Best Places to Give Birth in Northwest Arkansas
There’s No Place Like Home
Well, I’m a little biased, of course. As I’ve shared before—I’m an RN turned birth doula and student midwife. After spending the better part of a decade working in conventional medicine, I knew deep down that when it was time for me to have children, I needed a very different environment than the one I worked in every day: cold, sterile, rushed, and with very little space for the body to move through labor and birth on its own terms.
Naturally, many of my nurse friends were confused when I told them I was planning a home birth with a midwife for my first son. I found myself saying the same thing over and over again:
“Sick people go to the hospital. I’m not sick—I’m just having a baby.”
And to my surprise, most of them understood.
But the opposite perspective is just as powerful. When you're not feeling your best, where do you want to be? Probably curled up in your own bed, eating something comforting, and surrounded by people you love. Home is where we feel safest—and birth is one of the most vulnerable and transformative experiences we go through. So really, where better to labor than in the place where you feel most like yourself?
A Biological Phenomenon
This isn’t just about a woman’s feelings (though shouldn’t that be reason enough to choose where to give birth?). There’s a real biological phenomenon at play—one that mirrors how we instinctively feel more relaxed and safe in certain environments, and how that deeply benefits the birth process.
It’s still somewhat of a mystery how labor begins, but one theory suggests that prostaglandins are released as the baby’s head puts pressure on the cervix, starting a feedback loop that intensifies contractions. Another theory points to a rise in oxytocin—our love and bonding hormone—triggering that same hormonal cascade.
Either way, oxytocin plays a major role in labor. And the more safe, supported, and comfortable a woman feels, the more her body is able to produce this powerful hormone naturally. That’s when labor tends to progress more smoothly and quickly, without the need for synthetic interventions. Natural oxytocin even acts as its own kind of pain relief—something synthetic Pitocin just can’t replicate.
Let’s Ask the Question Why Instead of Where
The same truth that drew me to have an unmedicated, minimal-intervention birth is what eventually led me to midwifery—and what made me excited to jump into birth work as a doula. I just fell in love with it.
The more I learned about my own body, the more I realized those truths weren’t just mine—they were universal. I felt like yelling from the rooftops: there is a better way to give birth. And it’s not just better—it breaks the mold. It answers questions buried deep within us. It awakens something that only an undisturbed birth experience can offer.
That conviction still burns in me today. I want every woman to feel the liberation that comes from stepping into motherhood empowered and strong. And I also recognize that this experience can—and will—look different for every woman.
In reality, only a small percentage of women in the U.S. give birth at home. And while I’d love to see that number grow, I also firmly believe that with the right preparation and support, women can absolutely have an empowered birth in the hospital.
Why Hospital Births Often Feel Disempowering
To have a strong, natural birth in a hospital setting, preparation must begin long before labor starts—mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
I try not to sound cynical (especially because most of my clients give birth in the hospital), but the system isn’t built to support physiologic birth. Conventional hospitals operate under what anthropologist Robbie Davis-Floyd calls a technocratic model—the idea that the body is a machine that will likely break down, so a standardized, one-size-fits-all approach is safest.
While this might seem logical, it lacks personal touch. It creates a culture of control rather than care—one that rarely bends to a patient’s needs, intuition, or preferences.
That’s why the moment a woman walks into the hospital, she’s often forced into a position of high alert—needing to advocate for her own desires, comfort, and safety during labor. Even when these interactions are polite, the stress of navigating conflict can stall natural labor progression.
My New Motto: An Undisturbed Birth is an Empowered Birth
To have an empowered birth, a woman must be supported in protecting her space. And that begins with building a solid support team. In my honest opinion, this means hiring a birth doula.
This isn’t a sales pitch—it’s a truth I believe in with my whole heart. Unless your partner is deeply educated in labor and birth and feels confident acting as your guard dog the whole time, you need someone dedicated to safeguarding the space while you labor.
It’s not a new idea—it’s ancient. Women have always supported women in birth, but today it looks a little different. Good support for the laboring woman looks like:
Advocating for your birth plan
Speaking up when things deviate without your consent
Reducing unnecessary interruptions
Encouraging and comforting you through the natural birthing process
I truly believe that women in Northwest Arkansas can achieve natural, unmedicated, low-intervention births—whether at home or in a hospital room. But it takes preparation and a team.
We live in such an individualistic society that we’ve forgotten birth is a team sport. I will save you from the metaphor of the laboring woman being the quarterback and myself, the birth doula, being the water boy. But yes, the laboring woman must feel supported no matter where birth takes place.
So… Where Should You Give Birth in Northwest Arkansas?
If you clicked on this blog hoping I’d give you a list of my favorite hospitals and OBs in NWA (or not so favorite ones)—believe me, I have one. But out of respect (and professionalism), I won’t publish it publicly.
I’d love to talk with you about it privately. If you have questions—about where to give birth, how to prepare, or how to feel confident in your birth plan—please reach out through the contact page on my site.
In love and light,
Elizabeth
