Willow Birth Center offers empowering, well rounded care that combines your wisdom of self with our clinical expertise. Appropriate birth center candidates are in overall good health, desire a low-intervention, unmedicated labor and birth and comfortable with being discharged to home within 4-6 hours following birth. An in-home follow-up visit is provided 1-2 days after the birth. 


Willow Birth Center specializes in low-risk physiologic birth.The list below outlines conditions and health concerns that would be incompatible with our care at Willow. This list is a general overview and is not exhaustive, but can serve as a guide for individuals interested in our criteria for being accepted into care. If you have health concerns that are not on this list, please schedule a consultation with us so we can discuss your case and decide if starting care at Willow Birth Center would be appropriate. 


In order to provide the safest care possible, Willow Birth Center does not accept clients that have any of the following conditions in their medical history:

  • More than one prior cesarean section*

  • History of cesarean section and no prior vaginal birth (at any time)

  • Hypertension (Blood pressure >140/90)

  • Deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism

  • Pre-existing diabetes (Type I or Type II)

  • Bleeding or clotting disorders

  • Liver, pulmonary, renal or cardiovascular disease

  • Neurological disorders including seizure disorders or prior seizure in labor

*Please see our VBAC criteria below for more specifics. 

Willow Birth Center does not accept clients that are experiencing any of the following in their current pregnancy. (This list applies to prospective clients and clients currently in our care)

  • Twins or multiples

  • Labor onset at less than 36 weeks or greater than 42 weeks

  • Hemoglobin <9.0 at term, or platelets <90,000 at term

  • Significant drug and/or alcohol addiction or abuse 

  • Gestational diabetes that requires medication

  • Severe current psychiatric illness

  • Placenta previa

  • Bleeding or clotting disorders

  • Infectious disease including active sexually transmitted infections or blood-borne illness

  • Liver, pulmonary, renal or cardiovascular disease

  • Neurological disorder including seizure disorder or seizure in labor

  • Cancer affecting ability to birth vaginally 

  • Breech fetal position at start of labor

  • Previous Rh sensitization

  • Fetal anomaly requiring immediate neonatal intervention after birth

  • Use of teratogens (chemical agents affecting fetal development) in pregnancy

  • Two blood pressure readings of >140/90 (during pregnancy or labor) 

VBAC Specific Criteria. A VBAC consultation is required with a midwife prior to establishing care to discuss prior birth history and decide if establishing care at Willow would be appropriate. 

The following criteria must be met to schedule a VBAC consultation at Willow Birth Center:

  • No more than one prior cesarean section

  • Must have had at least one prior vaginal birth (at any time)

  • Pregnancy spacing of one year minimum from surgery to conception

  • Transfer care to Willow Birth Center prior to 34 weeks gestation

  • Operative note documenting low transverse indication (can not have vertical incision or one that extended toward the fundus)

    Other VBAC Requirements:

  • Must have op-note on chart and glucose screening done (if >26 weeks) prior to scheduling consult

  • Strongly recommend client has the opportunity to have visits with all Willow midwives during course of prenatal care

Willow Midwives continuously monitors our patients throughout their pregnancy and labor to determine if it is still safe to have a birth at our free-standing birth center.