Frequently Asked Questions

 
 

Do you do home birth?

No, we don’t offer home birth. We fully support your choice to have a baby at home but here are some reasons why you may choose our birth center over a home birth: you have roommates, you live with extended family, you live more than 30 minutes from a hospital, your partner is uncomfortable with homebirth, or simply because we take your insurance.

What is a birth center?

A birth center is a home-like facility that provides prenatal, birth, postpartum, newborn care and women’s health to healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies using the midwifery model of care. Birth centers are an integrated part of the healthcare system, guided by principals of prevention, sensitivity, safety, appropriate medical intervention and cost effectiveness.

Can I just come deliver my baby there?

No. The birth center program is comprehensive, it includes prenatal care, an education program, labor, birth, postpartum and newborn care.

Is it safe to have a baby at an out-of-hospital birth center? What happens in an emergency?

There is close to 30 years of quality data from the AABC to show the safety of freestanding birth centers run by midwives caring for low risk women, see https://www.birthcenters.org/page/NBCSII. Nurse midwives are experts in normal pregnancy and the natural birth process, and are trained to recognize the early signs of complications. The birth center is equipped for emergencies, for instance postpartum hemorrhage and neonatal resuscitation, although rarely needed. Serious emergencies are avoided by sticking to a strict low-risk criteria. If the need to transfer to a higher level of care develops, the closest hospital is less than 1 mile away.

What kind of experience does your staff have?

Our nurse midwives all have both high-risk hospital labor and delivery experience and low risk out-of-hospital experience. The nurse midwives have attended hundreds of births, some have attended thousands, most of them have stopped counting. Our RN team all have neonatal experience, many are also board certified lactation consultants. ALL of our clinical staff who attend births carry current certification in Neonatal Resuscitation.

Do you deliver in the hospital?

No, if a hospital delivery is required you will be transferred to one of our OB colleagues.

Can I come to Midtown Nurse Midwives if I already started care with another provider?

We welcome clients who change course during their pregnancy. We do not accept transfers after 32 weeks of pregnancy and STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you not to wait, as the more time we have with you the better we can do by you. We require full records from your current provider before we can accept the transfer. And we provided full pregnancy/birth care, meaning you may not be cared for by our practice and by an OB at the same time.

Do you take insurance?

Yes, we are contracted with Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna, Tricare and Triwest Healthcare Alliance (VA). We are in-network with HealthNet, United Healthcare, Western Health Advantage, Hill Physicians and River City medical groups. We participate with Blue Shield of California and bill all Blue Cross Blue Shield plans directly. Health benefits vary based on the actual plan. Our in-house billers will fight on your behalf to get your claims paid. 

What if I have Kaiser?

Kaiser members can self-pay for our services. Birth center clients with Kaiser insurance may go to Kaiser for labs and ultrasounds to avoid paying for those out of pocket.

What if I have MediCal?

We accept some managed MediCal plans for our maternity services like River City, Nivano or Peach Tree. We do not accept “straight” MediCal.

How much do you charge?

This is best answered on a case by case basis after we run your insurance benefits. Clients will be given a financial estimate of patient responsibility at the time of service and over-payments will be refunded after all insurance claims are processed.

Is the Birth Center the right place for me?

Some conditions can increase the medical risk of your pregnancy, and therefore may require care at a place with more resources than a freestanding birth center. The below list includes these conditions that we will not be able to care for at the birth center. Please note, this list is for pregnancy and birth only and does not affect our availability to care for you in other services.

  1. Previous cesarean or myomectomy

  2. High blood pressure of any type

  3. Type I Diabetes

  4. Gestational Diabetes not controlled by diet

  5. BMI above 40

  6. Incomplete prenatal care or no prenatal care before 20 weeks

  7. Transfers of care after 32 weeks

  8. Twins or other multiples

  9. Breech presentation at the onset of labor

  10. Fetal anomaly

  11. Placenta previa

  12. Other abnormalities of the placenta on a case by case basis

  13. Heart disease or serious heart defect

  14. Kidney disease

  15. Drug use (including THC), alcohol abuse or any amount of smoking

  16. Sickle cell anemia

  17. Severe anemia (Hematocrit below 30 or Hemoglobin below 10)

  18. HIV

  19. Heptitis B

  20. Marfan’s Syndrome (including family history of first degree relative)

  21. Previous Rh sensitization (Rh negative blood type OK)

  22. Pap smear CIN III confirmed (within the last year)

  23. Active tuberculosis

  24. Paraplegia or quadriplegia

  25. Active anorexia or bulimia within the last year

  26. Malabsorptive Bariatric Surgeries

  27. Uncontrolled thyriod disorder

  28. POTS

Can I get a pap or GYN care if I’m not pregnant?

Yes! Call for an appointment: 916-936-2229.

My teenage daughter needs to get on birth control, and I want her to have a good experience.

We can do that! Seeing a Nurse Midwife is a wonderful way for an adolescent to have a good first experience. Did you know that pap smears are unnecessary under the age of 21? Contact us to find out more.

Can you prescribe medications?

Yes! Birth control, antibiotics and Domperidone, among others.

Do you come to my house for lactation visits? What if I live in Roseville / Folsom / Elk Grove?

******************** home visits are currently on hold ******************************************

Yes, we can send our lactation consultants to see mothers and babies in their own home for lactation care but home visits can not be billed to insurance. No, we don't care if its messy, we have kids too! Visiting the MiLC Clinic is often faster and much cheaper, please call to talk about the options.

I had problems breastfeeding my first child. Is there a way to make it work this time?

Yes! Call us to schedule a one-on-one prenatal lactation class. We can explore your previous experience to pinpoint what went wrong and why. Many breastfeeding issues stem from circumstances surrounding birth and the early postpartum period, and many could have been avoided.

I took a breastfeeding class, and saw a lactation consultant in the hospital but my baby just won't latch on right!

Sometimes babies are not ready to feed well before you are discharged from the hospital. We can help you and your baby get back to your instincts and bond again to achieve relaxed, easy feeding.

Do you accept volunteers and students?

High school and college students: No, an intimate healthcare setting like ours is not an appropriate place for prospective health care students to shadow us.

Volunteers: Offers of volunteer “help” is not actually helpful, it takes our attention away from our patients and our duties.

RN students: No, unfortunately we do not have the resources to provide clinical experiences in a small practice like ours.

Midwifery students: We only accept midwife students who we are planning to hire after graduation. If you are a CNM or LM student who would like to work here upon graduation please email a resume to bsasaki@midtownbirthcenter.com .