FAQs
General
Exploring Birth Centers: A Comprehensive Overview
A Birth Center represents a specialized facility dedicated to the childbirth process, emphasizing care through a midwifery and wellness approach. Unlike hospitals, birth centers operate independently, offering a unique model of care.
These centers seamlessly integrate into the broader health care landscape, adhering to principles like prevention, compassion, safety, timely medical intervention, and cost efficiency. The cornerstone of a birth center is its commitment to midwifery practices and fostering natural childbirth and neonatal adaptation, setting it apart as the sole focus of its care model.
Central to a birth center's philosophy is the empowerment of women, supporting their right to informed health decisions concerning themselves and their infants, grounded in personal values and beliefs. It champions the involvement of the woman's family, as she identifies them, throughout the pregnancy, delivery, and postnatal stages.
Five Pillars of the Birth Center Experience:
People: Catering primarily to healthy women expecting a low-risk delivery, the staff comprises licensed professionals well-versed in midwifery's scope, alongside access to expert obstetric and pediatric consultancy.
Place: Designed to feel more like an enhanced home environment rather than a downscaled hospital, these centers adhere to strict safety and health regulations, equipped for routine and emergency care, positioned to ensure quick access to surgical interventions if necessary.
Program: A comprehensive suite of services includes prenatal care, continuous health assessments, family participation plans, education on self-care, round-the-clock access to care providers, labor and delivery support, and thorough postnatal and neonatal care, including essential screenings and follow-ups.
Practice of Midwifery: Positioned as primary care, midwifery underscores the natural progression of pregnancy and childbirth, advocating for disease prevention, health promotion, and patient education. It necessitates a collaborative network for laboratory, specialist, and acute care services, delineating primary from acute care as a fundamental tenet.
Part of the System: Birth centers maintain rigorous standards through documented policies, collaborate with community health entities for additional services, and establish protocols for seamless transfers to higher-level care facilities, ensuring a cohesive relationship with the broader health system.
Birth centers embody a holistic, family-centered approach to childbirth, distinguished by their unwavering commitment to natural, informed, and respectful care practices.
We welcome moms from all across North Carolina—many families travel from as far as two hours away to birth with us!
When you think you might be in labor, simply call Haven Women's Health & Birth Center and select option 2 to speak directly with the on-call midwife. Our midwife will triage your situation over the phone, taking into account how far you live from the center and how quickly you tend to birth, to make sure you arrive in time to birth at the center.
If you’d prefer to stay close by as your labor gets started, we have the Hampton Inn & Suites conveniently located within walking distance of our birth center. Haven clients receive a special discounted rate; just call the center at 919-322-0284 for assistance with booking your room, and we’ll help you get that reduced rate.
So, whether you’re coming from Cary or from other parts of the state, we’ll work together to support your birth plans and make sure you get here safely and in time!
While we always wish for a smooth labor and delivery, sometimes we need to adjust our birth plan to protect mama and baby. As a result, we at Haven are strategically located two minutes away from WakeMed Cary, offering a quick seamless transfer to the hospital in the event of an emergency or complication.
Our midwives have the skills and equipment to manage most common problems during labor and birth. They’re also trained to know when hospital care is needed.
If access to a NICU, operating room, or c-section is needed, we will assist you in safely transferring to the hospital. In most cases, a private car is the quickest option (2-minute drive) or 15 minutes by ambulance.
If that happens, we call the staff at WakeMed Cary Hospital so they’re ready for you. Your midwife will go to the hospital with you to get you checked in. Once you get to the hospital, you’ll be under the care of the WakeMed physicians.
Typical traffic conditions in Cary can vary depending on your starting point and time of day. To help you plan, here are approximate travel times from key nearby areas:
From Morrisville: 20-30 minutes
From Cary: 10-20 minutes
From Raleigh: 25-35 minutes
From Apex: 25-35 minutes
From Holly Springs: 20-30 minutes
From Fuquay-Varina: 30-40 minutes
From Durham: 30-50 minutes
From Clayton: 40-55 minutes
From Garner: 20-25 minutes
From Fayetteville 1 hour - 1 hour and 15 minutes
From Pinehurst: 1 hour - 1 hour and 5 minutes
Tips to factor into your drive time:
Check real-time traffic updates using navigation apps like Google Maps or Waze before you leave.
Allow extra time for potential delays during rush hours, typically weekday mornings (7–9 am) and late afternoons (4–6 pm).
Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment to account for unexpected traffic.
By planning ahead and leaving with plenty of buffer, you can help ensure a calm, timely arrival and reduce stress during this special moment.
Yes! We work closely with a trusted network of pediatricians throughout Cary and the surrounding areas to ensure seamless care for your baby after birth. Families at Haven Women’s Health and Birth Center often find great support from these recommended pediatricians who understand and collaborate with our team’s approach to newborn and family care.
To make it easy, you can download our curated list of recommended pediatricians HERE. This list includes providers who share our values of personalized, compassionate care and are experienced partners with our birth center.
If you have any questions or need help connecting with a pediatrician from our list, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at the center. We’re committed to supporting your whole family’s well-being beyond birth!
Need a snack after an appointment or craving the ultimate meal during your birth or postpartum? Cary and the surrounding area is home to a diverse array of food options.
Within a five-minute drive (or delivery) time, you can access:
Panera Bread
Shake Shack
Taziki’s Mediterranean Cuisine
Chicken Salad Chick
Rise Southern Biscuits
Gonza Tacos
Chick-fil-A
Saffron Indian Cuisine
Sassool Mediterranean
Cilantro Indian Cafe
Asali Desserts & Cafe
and more!
