Celebrating Excellence: AABC Member Birth Centers Recognized in the 2025 ACNM Benchmarking Project

 We are thrilled to celebrate our member birth centers recognized for their exemplary outcomes in the 2025 ACNM Benchmarking Project! 

Each year, the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) invites midwifery practices featuring Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) and Certified Midwives (CMs) to track and analyze data to monitor, maintain, and elevate the standard of midwifery care. 

• Why Benchmarking Matters: Earning "Best Practice" status means a practice ranks among the top three performers in a specific category. Beyond recognition, this network of high performers creates vital opportunities to connect, collaborate, and share clinical strategies that drive superior quality outcomes. 
•  Volume-Based Categories: Practices are grouped by annual birth volume (Low ≤50, Low-Moderate 51−199, High-Moderate 200−499, and High ≥500) to ensure fair comparison. For some volume groups, it is impossible to determine best practice for certain indicators. In the low-volume group, many practices achieve 100% breastfeeding rates and 0% cesarean birth rates.  

 🌟 National "Best Practice" Category Honorees 

Labor & Birth Outcomes 

• Spontaneous Vaginal Birth Rate  
  • Beginnings Birth Center – Colorado Springs, CO 
  • MidwifeSunday Wellness & Birth Center – Potsdam, NY 
  • Twin Cities Birth Center – Saint Paul, MN 
•  Primary Cesarean Rate 
  • Beginnings Birth Center – Colorado Springs, CO 
•  NTSV Cesarean Rate (Nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex) 
  • Beginnings Birth Center – Colorado Springs, CO 
  • Twin Cities Birth Center – St. Paul, MN 
•  Postpartum Hemorrhage Rate 
  • Fika Midwifery – Buffalo, NY 
  • Wichita Falls Birth & Wellness Center – Wichita Falls, TX 

 Perineal Outcomes 

• Intact Perineum Rate (Intact or minor laceration requiring no repair) 
  • Full Circle Wellness & Birth Center – Kasson, MN 
  • MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY 

 Infant Outcomes 

• Preterm Birth Rate (<37 weeks, singleton) 
  • Twin Cities Birth Center – St. Paul, MN 
• Low Birth Weight Rate (<2500g, singleton) 
  • Natural Beginnings Birth and Wellness Center – Statesville, NC 
  • Twin Cities Birth Center – St. Paul, MN 
• NICU Admissions (Level 2/3 nursery, any duration) 
  • Fika Midwifery – Buffalo, NY 
  • MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY 
  • Natural Beginnings Birth and Wellness Center – Statesville, NC 
• Exclusive Breastfeeding (First 48 Hours) 
  • Minnesota Birth Center – Minneapolis, MN 
  • Twin Cities Birth Center – St. Paul, MN 

Postpartum Outcomes 

• 6-Week Postpartum Visit Attendance:  
  • Beginnings Birth Center – Colorado Springs, CO 
•  6-Week Breastfeeding Rate:  
  • Minnesota Birth Center – Minneapolis, MN 

Resource Utilization Outcomes 

• Induction Rate:  
  • Beginnings Birth Center – Colorado Springs, CO 
• Labor Epidural Rate:  
  • Birth Center of Denver at Saint Joseph Hospital - Denver, CO 
  • Full Circle Wellness & Birth Center - Kasson, MN 
  • MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center - Potsdam, NY 
  • Natural Beginnings Birth and Wellness Center - Statesville, NC 
  • Twin Cities Birth Center - St. Paul, MN 

🏆 Special Designations 

"Triple Aim" Best Practice 

• Primary cesarean birth rate < 23.9% 
• Preterm birth rate < 11.4% 
• Exclusive breastfeeding first 48 hours > 81% 
• Reporting fiscal outcomes 

Recognizes practices advancing the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Triple Aim of improving patient experience, lowering costs, and elevating population health. This is demonstrated through high breastfeeding rates, low preterm birth and cesarean rates, and fiscal reporting. Out of 147 participating practices nationally, 32 achieved this status, including 9 AABC members: 

• BirthCare & Women’s Health, Ltd – Alexandria, VA 
• Full Circle Wellness & Birth Center – Kasson, MN 
• Holy Family Birth Center – Fort Wayne, IN 
• Lebanon Valley Midwifery and Women’s Wellness – Womelsdorf, PA 
• Minnesota Birth Center – Minneapolis, MN 
• Natural Beginnings Birth and Wellness Center – Statesville, NC 
• Reading Midwife Center for Women’s Wellness, LLC – Reading, PA 
• Twin Cities Birth Center – Saint Paul, MN 
• Wichita Falls Birth and Wellness Center – Wichita Falls, TX 

"4 Core" Best Practice 

• Induction of labor <10% 
• Primary cesarean birth rate <15% 
• Episiotomy <2% 
• Exclusive breastfeeding after first 48 hours >75% 

 Acknowledges practices achieving top national benchmarks for physiologic birth aligned with National Quality Forum (NQF) and Joint Commission perinatal quality measures. Out of 147 participating practices, 18 achieved all four benchmarks, including 7 AABC members: 

• Beginnings Birth Center – Colorado Springs, CO 
• Birth Center of Denver at Saint Joseph Hospital – Denver, CO 
• Fika Midwifery – Buffalo, NY 
• Full Circle Wellness & Birth Center – Kasson, MN 
• Holy Family Birth Center – Fort Wayne, IN 
• MidwifeSunday Wellness and Birth Center – Potsdam, NY 
• Natural Beginnings Birth and Wellness Center – Statesville, NC  

💡 Streamline Your Participation Through the AABC  

For over a decade, AABC and ACNM have partnered to drive data-informed transformations for birth centers, childbearing families, and newborns. 

Participating is effortless for AABC members using the AABC Perinatal Data Registry (PDR): simply fill out the PDR-to-ACNM data-sharing consent form issued at the beginning of each year to have your clinical data seamlessly included! 

Questions? Contact Jennifer Stapleton, PDR Manager, jenniferstapleton@birthcenters.org or PDR@birthcenters.org.