Beyond Our Low C-Section Rate: How Roots is Providing Exceptional Care to Twin Cities Families

2023 Reflections

As we settle into a new year, we always like to reflect on the previous year, though not necessarily to make resolutions. Rather, we prefer to examine the areas where we grew and how we can continue serving our community while also exploring aspects of our birth center and growing family practice that need refining.

We’re moving forward in 2023, and we have some successes that we’d like to share from 2022. This is more than our year-end statistics — although, of course, as an evidence-based practice, we know data is important. Most birth centers have a low C-section rate, and Roots is no different. Our 2022 surgical birth percentage of 10.98% was well below the national average of about 32%.

However, there’s so much beyond our low C-section rate that positively impacts families! In this blog, we’ll discuss how Roots is providing exceptional care to birthing people in the Twin Cities.

5 Ways Roots is Helping Birthing Families in the Twin Cities

Providing high-quality reproductive care involves a mindset of education and collaboration. As midwives, we are not here to tell you what to do. Instead, we aim to provide evidence-based information, discuss risks and benefits, and trust you to decide what’s best for you, your body, and your baby. Here are five ways we support you as a whole person, not just physically but also emotionally and mentally.

Informed Consent

In mainstream obstetrics, there is an unfortunate trend, especially in birthing rooms, where a healthcare worker will say something along the lines of, “I’m going to check you now.” They are, of course, referring to a cervical check, and their wording leaves no room for discussing options or declining the procedure.

At Roots, we always ask for consent before touching you — before every vaginal exam, before every cervical check, and even before palpating your belly to assess your baby’s position or listen to their heartbeat.

Informed consent is foundational to our care at Roots. Before touching you or conducting a test or procedure, we explain why we are asking permission. How does it benefit you and/or your baby? What are the risks, if any? After you understand and feel educated enough to make a decision, we ask for your consent.

You are also free to say no; we call this informed refusal.

VBAC Success

Have you had a previous cesarean birth? If so, someone might have told you that your only option for subsequent births is more surgery. However, that’s not always the case!

At Roots Community Birth Center, we accept clients who choose VBAC, an acronym for vaginal birth after cesarean, and we even support parents who want to have a VBAC waterbirth. In 2022, the percentage of Roots birthing parents who planned a VBAC and had a vaginal birth was 70%. Additionally, we cared for five families planning repeat C-sections.

Due to some logistical hiccups, we had to take a brief pause in accepting VBAC clients at the tail end of December. We are incredibly happy to say we will be continuing to provide VBAC births at Roots going into 2023.

When it comes to a VBAC at Roots, benefits for the birthing parent include the following:

  • Encouragement of spontaneous labor and physiologic birth, minimizing unnecessary interventions
  • Supportive, intervention-free care, which leads to greater satisfaction with the birth experience
  • Water immersion during labor and birth to cope with the discomfort of contractions
  • Easier recovery and avoidance of possible complications, like blood loss, incision pain, or wound infection
  • Possibility for more pregnancies and births in the future if you choose to expand your family

Cultural Competence

We serve a diverse community at Roots. Among our clients, about 65% are Black, and 75% of our families have at least one partner who is a person of color. We also care for folks who identify as Indigenous and LGBTQIA+, and we are committed to providing affirming care to all of these groups in Minneapolis.

One of the ways we achieve this goal is through cultural competence — recognizing the importance of culture and adapting to meet the needs of the community. We believe culturally competent care helps us respond to inequities, making healthcare more accessible and improving clients’ satisfaction with their care experiences.

Our entire staff — from the people who greet you at the front desk to those who provide hands-on care — is committed to anti-oppression work. Roots is dedicated to equity in all care situations, and we require staff members to attend social justice training. In addition, we have a diverse team, many of whom identify as Black or LGBTQIA+. This means that Roots not only offers culturally competent care, but we are also able to provide culturally congruent care. For example, Black midwives are caring for Black parents, and Black doulas are supporting Black families.

Lactation Support

When we surveyed our clients, 95% of them were still nursing their babies at six months postpartum. This is an incredibly high number, well above the most recent national percentage of 55.8%.

Our midwives are committed to helping you achieve your lactation goals. During the immediate postpartum period after birth, our environment gives you the opportunity for plenty of skin-to-skin snuggles and undisturbed time to initiate breastfeeding gently.

As you continue with your infant feeding journey, we are always available to support you by taking your phone calls and answering questions. In addition, we offer our Lactation and Baby Feeding Support Group, where prenatal and postpartum families can meet in person with a board-certified lactation consultant to address infant feeding-related questions and concerns or learn about lactation and prepare for feeding their baby in a relaxed, casual environment. This free drop-in clinic meets from 10 a.m. to noon on the first and third Tuesday of every month in the Roots yoga studio.

Postpartum Care and Support

After you give birth at Roots, we offer multiple postpartum appointments, which are often a combination of home, virtual, and clinic visits, depending on your schedule and needs. All of these appointments are 30–60 minutes long and assess both the birthing parent and the baby. We discuss lactation, mental health, healing, and any concerns you may have.

This postpartum care model is quite different from what you’ll find in hospital-based practices, which typically see you only once at six weeks postpartum.

We also know that postpartum can be challenging. It’s a time of huge adjustment, learning how to care for a tiny human while your body feels different. In 2022, we conducted 612 combination postpartum-newborn visits, with roughly one-third being home visits.

Our nonprofit Seed Community Fund provided numerous families with postpartum supplies, such as breast pads, diapers, meals, and more.

Takeaways About Reproductive Care at Roots

When you choose Roots, you can be confident that you’re receiving high-quality care during pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and beyond. Our entire team is dedicated to providing an affirming, gentle experience.

To schedule an appointment, call the front desk at 612-338-2784 or fill out our form!

Photo credits: Chey Varner