Frequently asked questions
We like you to have a “Meet the Midwife” visit, so that you can make sure that a birth center birth is right for you. Once that has happened we can schedule your first appointment. We like to have a first appointment in the first trimester (before 12 weeks). But call us at any point you decide you might be interested in a birth center setting.
A Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) is a registered nurse that has received additional training to become a midwife. CNMs can take care of girls when they start having periods and continue caring for them all the way through menopause — we basically can care for you for your lifetime! CNMs are considered primary care providers in the State of Texas, and have prescriptive authority (meaning we can write you a prescription if necessary). We collaborate with physicians, and most CNMs work in hospitals.
Certified Nurse Midwives are considered primary care providers in the State of Texas. If you feel more comfortable seeing a physician then we would encourage you to do so, but it is not necessary to see a doctor to start prenatal care with us. We evaluate your risk factors when you first become a patient, and at several different times throughout your pregnancy. If your risk factors indicate that you need to see a physician, we will absolutely refer you.
Although this is your party, let’s think this thing through. Generally speaking, the more people you have in the room with you, the longer your labor will take. So before you start promising everyone they can come in, you need to think about how that might impact your birth environment. BirthPointe does not have a policy on the number of people you can have in the birth space, but it is best to choose people that will honor your birth decisions and not use that time to question or criticize you. People who give you anxiety, or who you think might be loud or confrontational, should probably be left off the list.
Natural birth is something that you prepare for, and we discuss comfort measures to help you, as well as offer suggestions while you are in labor. We have classes to help educate you on comfort measures, labor positions and how to get your partner involved. There are also different laboring techniques that can help you achieve your natural birth. It is very rare for a woman to have prepared for natural birth with BirthPointe and need to go to the hospital for pain management. Another fantastic thing to have is a doula — these trained professionals work with you to manage the discomfort of labor, and we have a lot of great doulas we’d be happy to tell you about.
40 weeks is an estimation, it is not an appointment. But we also can’t let you stay pregnant forever! At 41 weeks, the Certified Nurse Midwife will check your cervix and determine if you need to be induced. We have a variety of ways to do that without using Pitocin. If you are still pregnant at 42 weeks, we will transfer your care to a hospital setting so they can use Pitocin or other measures to stimulate your labor.
BirthPointe is considered out of network with all commercial insurance. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not value the type of care that we give — they don’t appreciate extra time spent with their members, or personal phone calls to discuss lab results, or that we spend a good portion of your labor with you. As a courtesy to you, we will file your insurance and any reimbursements that we receive will be given back to you according to the contractual arrangements you have with your insurance.
Yes, of course you can! BirthPointe is completely family friendly. Your children will find plenty of toys for all ages, a train table and yes, a permanent kid’s potty in our lobby bathroom.