Alternative birth centers offer family-centered care.

With the endorsement of the five major health care associations involved in maternity/newborn care and the support of the American Hospital Association, hospitals throughout the country are beginning to offer alternatives to traditional maternity care. Alternative birth centers (ABCs) have sprung up throughout the country and are providing one-room, homelike environments for labor, delivery and recovery; Leboyer atmosphere; natural childbirth techniques; rooming in; and early discharge. Consumer demand has greatly influenced the changes, and hospital costs have been cut in half.