All of the Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) at Dar a Luz Birth & Health Center hold a master’s degrees in nursing and have clinical experience caring for pregnant people after numerous years of hands-on experience.

CNMs provide prenatal care, attend the birth and provide postpartum care to families and newborn babies. They specialize in normal pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. CNMs also provide general health care related to contraception and gestational-related services. CNMs are able to write prescriptions and treat common health issues for women, and transgender and gender nonbinary individuals seeking what has traditionally been thought of as women’s health care.  

YES! Except for serious medical conditions, all pregnancies are eligible for care by the CNMs at Dar a Luz Birth & Health Center — those of any age who begin their pregnancy in a healthy state generally remain healthy and have a normal delivery.

The National Birth Center Study
A multi-center study of over 17,000 clients seeking birth center care published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that birth centers offer a safe and acceptable alternative to hospital birth for healthy, low-risk clients, and that birth center care leads to fewer cesarean sections.

We suggest to register for an orientation of the birth center for further information.

YES! Dar a Luz is the only birth center in Albuquerque that offers birth in the water. Water birth has proven to be safe, and perhaps even safer for you and your baby. 

YES! Some clients have multiple friends and family attend their births; others prefer the privacy of being alone with their partner. We do hope that you remember that the few short hours following your birth are extremely important for bonding, breastfeeding and getting to know each other — and that this is a special time that you only experience once. Sometimes, it’s best for your family and friends to wait to come and see you until after you are settled into your own home. But it’s up to you. We also ask that if you bring another child with you to the birth, they have their own adult present who is NOT the baby’s other parent or the birth partner.

We contract with major insurance companies, but each policy is different, so we will provide each person that attends a tour a personalized estimate of care based on your insurance policy. Payment  plans can be arranged to meet almost any budget. Please register for one of our orientations here.

Read more about insurance and payment here.