Queen City Birth Services

06/03/2026

Our Birth Center is looking to grow our team! Now accepting applications for:

-Birth Assistants
-Student Midwives (PEP or MEAC)
-CPMs

Email us for more info at
[email protected]

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

We offer the option for nitrous oxide pain relief at our birth center in Fishersville, VA.
While it is still a new option at Queen City Birth Services, many of our mothers that have tried it have really been pleased with how it helped them cope with labor and suturing.

Nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) is making a comeback in birth. Do your clients use it?

You breathe it in during contractions, and it helps take the edge off…without numbing your body.

You can still move, feel, and stay in control.

What to know: It doesn’t remove pain; it shifts your perception of it.

Some women feel calmer. Others feel dizzy or a little disconnected.

Like everything in birth, this isn’t about good or bad. It’s about informed choice.

💛 Your body. Your baby. Your decision.

Photo:

05/30/2026

05/23/2026

Looking for a childbirth education class? Look no further! Whether you’re having an out-of-hospital birth or a hospital birth, check out our JUNE classes and sign up while there are still spots available.

05/22/2026

60 seconds is not delayed cord clamping.

Let me say that again: clamping the cord at 60 seconds is NOT true delayed cord clamping.

It's just slightly less immediate than the old practice of clamping within 10 seconds.

Actual delayed cord clamping means waiting until the cord stops pulsing.

Until it's limp. White. No longer transferring blood (like the cord in the photo below).

That can take 5 minutes. 10 minutes. Sometimes 15 minutes or longer.

Why does this matter?

Because that cord is still doing its job. It's still transferring blood from the placenta to your baby. Blood that contains:
- Up to 1/3 of baby's total blood volume
- Oxygen for the transition to breathing
- Stem cells
- Iron stores for the first 6-12 months of life
- Immune factors

Your baby's heartbeat acts like a pump, moving blood from the placenta into their body.

As long as that cord is pulsing, blood is transferring. Why would we interrupt that mid-process?

A 2023 meta-analysis found that delayed cord clamping is beneficial for improving oxygen saturation, APGAR scores, and mortality rates in newborns. This isn't just about blood volume - it's about better outcomes across the board.

"But don't we need to deliver the placenta quickly?"

No. Barring actual emergencies (hemorrhage, true cord prolapse, severe fetal distress), there is NO medical reason to rush cord clamping and placenta delivery.

The only reasons are convenience. Routine. "That's how we've always done it." Provider preference. Time management.

None of those are good reasons to cut off your baby's blood supply before the transfer is complete.

Your baby just worked incredibly hard to be born.

They're transitioning from getting oxygen through the cord to breathing with their lungs. That's a MASSIVE physiological shift.

The cord continuing to pulse means they're getting oxygen both ways during that transition. It's a backup system. A safety net while they figure out breathing.

Why would we eliminate that safety net at 60 seconds just because the clock says so?

At home, we wait.

5 minutes. 10 minutes. 15 minutes or longer. We usually wait until after the birth of the placenta to clamp or cut the cord.

The birth of the placenta isn't hurried. Barring emergencies such as hemorrhage, there's no rush. We let it come when it's ready. However long that takes.

Because there's no arbitrary timeline.

Just your body and your baby, finishing the work they started.

Transferring every last bit of blood that belongs to your baby. Allowing the placenta to separate naturally. Trusting the process.

This is what "delayed cord clamping" actually means.

Not 60 seconds to check a box on a birth plan.

But genuine patience. Waiting for completion. Letting your baby receive everything that's already theirs.

You can ask your provider to wait until the cord is no longer pulsing to clamp the cord. Let them know that you want the cord to be white and limp before they clamp it. It may take a few extra minutes, but it’s worth it ❤️

05/15/2026

“I felt like a QUEEN birthing at Queen City birth center!! I gave birth four months ago to my first baby with Midwife Erin and her birth assistant Katie. Right from the start of my care around 12 weeks I felt so comfortable, cared for, heard and respected by both Erin and Heather. They were so good about providing me with all of the up to date data to make my informed decisions, they respected every choice I made and I was able to have a wonderful uncomplicated pregnancy with their guidance. If I ever had an issue Erin and Heather had about ten different holistic-minded approaches and even some more medical ones! I felt like I was able to be "crunchy" if I needed to be but also accept procedures and medicine if we needed something more. My appointments were an hour long and there was no needless intervention, nothing invasive like swabs or exams unless I actually needed or asked for it. I felt like I actually got to know my midwives, and be comfortable with them which is so important for giving birth. We also took the birthing classes with them which is a MUST! They had me so prepared, I was actually excited to give birth! And the birth went SO smooth - both my husband and I have said so many times, "we can't believe people would do this any other way!!!" Dim lights, quiet music playing, oil diffusing, TENS unit- Erin and Katie let me do my thing and labor in peace (which is a VERY stark contrast from laboring in the hospital) and when the time came to push let me tell you - YOU MUST TRY WATER BIRTH! The tub was such a strong pain reliever I was able to relax and push my baby out in only 45 mins! I felt soooooo taken care of the whole time it was amazing. After I gave birth my Golden hour was respected, my baby was placed on me and not aggressively rubbed or made to cry, it was just as birth should be - quiet, calm and beautiful. Erin did such a good job of caring for my newborn, we were all packed up and ready to go just a few hours later! No unjustifiably long hospital stay, no bright lights, no one barging in every 15 mins to check this and that, just calm. Quiet. Beautiful. Birth. If you have any curiosity about using a birth center, TRY IT! I already look forward to giving birth here again!!”

-Maddie M

05/15/2026

We are accepting Student Midwife applicants:
-MEAC or PEP route
-Any phase, 1 year commitment minimum
-We stay busy, but good work/life balance
-Possible employment opportunity after graduation for student nearing completion

For more info or to apply contact:
[email protected]

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