Labor and delivery options at Methodist Hospital Family Birth Center

From hearing your baby’s heartbeat for the first time to the first night at home, getting ready to have a baby is a journey. And choosing a birth center is an important decision along the way. When you choose the Family Birth Center, you’re choosing a state-of-the-art place to welcome your little one, with a full range of care options that are highly personalized. At our birth center, you’ll find:

An expert care team, including OB-GYN doctors and midwives working together
A place where doulas are welcome – and volunteer doulas are available if you’d like a doula’s support
A range of pain-management options, including nitrous oxide, epidurals and intrathecal narcotics (ITNs)
Integrative therapies like aromatherapy, acupressure, massage and music therapy
Spa-like water-birthing suites
Large postpartum rooms with Wi-Fi and a comfortable place for your partner to sleep

Birthing options

We can accommodate vaginal and cesarean deliveries, including vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). You’ll find spa-like hydrotherapy tubs for laboring, as well as water birthing suites for families planning on a water birth.

Pain management

Whether you’re planning for an epidural or unmedicated labor and delivery, or you want to explore pain management options, we’re here to support your preferred birth plan.

We offer the following pain management options so you can choose what works best for you throughout labor and delivery:

Epidural
Nitrous oxide
Other pain management medications

The Family Birth Center also offers a variety of integrative therapies to help you have a more relaxed, more comfortable experience. You can choose from complimentary services like:

Aromatherapy
Acupressure bands to help with nausea
Massage therapy
Music therapy

Water births

Many women find that the relaxation benefits of a water birth can make for a gentle, empowering labor and birth experience. And studies show laboring in warm water often reduces the length of labor and the need for medical interventions, like C-sections and episiotomies. The water helps women relax and cope better with contractions, reducing the need for pain medication.

Certified nurse midwives offer water birth as an option for women with low-risk pregnancies, and the remodeled Family Birth Center features four spa-like water-birthing suites with large, freestanding hydrotherapy birthing tubs.

If you’re interested in a water birth, planning ahead is important. You’ll need to be a good candidate for water birth and have few or no risk factors in your pregnancy. Start the planning process by talking with your doctor. You can call 952-993-3282 to schedule an appointment with one of our nurse midwives.

Caring for newborns (and new parents, too)

The first few hours and days after the birth of your child are important to your healing and to your baby’s health. We want to help you feel confident in your new role as a parent, to learn to care for yourself and your new baby and to get ready to go home.

Special care nursery

The Family Birth Center has a Level II Special Care Nursery for newborns who need a little extra care. It’s staffed 24 hours a day by neonatal nurse practitioners who provide continuous high-tech monitoring.

Parents can stay in special care nursery private rooms. Every room has family space, breast pumps and private breast milk refrigerators for your convenience.

Breastfeeding support

Breastfeeding is natural, but it doesn’t always come naturally. Our on-site lactation consultants and the rest of our care team support moms and babies. We make sure you’re ready to breastfeed before you leave the Family Birth Center. You can also get continuing support as you adjust to life at home.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What measures do you take for safety and security?

To help ensure safety at all times, we screen and register each visitor who enters our secured unit.

After delivery, your baby will have two unique Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital ID bracelets put on immediately. Our baby identification system will also include a matching wristband for you, as well as one for your partner or someone else of your choice. This identification is checked each time your baby is brought to you.

Do you offer newborn photography?

Yes. Newborn photos are available through First Day Photo . The portrait session is free and takes place in the comfort of your room. You’ll view your proofs in your room shortly after your session, and you’ll have the option to buy a package if you’d like. You’ll get high-resolution digital images, including full copyright permission so you can make unlimited prints and use the images online.

Do you offer in-room massage?

What does it mean to be a Birthing-Friendly hospital?

The “Birthing-Friendly” designation is used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to describe high-quality maternity care. CMS developed this designation as part of its efforts to further advance maternity care quality, safety and equity.

Methodist Hospital earned this designation by participating in a statewide or national perinatal quality improvement collaborative program and implementing evidence-based quality interventions to improve maternal health.