Natural birth advocates work to bridge the gap of low intervention care

Published 1 month ago• 2 minute read

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - It’s been three months since Intermountain Health announced the Bloomin’ Babies Birth center is closing the only natural birthing center in western Colorado. The sudden closing left many future mothers worried and without a backup plan.

Alaina Marquez is a former birth assistant at Bloomin’ Babies, which closed because of declining birth rates. She explained that without the natural birthing center, women are left with two options – hospitals or home births. But with hospitals becoming the primary location for care, Marquez says nurses have been working with midwives to implement more low intervention options.

“Less machines in the room, less monitoring, and if the mom was high risk, then she would pop over to another room. They’re very supportive of that and they’re working really hard to bridge that gap right now.”

Home births are another low intervention option, but they are not always the most affordable.

“Home birth is self-pay. So if you have insurance, it’s probably not going to cover that,” she explained.

While Grand Junction has two hospitals and a number of midwives available for home births, women in surrounding rural communities face challenges.

“A lot of other towns, their hospitals are not on board with natural birth and they’re very intervention ran. I think a lot of ladies are feeling really helpless like, where do I go? What should I do? How do I achieve this birth that I really want?”

While the community is working together to support natural births during this time, Marquez and many other women in the community hope to see a more permanent solution. The Colorado Birth Collective also has lots of resources for women, and encourages those who need support during this time to stop by.

Despite her frustration of the center closing, Marquez says there is talk of another birthing center opening, but no plans are official.

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