Minnesota Birth Center Blog

Transferring Care

Over the course of your pregnancy, you will inevitably learn and unlearn so many things about having a baby and being pregnant. During this time, it’s natural to feel a shift in your usual birthing philosophy.

A lot of women feel unsatisfied with the care they receive at hospitals and might want to transfer their care to a stand-alone birth center such as the Minnesota Birth Center, for better care, individualized attention, and natural techniques of coping with labor. 

If you’re considering transferring your care to Minnesota Birth Center, here’s what you need to know!

What Are The Prerequisites

Before you choose to transfer your care, know that Minnesota Birth Center specializes in natural physiological birth without medical intervention. Please review our list of risk factors that might prevent you from having a natural birth. 

If you feel that you’re a candidate for a natural birth, here are some things to think about while transferring care:

• Get a complete record of your prenatal care (so far) from your previous place of care transferred to Minnesota Birth Center
• Attend the Minnesota Birth Center orientation
• Consider attending classes on birth education if it’s your first pregnancy
• Ask us about doula services

How Can I Transfer My Care?

Book an appointment or email us to let us know that you’re interested in transferring your care. If you’re emailing us, make sure to mention your current gestational age and past birthing history. Also, mention your current care provider and your reason for seeking a transfer. We’ll guide you from there onwards.

You will have to arrange for the transfer of medical records for the current pregnancy using the release of information form and having it faxed to us at (612) 224-9622. Please ensure that your medical records are transferred to us prior to your visit and that you plan on attending the orientation. Our team will then review your records and confirm your transfer. 

How Late In The Pregnancy Can I Transfer?

We recommend women come establish care before their 32nd week to help build the relationships with our midwives. However, we might accept transfers later than that in some circumstances. Send us a message today to start your care with us! 

Well-Woman Care at Minnesota Birth Center

Even if you’re not pregnant, proactively taking care of your health should be of paramount importance. According to experts, every woman must have a yearly well-woman checkup.

What Happens During A Well-Woman Check-Up?

Well-woman care is focused on preventive care for women, rather than care for a specific disease or illness. It includes:

• A detailed history of your overall health during the past year, along with any notable changes or concerns you’d like to talk about
• An examination of the genitals and breasts 

Your health provider may suggest additional screening tests or treatment based on your history and physical exam. 

Some services we offer at the Minnesota Birth Center include:

• Pap smears
• UTI testing & treatment
• STI testing & treatment
• Treatment for period problems
• Treatment for painful sex
• Preconception counseling
• Birth control and family planning, including IUD placement
• Prescribing of certain medications

Importance of Well-Woman Care

The entire concept of well-woman visits is based on the idea that regular preventive care helps us deal with serious diseases and morbidity associated with them. Along with preventing disease, the importance of counseling regarding birth control, sexual health, and preconception care is immense in improving women’s reproductive health. Women who are counseled regarding reproductive health are better equipped to take care of themselves during pregnancy, menopause, and other physiological changes in their bodies.

Difference Between Well-Woman Care At a Birth Center and OB/GYN

At a birth center like the Minnesota Birth Center, we believe in making all aspects of your care, including well-woman visits, as comfortable for you as possible.

We have created a home-like environment for our clients at the birth center. You will be able to tell this the minute you step into our waiting rooms, which are designed to be comfortable and peaceful and avoid the clinical feeling of typical health care practices.

Our appointment times are longer because our checkups are more comprehensive. This is different from the usual OB/GYN appointments that seem to only last for 5 minutes before they’re calling in the next patient!

Overall, well-woman care at a birth center is aimed to be more personalized to each client by providing a close-to-home, comfortable environment. The aspects of care covered during this visit are pretty similar to what you would experience in a hospital setting, except that a licensed doctor might be able to offer certain surgical interventions that we can’t.

The Minnesota Birth Center accepts all major insurances for well-care visits. They include the following:

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield
• Cigna
• Aetna
• Medica
• HealthPartners
• PreferredOne
• UCare
• UMR
• United Health Care. In addition, MBC is a participating provider with United for the VA Community Care Network program.

For clients with Medical Assistance, we are able to accept coverage via straight MA, BCBS-MA or UCare-MA. Regardless of your insurance company, be sure to call them ahead of time and make sure they cover well-woman care at the Minnesota Birth Center.

Call us today to book your well-woman visit with us! 

Why Freestanding Birth Centers are Safe

In the months leading up to your baby’s birth, you’ll be faced with dozens of different decisions to make. How you choose to deliver is one of the most important ones.

The two main ways women deliver are: conventional hospital birth and natural birth at a free-standing birth center. No one way is better than the other, and the final decision you make boils down to personal preference and whether you qualify for a natural birth or not.

However, should you choose to deliver at a free-standing birth center, you should know that it’s safe and encouraged for mothers that do not require immediate medical assistance.

How Is It Safe?

Before you choose to deliver at a free-standing birth center like the Minnesota Birth Center, we would first have a consultation with you to make sure you qualify for normal physiological birth and do not have any risk factors that would prevent you from doing so. 

Once you are accepted into our care, our highly qualified team of midwives and nurses will monitor your progress throughout your pregnancy to make sure you’re doing well and have a positive, safe birthing experience.

According to the latest research, women that choose to deliver at a free-standing birth center had the following positive outcomes:

• More chances of spontaneous vaginal delivery
• Better perineal integrity
• Lower risk for emergency C-section
• Satisfactory care during the labor

How Do We Make Sure You Have Safe Labor?

The Minnesota Birth Center has been licensed and accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers since 2012. Your care is provided by midwives and nurses. You’ll be happy to know that all our midwives are Certified Nurse Midwives, which are licensed healthcare professionals who specialize in women’s reproductive health and childbirth.

They are trained to handle all aspects of

• Prenatal care, including nutrition and screening for risk factors
• Childbirth
• Natal resuscitation 
• Postnatal care

Our team will look after you and make sure you are fully satisfied with all aspects of your care. You will also have access to consultations with Dr. Steve Calvin, a board-certified Ob/Gyn should you have any concerns regarding your or the baby’s health.

We also have our friends at the St.Paul fire department, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and United Hospital on board. So in case of any unforeseen complications, we can safely and efficiently transfer you to a hospital where you can receive the medical attention you require. Even if you have your baby at the hospital, we will continue to provide postpartum care for you and your baby should you choose to receive it.

If you have any other questions about normal physiological birth or the Minnesota Birth Center and our service, please refer to our FAQs or contact us.