Better birth begins
with

Better birth begins with

Personalized pregnancy care with options of home birth, water birth, and luxurious birthing suites
Experience holistic, midwife-led care throughout your journey.
Prenatal care
Prenatal checkups in a comfortable space, with a small team that gets to know you.
Natural birth
Give birth in your home, one of our birthing suites, or at the hospital with a midwife serving as a support doula.
Postpartum support
Care for you and your baby up to 6 weeks postpartum, with access to message an on-call midwife when questions arise.

Certified midwives dedicated to informed birth options.

Brookhaven Midwifery and Natural Birth Center is a freestanding, full-service birth center established in 2010.
1000+
births since 2010
14
years of experience

Explore the center

Comfortable appointment rooms, homelike birth suites, and space for community

What Brookhaven families say

"Being able to say that I had my first baby un-medicated, at home, in a pool, is the greatest accomplishment of my life! My experience was absolutely wonderful and I am extremely grateful to have been able to have this opportunity."
Kasey
"My first five deliveries occurred in the hospital. After birthing my sixth in the water, I can truly say this was the most amazing and relaxed delivery. I wish I had birthed all of my children at Brookhaven."
Elizabeth
"When I signed up to have my baby at Brookhaven it felt like I was joining a family whose goal was to give their very best for me and my baby. I have never been more satisfied with care anywhere. Brookhaven’s service goes above and beyond."
Lauren
"The midwives were all so accommodating, I grew close to each one and will dearly miss our appointments. Thank you for the support during labor, you definitely changed my perspective on birth and encouraged me to have more natural births!"
Katie
"I loved the peaceful environment where I could focus during labor and delivery, free of tons of machines, monitoring sounds, and nurses coming and going constantly. The midwife and assistant were attentive when we needed them and also gave me the space I personally needed to get through."
Rachel

Your team

Our midwives rotate between being in the office, on call, and getting much-needed time off. Appointments are scheduled so you'll get to know all the staff leading up to your birth.
Meet all

Frequently asked questions

What is your pricing?

We strive to make out of hospital pregnancy care accessible to all families through adjustments for income, payment plans and insurance. We will work with you to set up a payment plan that fits your budget. We bill all major health insurers, and will work to get you the reimbursement you deserve. The average out of pocket cost for our care is $6,100, with adjustments for income and household size. Please schedule a consultation to discuss these options further, and visit our financial page page for more details.

Do you accept insurance?

We can bill most insurances for reimbursement at an out-of-network rate. We accept Medicaid, and also love working with cost-sharing insurance companies. Our staff can walk you through the process and answer any questions.

Do you accept Medicaid?

Our midwives are contracted with Fee For Service Medicaid. Our facility is not contracted with Medicaid so there are some out of pocket expenses for our Medicaid clients.

Do you offer ultrasounds and labs?

We offer elective ultrasounds in our office and are able to order ultrasounds at several other facilities as well, depending on which place is more convenient for our clients. We do recommend an anatomy scan around twenty weeks of gestation and occasionally recommend ultrasounds to confirm the baby’s position, rule out multiple gestation, or at the request of our clients. There are a few other potential reasons to get an ultrasound which we will discuss with you during your care. Breast screening ultrasounds for early breast cancer detection also available.

We are able to process labs and bloodwork. We inform clients of any tests before administered in order for them to choose what is best for them and their baby.

Do I need to receive care from an OB-GYN or other doctor at any point in my pregnancy?

Certified Professional Midwives are licensed to provide complete prenatal care for the childbearing year. Your midwife will serve as your primary care provider for your pregnancy and postpartum. However, there are times when we may refer clients to a physician for specialized care, or for a transfer of treatment if deemed necessary.

Who can be with me at the birth?

Anyone both parents agree to have present is welcome to be at the birth. This can include family, friends, and even siblings! Our birth suites are spacious, including a private patio area, and are adjacent to a comfortable waiting area and kitchen. We do ask that anyone who attends be supportive of your birth decisions, and that a designated adult supervise any children who may be present.

