12/06/2025
Such a loss for the natural birth community here in the Philadelphia area. 😥
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AFQqWq6et/
After 47 years of serving our community and welcoming more than 16,000 babies, it is with very heavy hearts that we share that Lifecycle Wellness and Birth Center will be closing its doors in 2026.
From the beginning, Lifecycle Wellness has been dedicated to providing evidence-based, family-centered care that empowers clients to make informed choices and experience birth in a supportive, home-like environment. For decades, our team of Certified Nurse Midwives, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses and staff have worked to create a model of care that honors the natural process of birth while ensuring safety, compassion, and respect for every family we serve. It has been our privilege to support so many of your families through some of life’s most meaningful moments.
Growing challenges have made it increasingly difficult for small, independent, and non-profit maternal health providers to exist. Birth centers are uniquely designed to serve healthy, low-risk pregnancies, yet shifts in public health and rising rates of medical complications have reduced the number of families eligible for this model of care. At the same time, the cost of maintaining high-quality, personalized services has continued to climb, from staffing and training to facility upkeep and liability coverage, while insurance reimbursement rates have not kept pace.
In addition, Pennsylvania, like much of the U.S., has seen a steady increase in malpractice insurance premiums and legal pressures on maternal health providers. These financial and regulatory challenges have been difficult for even large health systems to manage, and have forced many independent and community-based centers to close or merge. Despite our best efforts to adapt our model through partnerships, operational efficiencies, and advocacy, these pressures have grown too great to sustain. In today’s healthcare environment, it has become increasingly difficult for small, independent providers to continue offering the kind of individualized care that has always defined Lifecycle Wellness. (Continued in comments.)
