Changes to COH CenteringPregnancy visits due to COVID-19 as of March 27, 2020: COH is temporarily unable to offer CenteringPregnancy® visits to our prenatal patients due to coronavirus safety concerns. We are still providing prenatal visits and care for newborns in isolated spaces in our clinic.
Due to COVID-19, FHBC is temporarily no longer offering water births. We are also limiting support persons to a licensed doula and the partner.
Learn more about our COVID-19 protocols here.
Welcome your baby with trusted midwives that know you. We are committed to providing you with an outstanding birthing experience!
Our certified nurse midwives are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to accommodate your baby’s arrival schedule.
Our eight midwives support births at Washington Hospital Center and at our free-standing birth center, Family Health and Birth Center. The birth center option is available to eligible low-risk women each month and provides a relaxed and caring setting for you to give birth on your terms, in the two beautiful, home-like birth rooms.
If you are a current patient with questions about whether you qualify for an out-of-hospital birth, please contact Sherece Dyer Hill, Associate Director, at sdyer@cohdc.org.
We offer a variety of services for our mothers during and after their pregnancy! Our midwives provide prenatal care, including groups, throughout your pregnancy. In addition, we connect our moms to our doula services and provide breastfeeding and other postpartum services. We'll also provide pediatric care for your newborn.
Monthly individual visits with a midwife during the first half of your pregnancy
At each prenatal visit, learn more about your body, your baby and the choices you have for care.
Transfers
We accept transfers up to 37 weeks for hospital birth only
No more than 32 wks with records for birth center birth option.
CenteringPregnancy® group care starts after your 6th month of pregnancy
Centering is a fun and supportive way of providing prenatal care in a group setting. Talk to other pregnant moms about what matters to you, ask your doctor or midwife and complete lots of fun activities: belly casting, eating snacks, and the chance to win prizes and gifts. Learn more here.
Breastfeeding Support and Education
Our breastfeeding experts educate you about the benefits of breastfeeding your baby and provide tips on how to breastfeed.
After birth, we provide breastfeeding support: home or hospital visits, phone calls,and drop in office visits.
Birth Center 101
Birth center 101 is suspended until June
Once we resume, classes are held on the last Tues of every month
**Please Note: There will not be a Birth Center 101 in December due to Christmas**
80% of African-American mothers initiated breastfeeding at a rate much higher than the national average
The Pre-term birth rate at COH is 7% versus the DC average of 10 %
-Elisabeth McKinney, Ward 8 mother and patient