Can I have pain medication during labor?

While we do not provide pain medication, we do provide many natural techniques for coping with pain at your birth. These include massage, aromatherapy, hypnotherapy and, our favorite, water! We have two deep immersion birth pools available in our birth suites, and offer rentals for home births.

For mothers who prefer to give birth at the hospital for safety concerns, pain relief or other reasons, we offer a planned hospital birth midwifery care package. If a mother in labor at home or the birth center desires narcotic relief, we will transfer her to the hospital for it.

What are the cleaning procedures after a birth?

If you choose to have your baby at the birth center, you will not need to do any clean up at all. Birth is not nearly as messy as many people imagine and we do a good job of keeping any mess contained. At a home birth, we keep one garbage bag designated for trash and one for laundry. Before we leave your home we have all trash in the bag and ready to be placed on your curb, and we throw a load of laundry in the washer. (We don't stay to fold and put it away – sorry, dad!) If you plan on having several friends or family members attend the birth, we suggest a designated person to help with tidying up kitchen and waiting space so this is not left for mom or dad after everyone leaves.

What is the partner's role in a natural birth?

Your main role during the birth is to simply be present with your partner. She will be doing a lot of hard work and will want to know that you are nearby throughout the process. Some women have specific expectations of their partners, so ask her what she has in mind, but remember that it may all change once she is actually experiencing labor. The things we most often see men do for their partners are offer her a drink, rub her back, hold her hand, and/or place a cool rag on her neck or forehead. They can also do the honor of "catching" when baby comes out.

Do you accept twins, breech birth, or VBAC?

Yes! As long as the pregnancy remains healthy and low risk, we welcome and have great success with natural twin, breech and Vaginal Birth After Cesarean births. We also offer our Easy Access Midwifery Care package for anyone who wishes to receive our holistic prenatal / postpartum care, but give a planned birth at the hospital due to safety or other concerns.

Do you offer free consultations?

We offer weekly free group tours and consultations. During this session you are given a tour of our facility with a thorough overview of our care model and practices including, statistics, protocols, scheduling, services, cost, and billing. You also get to meet some of our staff including a midwife who will take the time to answer all of your questions. We do ask that if you schedule a consultation 28 weeks gestation or beyond, please bring a copy of your medical records with you.

We also offer private 45 minute consultations for those that cannot make a group tour date or who desire privacy for asking questions. We charge a $75 fee for this service which can be put toward your total midwifery care fee.

Is out of hospital birth safe?

It has been strongly proven that out of hospital birth with low risk mothers is as safe, and in some regards safer, than hospital birth. In the case of a complication during labor and delivery, we are just a mile away from Sentara RMH and have procedures in place for conducting a transfer. However, transfers to the hospital are typically non-emergent, and occur due to seeking pain relief or other medical interventions to help with labor.

We encourage families to do research and consider what birth option is best for them. Our Easy Access Midwifery Care package is a great fit for those who wish to receive holistic prenatal care from our midwives, but give birth at the hospital due to safety or other concerns. If you have specific questions about your medical conditions and birth options, please schedule a free consultation with us. We welcome twin births, breech births, and vaginal birth after cesarean.

What happens if there is an emergency during a birth?

Certified Professional Midwives have extensive training in birth emergencies and are certified in neonatal resuscitation and infant and adult CPR. In the event that we need to go to the hospital with an emergency, we would activate EMS and take an ambulance. In a non-emergent event we will simply transport via private vehicle. Brookhaven’s location was chosen for its proximity to the hospital, just a mile away.

What are your birth rate statistics?

Below are our current stats as of the end of 2021. Please call us if you have any questions about these statistics. We’d love to tell you more!

Vaginal Birth Rate = 93.55%
C-section Rate = 6.45%
VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) Success Rate = 100%
Episiotomy Rate = 0%
Water birth Rate = 29%
Home birth Rate = 22%

Join us today!

Questions? Send us a message or join one of our weekly free group consultations.
Upcoming Events

Join us for one of our weekly group tours and consultations. See events calendar for details.