Birth centers present an excellent, safe option to standard hospital births. Birth centers typically have high satisfaction rates because they provide a home-like experience during childbirth and postpartum. The small and patient-focused care team ensures the best possible birth outcomes for all families. River Valley Birth Center in Minnesota is where women and their families can feel right at home as they navigate the journey to becoming parents.
526 W Park Row Street
St. Peter, MN 56082
River Valley Birth Center in St. Peter, Minnesota, is a wonderful facility where midwives serve families from all over Southern Minnesota. This is the only birth center in South Central Minnesota and an excellent resource for families who seek more natural birth options.
The River Valley Birth Center team aims to build positive relationships with the families they serve. Hence, they purposefully keep the practice small so all families receive attentive care. Erika and Rebeccah have been providing community-based midwifery care since 2014. Erika and Joe Urban founded the practice as a labor of love with over four years of renovations and construction. River Valley Birth Center is unique because it is the only birth center in southern Minnesota.
River Valley Birth Center strives to provide midwifery care through informed consent and shared decision-making. Midwives and patients collaborate to create a plan suitable for their unique experiences and goals because no two pregnancies are alike.
Most care takes place in the office on the first floor of the birth center, but visits can be done virtually as well. After the first visit, where patients go over their complete health history, a customized care plan is created. Prenatal care includes checkups every 4-6 weeks until the third trimester when visits are every 1-2 weeks. The office can order lab work and ultrasounds and recommend prenatal testing.
Clients can also access a lending library full of pregnancy and birth books. There is also equipment for patients to use, including fetoscopes and blood pressure cuffs. Patients can also access informational videos from the comfort of their own homes.
Labor and delivery in the birth center occur in an environment that feels like home. Patients have private rooms, access to a full kitchen, are encouraged to eat and drink, and rooms have radios and Bluetooth speakers. Patients are encouraged to move around as much as possible. For pain relief, a tub or shower is available, as well as nitrous oxide.
River Valley Birth Center also conducts a limited number of home births.
Fourth-trimester care continues after delivery for the first 4-6 weeks postpartum. Midwives do newborn screenings, help with breastfeeding, take vitals, and answer family questions.
River Valley Birth Center’s midwives offer newborn care, including a full newborn exam, assessments, and Vitamin K. Newborn metabolic screenings, newborn hearing screenings, and screenings for congenital heart disease are also available. Newborn checkups continue for the first six weeks after birth.
New patients can learn more about the center by registering for an orientation session. These sessions can be in-person or online, without obligation to continue care here. Tours are done in the office, allowing potential patients to see the birth center for themselves and meet the midwifery team.
Birth centers are a great alternative to traditional hospital settings. Birth centers typically feel more like home. Patients receive family-focused, compassionate care from a skilled team of midwives who assist during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and beyond. At River Valley Birth Center, patients receive the highest level of care in a supportive, safe environment as they embark on the journey to becoming parents.
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