Heart 2 Heart Birth Center offers women the opportunity to give birth naturally in a warm, comfortable setting.

Expectant mothers understandably run the gamut of emotions during their pregnancies—from excitement to nervousness to trepidation—and all of those feelings are perfectly normal whether they are preparing to deliver their first baby or their fifth. Along with the support of a loving partner, extended family and friends, choosing the right health care provider for additional guidance and compassion can help make for a happy, healthy experience.

The team at Heart 2 Heart Birth Center has been filling that role for Central Floridians for more than two decades. Established by founder and licensed midwife Michelle Graf-Dixon in 1997, Heart 2 Heart has since delivered over 4,000 babies and is committed to offering safe, personal care for women who are seeking natural childbirth outside of a hospital setting.

“Midwifery has always been a great alternative, and 75 years ago it was pretty much the only alternative,” Graf-Dixon says. “[Renowned midwife] Marie Francis was delivering babies at a birth center in Sanford before we ever had a hospital here. Now more people are starting to open their eyes to this option again. With a natural birth, there are much fewer complications because you’re not using the medications that can cause problems.”

While safety for the mother and child is paramount, another key benefit for women is the one-on-one personal attention they receive throughout their pregnancy. Since the caseload at Heart 2 Heart is much smaller than a typical OB/GYN office, it’s easier for mothers to build deep, lasting connections with their providers.

It is quite common for patients to stay in touch for many years after delivering, offering updates and pictures of the children who came into the world at the birth center.

“The relationship with a midwife is definitely at a different level than with a nursing team or doctor,” Graf-Dixon says. “The midwives here typically spend a lot more time with patients during a prenatal visit and they have the time to answer questions. We have a team of childbirth educators and doulas so we can make sure our clients get the attention they feel they need. It’s not that a doctor doesn’t want to give that attention; they frankly just don’t have the time because their caseload is bigger.”

When it comes to delivery, Heart 2 Heart offers beautiful, private rooms equipped with the same equipment found in hospital delivery rooms and neonatal advanced life support training. Nitrous oxide, much less invasive than having an epidural, is available for pain relief during labor.

Women are also allowed more freedom than in a hospital and are known to walk around, use a birth ball or sit on a rocking chair.

“They really love getting in the tubs during labor; that’s their favorite place to be,” Graf-Dixon says. “Our tubs are heated and jetted and they’re deep. I would say about 60 percent of our babies are born in the water, because it’s more relaxing for the mother, it’s another pain management tool and it makes for an easier birthing process.”

After the birth, mothers typically stay at Heart 2 Heart anywhere from four to 24 hours, until they’re feeling well enough to return home. “They’re very pampered afterward,” Graf-Dixon says. “We take good care of our moms and babies after they’re born. It’s more like a bed and breakfast experience than a hospital stay.”

Heart 2 Heart, which accepts all commercial insurance plans and Medicaid, follows the standards set by the American Association of Birth Centers and is also licensed by the state of Florida. It receives regular inspections and adheres to the same regulations as any other medical facility.

As the country deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, birth centers like Heart 2 Heart may also be a safer setting than a hospital.

“People may want to be a little more sequestered,” Graf-Dixon says. “On average, most hospitals are delivering about 15 babies a day—we’re doing 15 or 20 a month, so obviously our exposure rate is going to be much less. I don’t think fear should be the reason for a natural birth, but people are looking for ways to have a little more control over their health care.”

Graf-Dixon lauds her team at Heart 2 Heart, which includes three other licensed midwives, a dedicated office manager and extended staff. She appreciates the opportunity to serve women at all stages of pregnancy and could not imagine being in a different career.

“I’m a third-generation midwife,” she says. “My grandmother was a midwife here in the community—she actually trained with Marie Francis and she delivered me when I was born. I was surrounded by it growing up and I would say it came naturally to me. It was a calling and it’s amazingly rewarding. I don’t ever feel like I go to work—I feel like I go home when I come to the birth center.”

Heart 2 Heart Birth Center
1110 Lexington Green Lane | Sanford
407-322-9944 | H2HBirthCenter.com

This article originally appeared in Orlando Family Magazine’s May 2020 issue.