Resources
The Austin ABC Difference
Austin ABC was one of the first birthing centers in Central Texas to be accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers.
The American Association of Birth Centers established the CABC in 1985 as an independent authority after more than a decade of evaluating the quality of birth center services, promoting the development of national guidelines for licensure, reviewing state regulations for birth centers and exploring and evaluating the programs of other accrediting agencies. Austin ABC worked for nearly 2 years to prepare for the CABC’s three-day inspection. This extra level of quality assurance means that our staff conducts quarterly emergency drills and is held to a much higher level of accountability than a state license provides. It also permits us to be “in network” with most large insurance companies. We are the only birthing center in Texas to have multiple accredited locations.
We have a team approach to midwifery care so that our professional staff can benefit from their colleagues’ experience and insights; this means better and safer care for you.
From the beginning, Austin ABC has created a diverse mix of midwife professionals, with a team comprised of Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM), European trained Midwives and Certified Professional Midwives (CPM). This ground-breaking blend of three different types of Midwives, while controversial in our early years, has resulted in a lower transport rate and increased client satisfaction. It’s what makes AABC unique to birth centers in Central Texas and is one of the reasons we have remained so popular.
Austin ABC’s team of Certified Nurse Midwives and Certified Professional Midwives routinely consult each other during care-giving and conduct monthly team reviews of non-routine client experiences. Every Midwife has seen a unique set of prenatal and birthing circumstances during her career. By sharing their collective knowledge and experiences, we believe our birthing professionals make better decisions and provide a higher level of care. Austin ABC’s Midwives have together attended thousands of births during their careers, and having that depth of knowledge and experience available to our caregivers is a unique and valuable resource. Younger Midwives work with more experienced Midwives and are slowly given more responsibility. The group approach means each laboring mother has access to fresh friendly Midwives when her team becomes fatigued.
We also benefit from great relationships with other Austin birth professionals. For example, through our relationship with the maternal fetal medicine doctors at Access Physicians, we are able to offer onsite ultrasounds at both of our locations.
Austin ABC bridges the gap between hospital deliveries and home births.
While we offer many traditional herbal and homeopathic treatments common to midwifery practice, our Midwives can also provide IV fluids, antibiotics, pain relief (including nitrous oxide), and other prescribed medications and therapies as needed at our two birthing centers. AABC’s Midwives are trained to use antenatal fetal monitors and we have on-staff ultrasound technician and ultrasound scanners onsite at our two locations, allowing us to better evaluate the health of mother and child and take the proper course of treatment. In labor, fetal monitoring is done with a portable doppler which studies have proven safe and appropriate for low-risk pregnancies.
We’re in-network with most of the larger health insurance providers and have trained staff to help you with the financial details of our services.
Whether you’re covered by health insurance or are a self-paying client, we have plans and resources available to make your natural child birthing experience affordable. We will help you learn what your coverage consists of and will discuss any out-of-pocket costs you might face. Come talk to us about your unique circumstances and we’ll do our best to make Austin ABC your partner in bringing your baby into the world. Payment questions are best addressed by our front office staff or billing team.
We pioneered the practice of water birth in Central Texas.
Austin ABC has given mothers the option of water birth for over 30 years, giving us more experience in this field than any other provider in the Austin area. Over those three decades we’ve honed our water birth techniques to ensure the best experience for both mother and child. Each of Austin ABC’s birthing suites have a deep water tub available for laboring and birthing. These birthing tubs can be quickly sanitized and refilled during labor and delivery, unlike the blow-up tubs used by some other providers. While about a third of our mothers actually give birth in the water, almost all of our clients find that the tubs offer natural relief during labor. For more information about water birth, click here.
Our two Austin ABC facilities were designed by birthing professionals and architects to provide the best care and comfort for our clients and their families.
Having your baby at Austin ABC is like birthing in a home away from home. We are staffed by a team of experienced, compassionate birthing professionals. Each of our six birthing suites (three at each location) expresses a unique style with a large, comfortable bed, deep water tub for laboring and delivery, and private bath facilities. Both of our centers have a full working kitchen for the convenience of our clients and their families, and the South center has a microwave and mini fridge in each birthing suite.
Austin ABC bridges the gap between hospital deliveries and home births.
While we offer many traditional herbal and homeopathic treatments common to midwifery practice, our Midwives can also provide IV fluids, antibiotics, pain relief (including nitrous oxide), and other prescribed medications and therapies as needed at our two birthing centers. AABC’s Midwives are trained to use antenatal fetal monitors and we have on-staff ultrasound technician and ultrasound scanners onsite at our two locations, allowing us to better evaluate the health of mother and child and take the proper course of treatment. In labor, fetal monitoring is done with a portable doppler which studies have proven safe and appropriate for low-risk pregnancies.
