Authentic Birth Center

What Authentic Birth Center does

Authentic Birth Center, founded in 2012 by Katy Skarlatos, is a freestanding, midwifery-led birth center located at 530 N 108th Place, Suite 100, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. The facility operates four uniquely themed birth suites (Sophia, Serenity, Nest, Joy) equipped with starry-sky ceilings, spa-like birth tubs, and queen-sized beds, plus a 2,000 sq ft community event space, and reports a cesarean rate of about 3% with more than two-thirds of births occurring in water. The care model is collective rather than single-provider: clients are seen by the entire team of seven midwives (a mix of CPMs and CNMs), with 60-minute prenatal visits following WHO schedules, two certified providers at every birth, a 24-hour postpartum stay (versus a national standard of 4–6 hours), and follow-ups at 24 hours, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks.

The service mix is organized around three core offerings — Collective Prenatal Care, Birth Under the Stars (labor and birth), and Family-Centered Postpartum Care — augmented by free midwife consultations, virtual and in-person facility tours, educational classes and support groups, and event-space rentals. Revenue is generated through self-pay midwifery care at $5,000, a separate self-pay facility fee of $3,725, ancillary lab and testing pass-throughs, and reimbursements from major in-network payers (United Healthcare, UMR, Aetna, The Alliance) plus Wisconsin BadgerCare for midwifery fees; third-party billing is handled by Integrity Billing Group. Distribution is direct-to-consumer, serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area and surrounding Wisconsin communities, with go-to-market driven by community referrals, open houses, classes, social media, and a referral network of allied perinatal providers (physical therapy, chiropractic, lactation, mental health, childbirth education, placenta encapsulation, and birth photography).

Name

Authentic Birth Center

Legal name

Authentic Birth Center

Website

https://authenticbirthcenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Authentic Birth Center is a freestanding, midwifery-led birth center in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, providing collective prenatal, labor, water-birth, and 24-hour postpartum care to low-risk pregnant individuals across the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Birth Center / Maternity Services

NAICS

Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAFAJAC

Midwifery & Birth Centers

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Women’s & Children’s Health Providers

Keywords

• Maternity care services
• Midwifery-led births
• Prenatal postpartum care
• Water birth services
• Birth center facility

Headquarters

HQ city

Wauwatosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Midwifery Care Services: Comprehensive prenatal care, labor and birth support, and postpartum care provided by certified professional midwives and certified nurse midwives. Revenue generated through insurance reimbursement and self-pay at $5,000 for provider services.
2. Birth Center Facility Services: Facility usage fees for the birth center including birth suite access, amenities, and postpartum stay. Self-pay rate of $3,725 for facility use. Additional revenue from space rentals for community events up to 100 guests.
3. Insurance and Health Share Reimbursement: In-network provider with United Healthcare, UMR, Aetna, and The Alliance. Accepts Wisconsin BadgerCare for midwifery fees. Works with health share ministry programs. Third-party billing through Integrity Billing Group.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Authentic Birth Center is a freestanding birth center that provides midwifery-led maternity care, including prenatal visits, labor and birth in luxury birthing suites with water-birth capability, and 24-hour family-centered postpartum stays. The center contracts directly with self-pay clients and bills commercial insurers (United Healthcare, UMR, Aetna, The Alliance) as well as Wisconsin BadgerCare.

