Best Places to Give Birth in Charlotte, NC

Written By Guest User

Finding the best place to give birth can be hard, which is why I have curated a list of my most recommended places to birth. There are many factors to take into account when deciding where to give birth. Cesarean rate, episiotomy rate, transfer rate, available midwives on-call, the ambiance, and more. Choosing a homebirth practice, birthcenter or hospital that fits your needs and has the highest standard of care, can be a crucial deciding factor in whether or not a mother delivers naturally and with minimal interventions. This is why I urge my clients to choose or tranfer to their ideal birthing place. Even at 30 weeks gestation! I always say, it is never too late to plan the birth you desire and the first step is choosing The Setting.

The setting can look anything from a quiet room in your home to a noisy hospital as long as you feel safe. In Charlotte, there are a few hospitals that I reccomend with amazing Midwifery practices that carry out the traditional practices of midwifery.

My first choice is always homebirth because it gives you the most freedom in choice and creating the birth setting of your dreams. You can have a water birth, walk into your kitchen for a snack and lie down on your bed all in the same day!

At the Natural Beginnings Birth Center, you can have a water birth, use thier shower and relax in the bed as well. You must advocate slightly more for your birth than a homebirth as vaginal checks are typical every 4 hours, but they are non-invasive otherwise. They will not do blood-work, put in an iv port or take your blood pressure during your birth, so you can relax and feel free to birth almost uninterupted.

My third choice is Novant Presbyterian because their are midwives there who support homebirth. You cannot birth in the bathtub (unless you pretend you aren’t in labor and just do it!), and you are often urged to push and go through certain protocols like blood draws, have an IV port, have your blood pressure taken regularly and vaginal checks often. And this is the most supportive hospital! Regardless of how trusting of birth the midwives are, there are still protocols that they must follow, even if you are low-risk.

The Best Places to Give Birth in Charlotte, NC

  1. Homebirth practices

    Homebirth midwives offer the highest standard of care with hour long prenatal appointments, in-person labor support, home visits for your postpartum appointments and an in-depth 6 week postpartum appointment with referrals to pelvic floor therapists, holistic pediatricians and everything you need to thrive through pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Cesarean rates vary by midwife but are typically around 2-5%.

  2. Natural Beginnings Birth Center

Midwife-run: Yes

Water Birth: Yes

Freedom of movement and eating: Yes

Delayed Cord Clamping: Yes

Transfer rate for mothers: 10%

Transfer rate for babies: 2%

C-section rate: 3%!!!

VBACs: No

This practice has a very low transfer rate and is the closest birthcenter in relation to Charlotte. The midwives have a very hands-off approach and are highly supportive of birth plans. The birth center allows for freedom of movement, water-birth, intermittent monitoring, delayed cord clamping, and discharge shortly after birth. The Natural Beginnings Birth Center is located in Statesville and is a very safe and comfortable place for mothers to give birth.


3. Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center (Providence OB/GYN)

Midwives: Yes

Water Birth: No

Freedom of Movement and eating: yes with a midwife provider, no with an OB provider

C-section rate: 21.4%!!!

Rate of Induction/c-section prior to 39 wks without a medical reason: 1.2%

Episiotomy rate: 2.5%!!! (episiotomies are not an evidence-based practice)

Care Providers: Midwives at Providence OB/GYN

This practice is my highest reccomended hospital for those not interested in homebirth or the birth center. The midwives practice the true midwifery model of care and there is always a midwife on-call. They have very nice baths in most of the rooms and have a lot of nurses who are supportive of birth plans, natural birth and doulas.

4. Novant Health Mathews (Carmel OB/GYN)

Midwives: Yes

Water Birth: No

Cesarean rate: 21.5%

Induction/cesarean prior to 39wks without a medical reason: 4.9%

Episiotomy rate: 2.5% (episiotomies are not an evidence-based practice)

Care providers: Midwives at Carmel OB/GYN

The midwives at this practice are pretty good about giving mothers a choice in the way they birth. The birthing room is the same as the postpartum unit which is nice because women do not need to transfer to a new room after birth like at Novant Presbyterian.

5. Novant Health Huntersville

Midwives: Yes

Water Birth: No

C-section rate: 18.1%

Rate of Induction/c-section prior to 39 wks without a medical reason: 0%

Episiotomy rate: 3.6%


This practice has a low cesarean rate and midwives on-call. The midwives do not all practice the midwifery model of care but I find that they do not tend to press induction on their patients.

6. Atrium Health Pineville

Midwives: Yes

Water Birth: No

Cesarean rate: 23.9%

Induction/cesarean prior to 39 wks without a medical reason: 0.7%

Episiotomy rate: 1.9%

This practice is one of the better Atrium practices due to the fact that a few of the midwives are on-call. However the odds of having a midwife at your birth and not an OB/GYN are few and far in-between. There is also only one midwife who truly practices the midwifery model of care and for that reason, this practice is a pretty good choice, but not my ideal one.

7. Atrium Health - University City

Midwives: No

Water Birth: No

Cesarean rate: 26.3%

Induction/cesarean prior to 39wks without a medical reason: 0%

Episiotomy rate: 1.9%

Due to the high volume and lack of midwives at this hospital, it is very low on my list of reccomendations. I find that first time moms are most often pressured to induce before the baby is grown and end up with a cesarean due to failure to progress (a diagnosis that is no longer an ethical diagnosis). It is for these reasons that I do not recommend this practice for any reason.


8. Atrium Health - CMC (Main)

Midwives: No

Water Birth: No

Cesarean rate: 27.0%

Induction/cesarean prior to 39wks without a medical reason: 1.2%

Episiotomy rate: 1.3%

This practice is one of the least favorite practice among most doulas of Charlotte. They strongly encourage cesareans for a big baby (not an ethical diagnosis), strongly pressure for induction and pushing on your back. I always reccomend my clients transfer to another hospital if they are planning to deliver here. They also have one of the highest cesarean rates in the city.

9. Davis Regional Medical Center

Midwives: No

Water Birth: No

Cesarean rate: 38.1%

Induction/cesarean prior to 39wks without a medical reason: 14.8%

Episiotomy rate: 2.4%

This practice has a very high c-section rate due to women being transferred from the Natural Beginnings Birth Center to Davis Regional Medical Center. The only time I reccomend this practice is for a transfer from Natural Beginnings.

I hope this list has helped you narrow your options and aided in the decision process. Pregnancy can be an overwhelming time, but it doesn’t have to be. With guidance and access to the available information in your city, planning your birth can be stress-free and a beautiful experience for you and your family. I wish you the best of luck on your journey ahead.

Love your doula, Shannon

Already chosen your Place of Birth and are wondering what’s next? Choosing the right care provider and creating an Ideal Birth Plan can also play an instrumental role in the standard of care a woman recieves in pregnancy and birth. For more info on reccomended care providers, creating your birth plan and more, contact your local doula and set up a free consultation.

Last Updated: Summer 2024

Sources:

https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/search?findBy=city&zip_code=&city=Charlotte&state_prov=NC&hospital=

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/friedmans-curve-and-failure-to-progress-a-leading-cause-of-unplanned-c-sections/


Guest User
Previous

How to have a Homebirth in Charlotte, North Carolina