.
For more information on Mercy Birthing Center Midwifery Care, please call 314-251-7955.
Birthing Center Classes
Our natural childbirth classes provide the knowledge and confidence you need before, during and after your baby’s birth.
This class is perfect for families to care for themselves at home, in the first few days after birth. This class is required for all families planning to go home a few hours after baby's birth.
This class combines natural birth preparation, lactation education and the early discharge class into a six-week series. Expectant moms and their birth partners will gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to enjoy a natural birth, breastfeed their baby and prepare for their first days at home together.
Register for a natural birth preparation package class series >
This class is for women and their partners who have had a previous natural birth. A review of labor support techniques, breastfeeding and instructions for early discharge are included in this program.
This class is for women have had a previous cesarean delivery.
