Bellingham Birth Center
Founded in 2004, and with over 1850 births under our roof, Bellingham Birth Center is Whatcom County’s only nationally accredited birth center, having been accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers since 2015. We are in an easy-to-find location and many of our clients take comfort in how close we are to a hospital. Bellingham Birth Center is also the longest-standing birth center in Whatcom or Skagit Counties, and the only birth center with 3 separate, fully-equipped birth suites.
It is quite common for families to realize more about what they are looking for after they have already started prenatal care elsewhere. We are often able to accommodate people that wish to transfer care part way through their pregnancies. Reach out to us if you are interested in exploring this possibility with us!
Clients get to choose between the 5 independent midwifery practices that are privileged at Bellingham Birth Center. These 5 practices have their separate prenatal offices in Lynden, Ferndale, Bellingham, Fairhaven, and Burlington, and they meet their clients at Bellingham Birth Center during labor.
Families see the same midwife throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
Clients can interview as many midwives as they would like, and then they choose one practice. This is unique and wonderful because it creates continuity and connection between client and midwife. Clients won’t need to meet a new person each visit or need to repeat themselves.
Licensed midwives delivering at Bellingham Birth Center provide personalized, nurturing care in a calm, peaceful setting that feels more like a home than a clinic, yet they are able to respond quickly if complications arise.
Bellingham Birth Center has always been an “open-model” community birth center, striving to advance and support the local midwifery community so that midwifery care can be accessible and attractive to a diversity of families.
It is a wonderful option for women having normal pregnancies who live in the Bellingham area, as well as for the outlying areas of Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine, Maple Falls, Glacier, Nooksack, the Lummi Reservation, Lummi Island, and the San Juan Islands. Apple Health/DSHS and virtually all health insurance plans welcomed.
We are happy to schedule a personal tour with you and also provide free pregnancy tests as needed. The best way to reach us is by emailing bellinghambirthcenter@gmail.com and we can set up a tour and answer any specific questions you might have. You can also call us at (360) 752-2229.
