CHOICES
In 2020, CHOICES: Center for Reproductive Health opened Memphis’s first and only free-standing birth center. It was more than just a milestone; it was a movement toward reproductive freedom. Our birth center was created to meet an urgent and undeniable need in Memphis: a safe, affirming, and empowering space for all people to give birth.
Unlike a hospital, CHOICES’ birth center offers a home-like environment designed for comfort, mobility, and freedom. There are no bright overhead lights, no strangers walking in and out of the room, and no pressure to rush your birth. Instead of rigid protocols and unnecessary interventions, we offer personalized care from licensed midwives who stay with you throughout your entire labor and delivery. For low-risk pregnancies, this model is not only safe, but it’s often more comfortable, with lower rates of cesarean birth and medical complications.
Our birth center offers a different model, one grounded in dignity, autonomy, and joy. We follow the Midwifery Model of Care, a comprehensive, evidence-based approach that centers the needs, values, and voices of pregnant people.
Here is how it works:
1. People- and Patient-Centered Care
Midwifery is rooted in informed choice. That means we take time to teach you about your body, your pregnancy, and your options so you can decide what’s best for you. Every decision is made in partnership with you, not for you. This is care that listens, respects, and empowers.
2. Trust in the Natural Process
Midwives trust your body’s wisdom. We know that for most pregnancies, birth doesn’t need to be a medical emergency. It can be a powerful, even transformative, experience. We’re there to monitor your health and your baby’s, to guide you through labor, to suggest comfort measures, and to offer encouragement every step of the way.
3. Minimally Invasive, Maximally Supportive
Studies show that people who give birth in birth centers with midwives are less likely to experience unnecessary interventions like cesareans, inductions, or episiotomies. That’s not just about avoiding procedures; it’s about avoiding trauma and protecting your physical and emotional health.
4. Collaborative & Family-Oriented
Midwifery care includes your support network, whether that’s a partner, doula, friend, or family member. Your birth plan is created with you and your community in mind, and we’re here to help make it happen.
5. Continuity of Care
Your relationship with your midwife doesn’t end when the baby arrives. From postpartum healing to breastfeeding support and emotional check-ins, we stay with you well into the “fourth trimester.” Some families stay connected with their midwife for months, or even years, after birth.
At CHOICES, we’re not just delivering babies. We’re delivering a new vision for reproductive health in the South. A vision where every person – Black, Brown, queer, rural, young, uninsured, or undocumented – has access to birth that is safe, sacred, and theirs.
Birth should be joyful. It should be about love and strength and possibility. And when it happens on your terms, surrounded by people who believe in your body and your choices, it can be.
If you’re pregnant and interested in midwifery care at CHOICES, the first step is simple: give us a call or visit our website to schedule a consultation. The average cost of giving birth at CHOICES is much lower than at a hospital, and we accept most major insurance plans, including Medicaid.
