Full Circle Birth Center

Let's talk about something that isn't always comfortable to discuss.

Sometimes emergencies happen during birth.

They happen in hospitals.
They happen in birth centers.
And yes, they happen at home births.

No birth setting is completely free of risk.

When emergencies happen, we don't rely on luck. We rely on training.

What kind of emergency training do we have?

Every birth attendant at West Michigan Midwifery and Full Circle Birth Center is certified in Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP). We recertify every two years and regularly practice emergency drills between certifications so our skills stay sharp.
Beyond our required certifications, many of us have pursued additional advanced education, including:
• Birth Emergency Skills Training (BEST), which focuses specifically on managing obstetric emergencies in community birth settings.
• Maternal & Neonatal Outlier training, which teaches recognition and management of emergencies that present outside the typical textbook picture
• Ongoing continuing education, including our current Functional Maternity course, where we're learning more about how functional lab values throughout pregnancy may influence complications such as postpartum hemorrhage

One thing many people don't realize is that NRP is not the same as CPR.
Newborns require an entirely different approach than infants, children, or adults.

The equipment is different. The resuscitation algorithm is different, even the physiology is different. Newborns are transitioning from fluid-filled lungs to breathing air for the very first time.

Responding appropriately can save a life.
Responding inappropriately can delay the care a newborn actually needs.

Because of that, we carry specialized neonatal equipment that is designed specifically for newborn resuscitation. Sometimes even EMS providers aren't familiar with this equipment as NRP certification is not required for every emergency responder.

At every single birth, regardless of location, our emergency equipment is unpacked and immediately available.

This includes:
• A complete neonatal resuscitation setup with a bag and mask, bulb syringe, DeLee suction device, laryngeal mask airway (LMA), pulse oximeter, newborn stethoscope, shoulder roll, heating pad, and oxygen.
• Medications used to treat postpartum hemorrhage, including Pitocin, Misoprostol, and Tranexamic Acid (TXA).
• Training in hands-on emergency techniques like bimanual uterine compression when medications alone aren't enough.
• Additional emergency medications and equipment that we sincerely hope to never need, but always have available if we do.

What happens if a baby needs more help than we can provide?

Our job is to stabilize and escalate care.

We are always prepared to breathe for your baby until they are breathing effectively on their own or until they are receiving a higher level of care.

Thankfully, most babies who need assistance simply need a little extra help transitioning. This looks like drying, stimulation, and sometimes a few assisted breaths while their lungs finish clearing fluid and fully inflate.

If a baby needs more than that, EMS is called immediately.

Sometimes EMS arrives to find a vigorous, crying baby after those first few moments of support, and they go on their way.

If a baby continues to need respiratory support or additional interventions, we transfer to the hospital while continuing appropriate care.

Most of our transfers are not emergencies.

One of the strengths of community birth is recognizing yellow flags before they become red ones. We would much rather recommend a transfer early than wait until a situation becomes critical.

Emergencies happen.
Transfers happen.

Neither means someone has failed.

We aim to recognize problems early, respond appropriately, stabilize when necessary, and escalate care when it's needed.