[1][2] Some hospitals have birth centers as an alternative to the usual high tech maternity wards.
[3] These centers also offer opioid injections (Pethidine) and Entonox gas as a way to help alleviate pain.
In comparison with traditional hospital wards, home-like settings had a trend towards an increase in spontaneous vaginal birth, continued breastfeeding at six to eight weeks, and a positive view of care.
[6] Like clinics, birth centers arose on the East and West Coasts in the 1970s, as alternatives to heavily institutionalized health care.
Some birth centers are required to obtain accreditation in order to apply for state licensure, or to become in-network with certain insurance plans.
Many birth centers chose voluntarily to undergo accreditation to demonstrate their commitment to safety and continuous quality improvement.
Birth center applications for accreditation are reviewed by Commissioners on the board of trustees of the CABC.
The CABC works with policy advocacy organizations to advance and promote birth centers and the midwifery model of care.
Due to the latter practice, fathers occasionally end up delivering their own children before the midwife or OB can arrive if a homebirth is selected.
[11][12] In a response to the National Maternity Action Plan, State and Territory Governments in 2002 started to respond to consumer demand for an increased number of birth centers to be made available to women.
The Netherlands has seen a growth in the number of locations for giving birth, other than homebirth or hospital maternity wards.
[13] Most community midwives work in group practices and only refer patients to hospital obstetric units for labor complications.
[13] A three-year study focusing on the remote Solukhumbu District explored access to perinatal care and found that 36% of deliveries took place in a health facility.