Birth Service changes due to COVID-19 can be located here.
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 Ebony Marcelle, Director of Midwifery, at emarcelle@cohdc.org.
We offer a variety of services for you during and after their pregnancy! Our midwives provide prenatal care, including groups, throughout your pregnancy. In addition, we connect you to our doula services and provide breastfeeding and other postpartum services. We'll also provide pediatric care for your newborn.
We provide 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 your birth experience.
Transfers
We accept transfers up to 37 weeks for hospital births only.
You must transfer by 32 wks and provide your medical 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 currently suspended
Once we resume, classes are held on the last Tues of every month
Centering Prenatal Care: We have restarted CenteringPregnancy virtually using Zoom and plan to have these visits alternate with your individual in person visits. Please look for a call from the Group Care Coordinator for dates and further information.
Families birthing at the Family Health and Birth Center: Wearing masks inside the clinic and birth center is required, and all family members and support teams attending births must wear a mask for the duration of their stay. Your partner or support person are welcome at the birth center during your birth. Additionally, to your partner or personal support person, your doula may also attend your birth center birth. All support people will be required to wear a mask while inside birthing center. At this time COH midwives are not requiring laboring patients to wear a mask.
When you call us because you are in labor, you will be asked about your health, as well as the health of any potential visitors. When a birthing family/team arrives at the Birth Center, all individuals will be asked a series of screening questions. Temperatures of all family/team members will also be taken. If ANY member of the birthing person’s support team, including partner, has a fever or any COVID related symptoms, they will not be permitted to stay at the birth center with the birthing person. Once cleared for entry, COH asks that for everyone’s safety, that all accompanying persons stay in the birthing room. We are not able to open the common area with the exception of coming out for food or drink. In order to minimize exposure to patients and staff, uncomplicated labors and deliveries will aim to discharge from the birth center at ~4 hours postpartum.
Home Visits Following Births: We are not currently able to provide in person home exams to families. Instead, we will ask the birthing person with infant and their support person to come to the COH clinic for evaluation on the day that they would otherwise be due for their in-home care. All routine newborn screenings will be completed at this visit (metabolic screen, hearing screen, critical congenital heart disease).
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
