Imagine welcoming your baby into this world in a calm, peaceful environment surrounded by loved ones and qualified health care professionals. You wear your own clothing, eat and drink, labor and birth in whatever position feels best for you and your baby, free from IVs or continuous fetal monitoring, unless medically necessary. After your baby is here, you are able to go home 4-12 hours after birth and enjoy the comfort of your own home, knowing that you will be seen by TMC nurses typically within the next 3 days for a full exam for yourself and your new baby.
This is just a snapshot of the care we provide at The Midwife Center. We believe that pregnancy and birth are a normal, natural part of life and that our job is to ensure your safety and comfort during this time. We provide high-quality, evidence-based care. We follow the national standards set by The American Association of Birth Centers, are licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and we are nationally accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers. Learn more below.*
Too many women and birthing people in the United States are subjected to prenatal and birth care that is "one size fits all." At TMC, we provide individualized care that specifically fits the needs of each of our clients and their families.
We believe that pregnancy and birth are a normal, natural part of life
Additionally, we are able to provide services that are rarely offered in the Pittsburgh area. This includes the use of nitrous oxide for pain relief in labor and the option to labor and/or birth in water. Learn more about our birth options.
Our home-like facility is located on Penn Avenue in the Strip District. The first floor of our center houses three nature-themed birth suites, each with its own large bathroom with a tub, our family kitchen and extra space for family members and support people for clients in labor. Upstairs is a large waiting room, classroom, appointment rooms, a lab, a behavioral health and wellness room, and administrative offices. Our extensive library is available to clients as well. Take a virtual tour of our birth center.
Like all CNMs, our midwives are certified by examination through the American College of Nurse-Midwives Certification Council and licensed by the state of Pennsylvania.
Our midwives also work collaboriatively with our midwife and physician colleagues at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, West Penn Hospital, and Jefferson Hospital to ensure a smooth transition to hospital-based care if the medical need arises during pregnancy, labor, or postpartum.
Our birth center combines the comforts of a home-like environment with the safety of high quality health care. The Midwife Center has been serving our community since 1982 and has excellent safety statistics that can be viewed on our stats page.
The midwives and nurses at The Midwife Center gave me an extraordinary high standard of care when it came to the physical needs of myself and my baby. What sets them apart is the care they provided for my emotional needs after a long labor. They understood what I was going through and created a safe and welcoming environment when I was at my most vulnerable. - Kelly, a client
* More information:
- Read The American Association of Birth Center's Birth Center Standards
- Learn about the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC), which The Midwife Center is accredited by.
- Read about the National Birth Center Study II (NBCSII), which The Midwife Center participated in.
- Read here about how Freestanding Birth Centers have been nationally recognized as a safe place for low-risk people to give birth.
- Read about AWHONN's Position Statement on Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring.
- Learn more about birth center outcomes from the national Strong Start study here.