Product overview

Authentic Birth Center operates as a freestanding birth center offering a unified midwifery-led care model that encompasses four interconnected service pillars: Collective Prenatal Care, Birth Under the Stars (labor and birth experience), Family-Centered Postpartum Care, and Events/Classes. The core experience centers on four luxury birth suites designed for natural physiological birth with water birth options. The center provides integrated add-on services including birth suite tours, free midwife consultations, and third-party insurance billing support. Clients can also access educational classes and rent the 2000 sq ft community space for events. The four birth suites (Sophia, Serenity, Nest, and Joy) each offer distinct amenities including starry sky ceilings, spa-like birth tubs, and home-like environments, while the postpartum program includes a 24-hour stay and follow-up care through 6 weeks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Midwifery-Led Prenatal Care Ongoing prenatal midwifery visits provided by Authentic Birth Center's midwife team to pregnant clients in Wauwatosa, WI, as part of the center's full-scope maternity care package.
• Labor and Birth Experience Midwife-attended labor and birth in one of Authentic Birth Center's four luxury birth suites (Sophia, Serenity, The Nest, Joy) with water birth capability. Offered to self-pay, insured, and BadgerCare clients.
• Family-Centered Postpartum Care Up to 24 hours of in-suite postpartum care and monitoring for the birthing parent and newborn following delivery at Authentic Birth Center, included as part of the center's maternity package.
• Events, Groups and Classes Educational and community programming (events, groups, and classes) offered by Authentic Birth Center to expectant and new families in the Milwaukee area.
• Self-Pay Midwifery and Facility Package Out-of-pocket bundle covering full midwifery care ($5,000) and the birth center facility fee ($3,725) for clients without in-network insurance coverage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cesarean rate of approximately 3%, aligned with World Health Organization standards
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Integrity Billing GroupcoreOthersThird-party professional insurance billing service specializing in midwifery and birth center billing. Reviews client insurance benefits, explains out-of-pocket costs, and handles claims submission throughout pregnancy and beyond.
• Body Renovation PTminorOthersPhysical therapy provider serving the Wauwatosa and Milwaukee area, recommended as part of the Authentic community resource network for holistic perinatal care.
• Vibrance Family ChiropracticminorOthersFamily chiropractic care provider recommended for prenatal and postpartum support, included in Authentic's community resource network.
• Wisco LactationminorOthersLactation support services provider recommended to families for breastfeeding assistance both during and after the birth center stay.
• Moms Mental Health InitiativeminorOthersMental health organization providing support for new mothers, recommended as part of the holistic family support network.
• Kinderhaven Birth and FamilyminorOthersChildbirth education class provider recommended to families for preparation for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum periods.
• Mothers' Milk Bank of the Western Great LakesminorOthersMilk bank organization providing donor human milk, recommended as a resource for families who may need breast milk support.
• United HealthcarecoreOthersIn-network insurance provider for Authentic midwifery services. Coverage includes prenatal care, labor and birth, and postpartum services.
• UMR (United Healthcare)coreOthersIn-network insurance provider for midwifery services at Authentic Birth Center.
• AetnacoreOthersIn-network insurance provider for Authentic midwifery services.
• The AlliancecoreOthersIn-network insurance provider for midwifery services at Authentic Birth Center serving Wisconsin employers and individuals.
• Wisconsin BadgerCarecoreOthersWisconsin Medicaid program. Authentic midwives are registered BadgerCare providers. Covers midwifery costs 100% but does not cover birth center facility fees.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM): Professional association for CPMs, several of whom staff Authentic; relevant to advocacy, licensure, and reimbursement policy that directly affects Authentic's clinical workforce and reimbursement model.
• American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM): Professional association supporting certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives; relevant as an industry body shaping midwifery scope of practice, education standards, and consumer awareness that influence Authentic's operating environment.

Direct peers

• Babymoon Inn: Freestanding birth center in Phoenix/Avondale, AZ with luxury birth suites, midwife-led care, hydrotherapy, and a comparable self-pay plus insurance pricing structure for natural childbirth.
• Mountain Midwifery Center: Freestanding birth center in Conifer, CO offering midwifery-led prenatal, birth, and postpartum care with water birth options and a similar community- and education-driven go-to-market approach.
• Nativiti Family Birth Center: Freestanding birth center in The Woodlands, TX offering midwife-attended birth, water birth, and postpartum care with a comparable self-pay fee schedule and in-network insurance arrangements.
• Breath of Life Women's Health Services & Birth Center: Freestanding birth center in Largo, FL providing midwife-led prenatal, birth, and postpartum care including water birth, with similar insurance contracting and amenity positioning.
• The Midwife Center: Freestanding birth center in Pittsburgh offering midwifery-led prenatal, birth, and postpartum care with comparable in-network insurance model and similar clinical philosophy centered on physiological birth and water birth.
• San Antonio Birth Center: Freestanding birth center serving the San Antonio metro with midwifery-led care, water birth options, and similar prenatal-through-postpartum care packages.
• Tree of Life Family Birth Center: Freestanding birth center offering midwifery care, water birth, and postpartum support, with a comparable amenity-driven positioning and direct-to-consumer go-to-market motion.

Broad incumbents

• UnityPoint Health – Meriter: Hospital system in Madison, WI with a midwifery program (formerly employing Authentic's Emily Jalabert); offers midwife-led birth within a hospital setting and competes for the same low-risk, natural-birth demographic in the broader Wisconsin market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AuthenticBirthCenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/authenticbirthcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/authentic-birth-center.-wellness-collective-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Authentic Birth Center