By Je’Don Holloway-Talley
When Heather Skanes, M.D., an OB-GYN and owner of Oasis Women’s Health and Oasis Family Birthing Center, wanted to open Alabama’s first licensed and nationally accredited freestanding birth center, she knew the perfect location — the heart of Birmingham’s West Side, near the recently closed OB-GYN department at Princeton Baptist Medical Center, formerly the Simon-Williamson Clinic.
Her practice on the city’s West side means “women have a choice in a time when so many choices are being taken away,” said the doctor, who specializes in pregnancy, childbirth, and the female reproductive system.
“The [Birthing Center] is a place where women can express their values and have their cultures honored,” she added. “While we want to empower all birthing people, we do have a specific interest in changing the outcomes for people of color. This area is full of people who greatly benefit from the improved outcomes associated with the midwifery model of care. That is why we are committed to our surrounding community in West End.”
Skanes, 36, will be a featured participant in this year’s Black Maternal Health Expo (BMHE) at the Babypalooza Baby Expo, which returns to the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC), in the East Ballroom, on Saturday, August 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
While Babypalooza marks its 18th season, the BMHE is a relatively new addition, returning for its second year. Babypalooza is centered on providing education and self-advocacy tools, and the BMHE complements the event’s mission by focusing on critical maternal health disparities faced by Black birthing women.
Black women experience a maternal mortality rate nearly three times higher than that of white women, and the BMHE is designed to offer a safe and empowering space for Black mothers to access a wide range of resources, offering everything from support groups to connections with culturally competent OB-GYNs, as well as midwives and doulas.
Midwives are health care professionals who provide an array of health care services for women, including gynecological examinations, contraceptive counseling, prescriptions, and labor and delivery care. Doulas are professionals trained in childbirth, who provide emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother who is expecting, is experiencing labor, or has recently given birth.
“Last year, I had a number of expectant women [at Babypalooza] discuss concerns with me about the care that they were currently receiving or had previously received. This was particularly common for the women of color who attended,” Skanes said.
Vital Resources
At the expo, Black moms-to-be and new moms will find information on vital resources, such as prenatal and postpartum care, breastfeeding support, and mental health services to help navigate pregnancy and the postpartum period with confidence and peace of mind.
“I will be [at Babypalooza] with my midwives and staff to provide information on our services, and they’ll get to learn more about the birthing center experience. I believe I will also be participating in one of the panels,” said Skanes, who has four midwives, two nurses, and two birth assistants at her practice.
Skanes opened her private practice in 2021 and added the Oasis Family Birthing Center in 2022 to create a collaborative practice among midwives, OB-GYNs, hospitals, and birthing centers.
“I was inspired by midwifery students who needed a place to learn and practice their skills. While this process has certainly been challenging, I do believe that our goal will have a significant and positive impact on Alabama’s maternal health outcomes,” she said.
“We believe that all women and birthing people are entitled to affordable maternal care and that healthy women with low-risk pregnancies should have the option to choose where and with whom they give birth,” Skanes added.
She explained that “birth centers are portals for reproductive healing, and the trust between a midwife and a birthing woman is sacred. The midwifery care model mends emotional wounds, removes barriers, and reinstates autonomy previously lost due to a systemic dedication to obstetric violence and trauma seen in hospital facilities throughout the state.”
Overcoming Obstacles
The mission of the Oasis Family Birthing Center since its founding has been to transform maternal care in Alabama, but Skanes faced a formidable challenge when the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) threatened her with criminal and civil penalties for operating without a license.
Despite the severity of these threats, no clear path was provided on how to obtain the necessary licensure, placing a de facto ban on her birth center’s operations and forcing her to stop accepting patients in June 2023.
Skanes, along with two co-plaintiffs, sought justice with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). They contended that their lawsuit against the ADPH was a battle for the rights of midwives, birthing centers, and the women who rely on them.
Skanes won an injunction against the ADPH to continue to operate, reopening her birth center in January 2024 and becoming the first in the state to receive national accreditation in April 2024.
Oasis Women’s Health offers a host of services related to menopause, infertility, fibroids, abnormal uterine bleeding, pregnancy, birth control, well-women exams, and minimally invasive surgery, while the Oasis Family Birthing Center offers individual and group prenatal care, postpartum care, water birth, circumcision, lactation consultations, and breastfeeding classes.
Asked what distinguishes the services provided at Oasis from those offered at the typical OB-GN practice, Skanes said, “The birthing center is an evidenced-based approach to pregnancy and childbirth, with the biggest difference being an individualized approach to prenatal care and labor.”
At Oasis, she added, “women can have both a safe and an empowering experience.”
For Skanes, the BMHE is not just an event; it’s a lifeline for Black mothers.
“Babypalooza brings awareness to maternal health issues in Alabama. It also highlights some of the positive changes that have come to our state. … [My] participation opens people up to the choices they have regarding their birth,” she said. “I think [the BMHE] makes Black women feel seen and heard. I think it helps women of color to feel that the community is concerned about us and our babies. I believe it also gives women the courage to advocate for themselves.”
The Babypalooza Baby Expo and Black Maternal Health Expo (BMHE) return to the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC), in the East Ballroom, on Saturday, August 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Both events are free, and registration is available at Babypalooza.com.