A new birth center recently opened its doors to the Triangle community. Located along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Chapel Hill, the North Carolina Birth Center will offer a safe alternative to hospital births, but it’s not the first maternity health organization to occupy the space.
The Women’s Birth and Wellness Center operated in the 930 Martin Luther King Jr. spot for nearly three decades before closing in 2022. Ariel Swift, the Director of Outreach and Education for Birth Partners, INC., said it was not intentional for the new NCBC to occupy the same location, but a happy coincidence.
The North Carolina Birth Center located at 930 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
During an open house event last week, Swift said the fact was an advantage in terms of designing the new center since the space had already been set up to be one. And what was especially apparent to the new occupant was the community’s response.
“All through construction we’ve had people in the community stop by and say, “I had my baby here. “Can we see what’s going on?” Swift said. “And even though we haven’t officially been open to the public, we’ve been talking with people who have a rich emotional connection to the center. And we fully anticipate that now that we are open that people will want to come and see us.”
Friday’s event saw a crowd of local birth workers, expectant parents, and families who gave birth at WBWC, and many expressed excitement for having an alternative to hospital births back in the Triangle area.
Founded by midwife Maureen Darcey in 1995, the WBWC had been North Carolina’s oldest, continually-operating birth center. But Darcey was the heart and soul of the center, and it was not the same after her 2019 retirement and the management style changed, according to NCBC’s Outreach and Education Coordinator Mariam Lam.
Darcey passed away in 2021 and many staff resignations followed, leaving the center understaffed by 2022. Lam said it then filed for bankruptcy.
“It was unexpected,” Lam continued. “It was devastating for the community, for the employees, for everybody involved. And so the space was vacant for a little while until birth partners came and acquired the space and learned about the history as they acquired it.”
Swift said there are multiple nods to Darcey throughout the new center, like artwork from the original center, photo books and old articles documenting its history, and a dedication wall to its founder.
“Our logo has an iris in it,” Swift added. “Irises were very important to Maureen, so that was the first thing that we wanted to make sure that we kind of signaled to the community that we’re not here to replace her, but definitely here to just continue the tradition.”
North Carolina Birth Center logo, featuring an iris to honor Maureen Darcey.
The birth center offers full-scope prenatal care for low-risk pregnancies and those interested in low-intervention, out-of-hospital births. In addition to its five clinic rooms and living room-like reception area, NCBC also features four birthing suites, each with a color scheme and theme, and people can choose the room they like best.
There is also a kitchen and living room for waiting families, as well as a rentable classroom and event space for local educators, baby showers, gender reveals, and first birthdays.
A NCBC birthing suite.
Although Swift called birth centers a safe and normal way to have care, they are not necessarily common, with less than 500 centers nationwide. She said a fully-functioning center serves about 300 families a year, and NCBC will offer care to those living within 90 minutes of its location.
Lam said it might not be for everyone, but it is important to offer people the comfort of a home-like birth.
“Our big thing is that people deserve options, right?” Lam said. “And so when it comes to birth, there really is one primary option that people know about, and that’s in-hospital birth. And for a lot of people, that’s not what they want. That can be scary.”
The North Carolina Birth Center offers a home-like environment as an alternative to hospital births.
NCBC is currently accepting patients with November due dates. Swift said the center will “shout it from the rooftops” if they can take those with earlier due dates, but a staff expansion needs to happen first.
“We’re actively looking for midwives to join our staff,” Swift said. “We would love to talk with any midwife that would like to talk with us. We are a practice that is focused around having certified nurse midwives. And so if that is you, please let us know.”
To book a tour of the NCBC, join the newsletter, and learn more about the center’s services, click here.
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