The American Association of Birth Centers is a non-profit membership organization founded by Childbirth Connection (formerly the Maternity Center Association) under a grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation of New York.
AABC is the nation's most comprehensive resource on birth centers. Working on public and policy levels in government, industry and the health professions, AABC is dedicated to developing quality holistic services for childbearing families that promote self-reliance and confidence in birth and parenting. AABC collects and disseminates information on childbearing/birth centers. It sets national standards for birth center operation, promotes state regulations for licensure and national accreditation by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers.
The birth center is a homelike facility, existing within a health care system with a program of care designed in the wellness model of pregnancy and birth. Birth Centers are guided by principles of prevention, sensitivity, safety, appropriate medical intervention, and cost effectiveness. Birth centers provide family-centered care for healthy women, before, during and after normal pregnancy, labor and birth.
Membership is available to birth centers, individuals, consumers, associations or corporations who agree to the basic principles of the Association regarding standards of care and safety, non-intervention in the process of natural childbirth, a personalized approach to the care of families, elimination of unnecessary cost and the participation of qualified midwives and physicians.
AABC is dedicated to the promotion of the rights of healthy women and their families, in all communities, to birth their children in an environment which is safe, sensitive and economical with minimal intervention.
"The model we provide lies at the intersection of two complementary healthcare forces: midwives and freestanding birth centers. We offer a powerful alternative to the cultural warping of birth and waste in healthcare dollars. Multiple studies show evidence of excellence in efficiency and efficacy. Though forces in the healthcare arena are vested in status quo, families in ever-growing numbers are seeking an experience of "giving birth" rather than "being delivered". We must do everything we can not only to keep this option available, but to expand an understanding of potential impact not only on individual families, but healthcare resources for generations to come."