Natural-birthing center in North Carolina stops deliveries after newborn deaths
Three-and-a-half years after its splashy debut in Cary, the Baby+Company natural birthing center has stopped delivering babies after the deaths of three newborns in the past six months.
The spa-like facility that enticed expectant moms with midwives and water-birth pools alerted its customers by email on Friday that it is sending all moms in labor to WakeMed Cary hospital, the birth center's business partner. On Thursday, after inquires from parents and The News & Observer, the center released the death total.
The company said the Cary site has had a total of four deaths since it opened in October 2014. That compares to only one death in all of its other six centers in three states.
"Any clustering of events is concerning for all of us," the company said in its email to parents Thursday. "We are working with colleagues from outside the organization to look across these cases and across our systems."
Baby+Co. held four information sessions for concerned parents-to-be on Tuesday and Wednesday and will continue to hold more sessions in the coming weeks. The purpose of the sessions is to explain Baby+Co.'s safety protocols and emergency procedures. Company representatives told those in attendance this week that the shutdown resulted from three incidents but did not elaborate, citing federal privacy laws.
At least two women have stated on Facebook threads that they lost babies at Baby+Co. in 2015 and 2017, and one said she is aware of other such incidents. The women did not immediately respond to messages seeking more details. The Triangle Natural Birth and Parenting Group's Facebook page was recently closed to non-members after moms discussed the safety risks and lack of information at Baby+Co.
And at least one Raleigh medical practice refuses to do business with the company because Baby+Co. does not instruct parents to make appointments with pediatricians, according to the practice's receptionist. "At this time, The Physicians of Oberlin Road Pediatrics have decided not to accept babies who are born at Babies and Company. This is due to differences in our philosophies to the approach of care of the newborn," the practice said on its website.
Baby+Co. said in its Thursday email that it is scheduling maternity ward tours at WakeMed Health & Hospitals this week. WakeMed said it's not involved in Baby+Co.'s safety review or its halt on deliveries, and referred inquiries to the birthing center.
"The company is independently operated so they are the appropriate contact," WakeMed spokeswoman Kristin Kelly said by email. "WakeMed is not involved in the daily operations."
Since opening in Cary in 2014, the Cary center has overseen 1,200 births. Baby+Co. has also opened facilities in Charlotte and in Winston-Salem. It also operates centers in Tennessee and Colorado, opening the first one in 2013.
The company's statement also said that it reviews every newborn death in consultation with its partner, WakeMed.
"While most women with low-risk pregnancies have uncomplicated births, emergent situations unfortunately happen in both hospitals and in accredited birth centers like ours," the statement said.
Birthing centers are not licensed or certified in North Carolina, as in other states, and it's not clear if any regulatory agency has been alerted to the situation or has authority to intervene. The center is accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birthing Centers, which uses standards set by the American Association of Birth Centers.
The company presents itself as a safe and natural alternative to a sterile hospital birthing ward where delivering moms are treated like patients. Moms delivering in the birthing center can wear their own clothes, bring relatives, music and food, and are not hooked up to monitoring equipment.
Baby+Co. does not accept all pregnant women. Women are screened for risk factors such as a previous C-section, obesity, diabetes, hypertension or other chronic conditions. About 1 in 4 do not pass the test, the company said in 2014.
About 12 percent of birthing center moms nationally develop complications that require hospitalization, and about 2 percent of births develop into medical emergencies.
This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Natural-birthing center in North Carolina stops deliveries after newborn deaths."