What is an Open Model Birth Center?

When most people think of a birth center, they imagine one midwifery group serving a small group of clients in a cozy, home-like setting. But there’s a growing trend in maternity care that’s expanding access and flexibility for families and providers alike: the open model birth center.

At DFW Community Birth & Wellness, we believe in offering options that support both autonomy and collaboration. Let’s explore what an open model birth center is, and why it might be the perfect fit for your family or your midwifery practice.

A New Approach to Birth Center Care

An open model birth center is a shared, community-based facility where multiple independent midwives and birth workers can provide care and attend births. Unlike traditional models that are exclusive to one midwifery team, open model centers are designed for collaboration, flexibility, and inclusivity.

This means:

  • You can bring your own midwife to attend your birth.

  • Independent midwives can access beautiful, fully-equipped birth suites for their clients.

  • Families have more choices in who provides their care, without being limited by a specific practice’s availability or structure.

How It Works for Families

When you choose an open model birth center:

  • You can select a midwife or midwife group you trust and feel connected to, even if they don’t “belong” to a birth center.

  • You give birth in a licensed, home-like facility designed for low-intervention, physiological birth.

  • You still receive personalized, out-of-hospital care. Just in a setting that offers privacy, comfort, and safety.

It’s the best of both worlds: the freedom to choose your provider, and the peace of mind that comes with a dedicated birthing space.

How It Works for Midwives

For licensed midwives, an open model center offers:

  • Turnkey access to birth suites without the burden of owning or managing a facility.

  • A professional, fully equipped setting that supports water birth, family-centered care, and smooth transfers when needed.

  • Optional access to clinic and classroom space for prenatal visits, childbirth education, and postpartum support.

Whether you’re an established midwife ready to serve more clients or just starting your practice, this model helps you focus on what you do best—providing care.

The Community Benefit

Open model birth centers aren’t just a solution for providers and families they’re a community resource.

  • Families who live far from hospitals or don’t want to give birth at home now have another safe, supportive option.

  • Midwives can offer continuity of care in a centralized location.

  • The space can be shared with doulas, educators, chiropractors, lactation consultants, while building a vibrant, interdisciplinary collective.

Is an Open Model Right for You?

If you’re pregnant wanting more say in how and where you give birth—or a midwife looking for a supportive home for your clients—the open model may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

We invite you to visit DFW Community Birth & Wellness, meet our team, tour our space, and imagine what’s possible when care is collaborative, not competitive.

Questions? Want a Tour?

Contact us to learn more or schedule a free consultation with a participating midwife.
Your birth. Your midwife. Your way.

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