We’re in-network with most of the larger health insurance providers and have trained staff to help you with the financial details of our services.
Whether you’re covered by health insurance or are a self-paying client, we have plans and resources available to make your natural child birthing experience affordable. We will help you learn what your coverage consists of and will discuss any out-of-pocket costs you might face. Come talk to us about your unique circumstances and we’ll do our best to make Austin ABC your partner in bringing your baby into the world. Payment questions are best addressed by our front office staff or billing team.
We pioneered the practice of water birth in Central Texas.
Austin ABC has given mothers the option of water birth for over 30 years, giving us more experience in this field than any other provider in the Austin area. Over those three decades we’ve honed our water birth techniques to ensure the best experience for both mother and child. Each of Austin ABC’s birthing suites have a deep water tub available for laboring and birthing. These birthing tubs can be quickly sanitized and refilled during labor and delivery, unlike the blow-up tubs used by some other providers. While about a third of our mothers actually give birth in the water, almost all of our clients find that the tubs offer natural relief during labor. For more information about water birth, click here.
Our two Austin ABC facilities were designed by birthing professionals and architects to provide the best care and comfort for our clients and their families.
Having your baby at Austin ABC is like birthing in a home away from home. We are staffed by a team of experienced, compassionate birthing professionals. Each of our six birthing suites (three at each location) expresses a unique style with a large, comfortable bed, deep water tub for laboring and delivery, and private bath facilities. Both of our centers have a full working kitchen for the convenience of our clients and their families, and the South center has a microwave and mini fridge in each birthing suite.
Our commitment to educating our clients is demonstrated by the range and number of low cost classes we offer.
- We have a variety of classes that are offered weekly and monthly, at both locations, and are open to our current clients. Some classes are open to the public.
- Prenatal Yoga and Postnatal Yoga are taught to our AABC mothers and public.
- Monthly and bi-monthly group prenatal care, “Centering Pregnancy”, combines your prenatal exam, pregnancy support group, and birthing classes in a 2-hour session.
- “Breastfeeding and Newborn Care Basics”, is a class designed to cover breastfeeding tips and every aspect of caring for a new baby.
- Online/ Virtual: “New Trends” natural childbirth classes, is four, two-hour sessions, for first-time couples who aren’t participating in our group prenatal program.
- Online/ Virtual: “Birth In A Nutshell”, is a five hour intensive refresher course. This class is taught monthly at both Austin ABC locations by a local Bradley Method childbirth teacher
Visit our events calendar for more details on each of these valuable learning and sharing opportunities.
How It Works
Client Admission Process
All Clients – New and Returning
To be admitted as a client to Austin Area Birthing Center, we suggest that you first read and familiarize yourself with the information contained on our website. While returning clients will have vast knowledge about the centers, they will find updated facts in a review of this site.
Client Care EMR Forms
Client Care is an electronic medical record program designed specifically for midwifery based, out of hospital maternity care. The Client Care intake forms are all about you, the potential client. The intake is easy to complete and provides AABC with a very clear picture of your medical history, particularly your reproductive health and birth records. By completing and returning these forms to us, you will save yourself the hassle of completing further forms when you first visit the center. Also, if there is something in your medical history indicating that you might not be compatible with the requirements of birthing at a birth center, we will immediately be able to notify you of this.
Our midwives go over all submitted Client Care forms on a daily basis to evaluate potential clients for low risk status.
If you are past 28 weeks, you will need to submit all prenatal records as soon as possible after your tour as we will need these records in order to ensure that the birth center is an appropriate fit.
If you are past 32 weeks, special permission is required to birth at AABC. This is granted after your prenatal records have been reviewed. Therefore, you will need to have your prenatal records sent to us by your provider. If you prefer, you can drop them off at the center.
Making Everything Easier
Everything we do is client-centered, and making sure you’re eligible to be our client is the first step in that philosophy.
Once you’ve requested the Client Care intake, expect it to be in your inbox within a day. If it doesn’t show up, please call the center again. In the past, these forms have ended up in a client’s spam folder.
We’re excited to have you birth with us!
Call our office staff today to request the required forms.
Duval Location: (512) 346-3224
South Location: (512) 243-8066
AABC Will Verify Your Insurance Benefits
If you have insurance that you would like us to verify and bill for you, complete the client registration form within Client Care so our staff can verify your benefits. Please allow several days for verification to be completed. We would like to have your benefit information for you at your tour so completing the client registration form as soon as possible will streamline the process for you.