A birth center in Las Cruces will provide access to high-quality midwifery care and more birthing options for a larger number of people living throughout the large geographical region of Southern New Mexico.

Many of the rural communities surrounding Las Cruces have few or no obstetric services available. Midwives are uniquely suited to bridge this gap, and a birth center will allow midwives to serve more people in closer proximity to emergency services when needed.

“The evidence shows outcomes of birth center care are better for maternal outcomes and better or similar for neonatal outcomes as compared to hospital care for low risk childbearing people. Some of these include lower cesarean rates, fewer medical interventions such as induction of labor and epidural anesthesia for maternal outcomes. Neonatal benefits include lower preterm and low birthweight births, higher initiation of and longer terms of breastfeeding. Disparities in preterm and low birthweight birth, cesareans and breastfeeding are reduced among racial and ethnic groups in birth center care.”

Alliman et al. (2022)  Journal of Perinatal Education

New Mexico has an unbroken history of community birth with midwives, from pre-colonial indigenous midwives through the modern era. We wholeheartedly honor our predecessors and hope to continue their good work.