Ultrasounds in Birth Center Care
For many families, pregnancy comes with a mix of excitement and questions. One common area of curiosity is ultrasounds. If it’s your first time having a baby, you might wonder when they are needed and how often they are used.
Understanding the role of ultrasounds in birth center care can help you feel more confident and informed throughout your pregnancy.
What are ultrasounds and why are they used?
An ultrasound is a safe imaging technique that uses sound waves to create pictures of your baby in the womb. Unlike X-rays, it doesn’t use radiation, making it safe for both mother and baby.
In pregnancy, ultrasounds are most often used to:
- Confirm due dates and measure growth
- Check the location of the placenta
- Monitor fluid levels
- Determine the baby’s position
Due to their non-invasive nature and painless process, ultrasounds are widely used across all models of maternity care. They are now a familiar part of many pregnancies.
How birth centers approach ultrasounds
In the midwifery model of care, the goal is always to provide an individualized experience. This means that using evidence-based support avoids unnecessary interventions. That philosophy extends to the way birth centers use ultrasounds.
In most hospitals, ultrasounds are scheduled automatically at several points in pregnancy. In contrast, birth centers focus on using them when they are truly helpful. The main goal is to ensure that families aren’t undergoing testing that is unnecessary.
When you might have an ultrasound in midwifery care
While every pregnancy is unique, there are a few key times when an ultrasound may be recommended in midwifery care:
- Early pregnancy: To confirm the pregnancy is viable and to establish an accurate due date if needed.
- Anatomy scan (18–20 weeks): This is the most common ultrasound. It looks closely at the baby’s heart, lungs, kidneys, and other developing organs.
- Later in pregnancy, if needed: Ultrasounds may be recommended if there are concerns about the baby’s position (such as breech), the amount of amniotic fluid, placental health, or growth patterns.
This approach ensures that ultrasounds are used as a tool for reassurance and safety, not simply as a routine checkbox.
What birth centers do differently
Birth centers rely on traditional midwifery skills instead of the unnecessary use of technology. Methods that traditional midwives use to understand the baby’s well-being include abdominal palpation (feeling the baby’s position by hand) and listening to the heartbeat with a Doppler. These hands-on methods by expert and vetted midwives often provide just as much information as imaging technology.
When ultrasounds are used, they are incorporated into a bigger picture of care. Families are involved in the decision-making process at every step. Nothing is automatic, and your midwives explain why an ultrasound may be helpful. They also support you in making the choice that feels right for your family.
If more imaging is needed
Each birth center has its own setup when it comes to ultrasounds. Some have equipment available on-site, while others partner with local imaging centers or specialists for referrals.
At Birth Center Stone Oak, we do not perform ultrasounds in-house. Instead, we refer families out for their 20-week anatomy scan, which checks the baby’s developing heart, lungs, and other organs.
Our preferred provider for ultrasounds is recommended to the families in our care. However, since they do not accept insurance, we can refer you to other imaging centers, such as Touchstone. The only requirement is that they need to be licensed to provide medical imaging.
This collaborative approach allows you to get the care you need while maintaining the personalized, midwife-led experience of birth center care.
To learn more about our care, visit birthcenterstoneoak.com.
