9-19-2024 3:35am

NorthPointe Birth Center: freedom of choice – birth by design

(L-R) Maggie Flanagan and Cammy Roe help to offer a comfortable, soothing atmosphere for pregnant moms and their families to welcome their new baby at the NorthPointe Birth Center, Roscoe, Illinois.

Giving birth is an exciting, awesome experience. Years ago, most women delivered their babies at home, some out of necessity and some by choice. Today, women have options. They can design their own birth experience. While most women deliver their babies in hospitals, home births and birth centers are becoming more prevalent.

NorthPointe Birth Center, 5609 East Rockton Road, Roscoe, Illinois, is a free-standing building on the NorthPointe Wellness Campus. The birth center is a comfortable, serene, home-like setting where family members and friends can participate in the birth process.

The birth center opened in early October 2023. It is owned and designed by Beloit Health Systems.

Maggie Flannigan, Education and Outreach Coordinator at the birth center, said there have been 12 births as of September 3,2024 - nine boys and three girls.

Birth centers are designed to give low risk pregnant women freedom of choice. Expectant mothers are able to plan the birth they desire as well as where they want to deliver their baby. Birth centers are is also less expensive than hospitals. Insurance and self-pay are accepted.

Certified midwives Cammy Roe and Jamie Turner-Rose provide guidance and high standard care for the mothers and babies from early pregnancy, delivery and in-depth post-partum visits.

Midwives have a degree in nursing, plus advanced training in midwifery. “Women know their own bodies. We are there to educate and support them,” Roe said. “Obstetricians are generally supportive of birth centers.”

If an emergency should occur, the patient is transported to nearby Beloit Memorial Hospital, 1969 West Hart Road, Beloit, Wisconsin by the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department.

The midwife program is designed for expectant mothers who want to give birth naturally. Medications, hydrotherapy, and electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) are options for labor pain.

A pregnant woman may choose to have her baby in the comfortable queen-size bed, in the bedroom suite bathtub, or wherever she is most comfortable. “We usually take a hands-off approach. We let Mom drive the train,” Roe said.

In addition, some mothers go through labor, delivery and aftercare with the guidance and assistance of a doula. A doula provides non-medical emotional, physical and educational support. Doulas are welcome at the birth center.

The free-standing birth center offers all the comforts of home, including a fully equipped clinic, a comfortable living room, dining room, three private bedroom suites with individual bathrooms and showers, a patio and firepit, and a complete kitchen for use by family members any time of the day or night.

When the newest baby is born, recessed ceiling lights in the living room, either pink or blue, let everyone know if the newborn is a boy or a girl.

“Dads have been really great,” Roe said. They are hoping to start a birthing preparation (Dad Boot Camp) in the near future.

Healthy mothers and their newborns can be discharged as early as 4 to 6 hours after giving birth. However, Roe said most go home 8-10 hours after delivery.

A complete 6- week postpartum check-up, including mental health screening and any tests or immunizations, is the final step in the birthing process.

NorthPointe Birth Center also offers Well Body Care Service for all women, which includes primary care visits, pre-conception care, birth control, sexual health screening, pap smears, yearly checkups.

Call 815-525-4730 for information and tours.