Through birth centers, people with low-risk pregnancies experience lower rates of medical interventions and pre-term labor, higher breastfeeding rates, and increased birth autonomy. But there are only about 400 such facilities in the United States.

Black families disproportionately experience negative reproductive health outcomes, including higher rates of maternal and infant mortality, and could greatly benefit from increased access to birth centers.

Birth centers accomplish this by offering:

• Respectful care
• Extended, personalized postpartum care
• Access to community-based midwives who provide culturally responsive care that honors the diverse values and beliefs of their patients