Exploring Life & Business with Meghan Nowland of Cincinnati Birth Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meghan Nowland.

Meghan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started the Cincinnati Birth Center in 2019 because I wanted to help solve the problem of infant mortality in Cincinnati. I knew midwives and midwifery centers were the answer. Too many babies are dying in Cincinnati because they are being born too small and too soon. Midwifery care prevents preterm birth and low birth weight. In 2019 I found a beautiful Victorian mansion in Walnut Hills and started renovating it into a freestanding birth center. When COVID hit, my home birth midwifery practice grew but the construction to the birth center hit delays with government office closures. It took me six years to complete renovations. Finally in February 2024 we received our certificate of occupancy but weren’t able to open as a freestanding birth center because Ohio requires that birth centers have a transfer agreement with a local hospital. None of the area hospitals were willing to sign an agreement. A physician-backed freestanding birth center in Columbus Ohio was also unable to open and went out of business. I’ve spent the last twelve years trying to change the law in Ohio to improve access to midwives and birth centers. Now we have a bill in both the Ohio house and senate and are very close to passing. I can’t wait for the Cincinnati Birth Center to become licensed freestanding birth center!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve encountered immense struggle along the way. When I first purchased the building which is now the Cincinnati Birth Center, there was a lot of crime, sex work, and drug abuse on the corner. Through cleaning up the yard, gardening, and installing a community cut flower garden and maternal herb support garden, we’ve seen the neighborhood transform.

I didn’t know what I was doing when I started the construction project and learned a lot along the way. I didn’t know how to budget for a large construction project or what timeline to expect for work to be completed. There were a lot of terrifying moments where I thought “how am I ever going to get through this?” but little by little, I chipped away at each project till the long to=do list of renovations became a small list.

When it comes to birth centers, midwives can experience difficulty working with hospital systems and physicians if hospitals have a poor perception of community birth. I’m thankful I was able to find two amazing back up physicians, but one retired and one was forced by his hospital system to stop working with midwives. It’s been frustrating to see all the data that supports midwives and birth centers as a solution for our nation’s maternity care problems and yet experience resistance from hospital systems. I knew I was taking a risk when I started this project because I didn’t know how I was going to get a hospital to sign a transfer agreement. Unfortunately I was right about my assumption. It’s not a fair fight, I’m a small women-owned business without large investors backing me up. But I have hope knowing midwives are the future of maternity care and that one day, hopefully soon, we will change the law in Ohio and remove barriers to midwives and birth centers. I always center the families and babies I’m doing this for. I know I’m fighting a good fight!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Cincinnati Birth Center is dedicated to creating equity by focusing on maternal & infant health by centering Black mothers & infants. We offer quality midwifery care, financial aid to low-income women, training for BIPOC midwives, birth assistants, & lactation consultants, & fresh organic produce to pregnant women who qualify for Medicaid through a program called Fresh RX. With Fresh RX we connect pregnant women who are on or qualify for Medicaid to fresh organic produce through a local farm partner.

Cincinnati Birth Center is located in the heart of Walnut Hills, a historically Black community in the middle of Cincinnati Ohio. Walnut Hills is surrounded by Corryville, Avondale, & Evanston. These four communities have some of the highest infant mortality rates for Black babies in the United States. A few blocks away in Corryville, for every 1,000 babies born, 41 will not make it to their first birthday. These babies are dying because they are being born too small & too soon. What causes preterm birth is stress. Cincinnati Birth Center creates an oasis in this toxic maternity zone.

We believe that re-establishing a healthy connection with nature can improve health outcomes for historically marginalized people.

For the past four years, we have been building a welcoming, nurturing indoor & outdoor environment for our birth clients & the greater community. We have installed a Cut Flower Garden, & a Maternal Support Herb Garden, & are designing a Reflection Garden around the birth center. The guiding principles for these three environments are to promote & model environmental sustainability, to favor native plants that have co-evolved with the local bees, birds & butterflies, to provide multi-sensory spaces for quiet reflection, & to grow using regenerative practices.

What are your plans for the future?
We’re looking forward to opening our doors to be able to have births happen inside the Cincinnati Birth Center. Currently our center offers home birth, midwifery care, waterbirth, and lactation services. We also have a chiropractic practice, Balance, Bellies, and Babies, a massage therapist, Purpose Healing Massage, and free babywearing support group. Additionally we host the Cincinnati Herbalists Without Borders Chapter.

Our outdoor space is undergoing renovations to complete the back Rest and Reflection Garden. We’re going to add a patio with refrigerator and sink for our food program for families who qualify for WIC. We hope to do more outdoor programming such as classes on environmental sustainability, composting, and teaching families how to grow their own food. We’re going to be a drop spot for Queen City Commons for compost, host a few bee hives, and will be adding chickens to our outdoor space.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cincinnatibirthcenter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cincinnati.birth.center
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatibirthcenter
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/36020822/admin/dashboard/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com@meghan_nowland