Transfer Hospitals

We're prepared

A healthy mother and healthy baby is everyone’s top priority. Sometimes, even the healthiest mothers and babies need help, which is why midwives always have a plan for hospital transfer, if needed. Good care means having a solid plan for handling an unexpected emergency.

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We Stay With You​

In the event of a transfer, your midwife or nurse will remain with you at the hospital as a support person until you decide you are comfortable with them leaving. Once you are released from the hospital, we can resume our usual postpartum care and baby care.

How We Prepare for Hospital Transfers and Emergencies

During your care with us, we discuss hospital transfers and what to expect if that does happen. Almost all hospital transfers are for non-emergency reasons, such as for prolonged labor where the mother desires pain relief. For non-emergency transfers, we typically go to the hospital in our personal vehicles. Often, we can facilitate a midwife-to-midwife transfer, so the family can continue to receive midwifery care in the hospital under the care of the hospital-based CNM.

 

As an accredited birth center, we are required to do emergency drills at least once per quarter. We also are all trained in Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP) and CPR. All staff members (even our office manager) are required to do drills and all clinical staff complete NRP and CPR at least once every two years. 
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Our emergency drills are simulations of the most common obstetrical emergencies, including postpartum hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, cord prolapse, and neonatal resuscitation. We simulate these emergencies both for waterbirth and "land birth." This gives us an opportunity to continue to improve our teamwork and prompt handling of emergencies when they happen.
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All emergency equipment at Premier Birth Center is checked before and after every birth. Our staff are able to provide neonatal resuscitation (bag-mask and laryngeal mask airway), and administer emergency medications, if needed, including oxygen, IV fluids, and antihemorrhagic medications (oxytocin and misoprostol).