Services
When you become a client of Haven, we offer a comprehensive, personalized care package. Our global fee covers:
Complete 40+ weeks of prenatal care
Labor and delivery care at our birth center
Postpartum care
Unlimited visits with a lactation consultant via our New Moms Group
Access to all prenatal and postpartum classes
At Haven, we provide multiple comfort measures for our laboring mothers, such as:
Birth ball
Water birth
Freedom to eat and drink throughout labor
Nitrous oxide
Essential oils (aromatherapy)
Swedish bar
Shower (extra large for 2 or more)
Tens unit
Yes, we do offer water births at Haven Women's Health and Birth Center.
Each of our luxurious birth suites is equipped with a large hydrotherapy tub, allowing you to experience the many benefits of laboring and giving birth in water.
Laboring in water can help increase your mobility, provide pain relief through the warmth and buoyancy, and create a calm, relaxing environment. Many mothers find that giving birth in water results in a more gentle birth experience.
Our midwives are highly experienced in attending water births and will support you throughout the process, ensuring a safe delivery for both you and your baby. We encourage you to discuss your desire for a water birth during your prenatal visits so we can provide guidance and create a birth plan tailored to your preferences.
Community is such an important part of the journey into parenthood.
At Haven, we recommend a hybrid model of care that includes both group prenatal appointments and private prenatal appointments with our midwives.
If you choose to participate in our group model, you’ll meet regularly with the same cohort of other expecting moms in your same stage of pregnancy. This gives you the opportunity to build meaningful community, support one another, learn together, and share resources throughout your pregnancy.
And the connection doesn’t end after birth — once your baby arrives, we invite you to join our free New Moms Group, open to all Haven clients and non-clients. This group is facilitated by a registered nurse and certified lactation consultant, so you can get breastfeeding support anytime you attend. It’s a welcoming space to connect, share, and build friendships with other moms who are in the same stage of life as you.
We do not offer virtual prenatal appointments at this time. However, we do provide free phone consults with our midwives to help you determine if you’re a good candidate for a low-risk birth center birth.
If you’d like to schedule your free phone consultation, please call us at 919-322-0284 and we’d be happy to connect with you and answer your questions.
If you are an expectant patient, we warmly welcome you to explore our upcoming community events and classes, covering topics ranging in nutrition, exercise, labor prep, breastfeeding, and more! If you’re a patient of Haven these classes are included in the cost of your care.
If you’re not a current client, you’re still welcome to participate in our classes!
We’re trained to provide comprehensive primary-care services for women, so we can take care of your annual exams, pap smears and birth control.
And with our deep knowledge of reproduction and pregnancy, we’re ready to help you with fertility information and decisions about genetic testing for you and your partner.
We also offer hormone balancing appointments to support your overall well-being!
Pricing & Insurance
We work hard to make insurance and financial matters as clear and hassle-free as possible. That’s just one more way we take the stress out of pregnancy and birth.
If we’re out-of-network with your plan, we’ll be happy to talk with your insurance company and give you an estimate of your out-of-pocket costs. The overall cost of birth at Haven Women's Health and Birth Center is lower than it is at the hospital; so even if we’re out of network with your plan, your out-of-pocket costs could actually be lower than they would be in-network at a hospital-based practice.
We go over all pricing and insurance details during our free weekly birth center tours.
Yes, our classes, such as childbirth education, nutrition class, and breastfeeding basics, are part of our package fee.
We know that babies are expensive. Being careful with your budget is part of being a good parent, too.
If costs are a concern, we hope you’ll talk with our insurance specialist who will discuss our flexible payment options and work out a payment plan that feels comfortable for you.
At this time, we are not in-network with Medicaid. If you have Medicaid and would like to birth at Haven we recommend our Self Pay rate, we offer two flexible payment plans.
Patient Eligibility
Here at Haven Birth Center we are able to provide safe pregnancy care for women who are considered low risk and have uncomplicated pregnancies. Our midwives continuously monitor you throughout your pregnancy and labor, to determine if it is appropriate to have a birth at our free-standing birth center.
The following are some medical reasons which would prevent patients from birthing at our center:
Prior Cesarean Section
Twins or Multiples
High Blood Pressure
Breech presentation at delivery
Placenta previa
Bleeding or clotting disorders
Liver, Lung, Kidney or Heart disease
Insulin dependent diabetes and/or Gestational diabetes requiring medication
Previous Rh sensitization
Hyperthyroidism requiring medication
Severe current untreated psychiatric illness
BMI (body mass index) over 40
Unmanaged seizure disorders or prior seizure in labor
ACTIVE sexually transmitted infections or blood-borne illness
Significant drug and/or alcohol addiction or abuse
Fetal Growth Restriction
Some abnormalities found on fetal ultrasound
If any of the above apply to you, we will happily refer you to another caring provider group.
We appreciate your interest in exploring options for your prenatal care and birth experience.
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate care for women who have had a previous c-section. We understand this may be disappointing news.
We would be happy to refer you to local hospitals or providers who specialize in VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) and can fully support you through this journey. Please contact us if you would like any recommendations.
Yes, we are happy to assist you in transferring your prenatal care to Haven Women's Health and Birth Center. However, please note that we can only accept transfers up to 36 weeks of pregnancy.
If you're considering a transfer, we encourage you to reach out as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition of care. For more information or to discuss your transfer, please call us at 919-322-0284.
Do you discount care if I transfer late into care?
We do not offer reduced fees for clients who transfer care later in pregnancy. This is because most of our global fee supports the care you receive during labor and delivery, along with the majority of prenatal visits, which tend to be concentrated in the third trimester. Our goal is to provide every client with the same excellent, personalized care throughout their pregnancy, so we keep our fees consistent for everyone. Thank you for understanding!
- Service Information
Join us for one of our free weekly Birth Center Tours and get all your questions answered!
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