OUR MISSION

Nova Enterprises is on a mission to improve the world of maternity care in Illinois even if it is only one birth at a time. According to the Alternative Health Care Delivery Act the state of Illinois is in need of alternative methods of maternity care. Our mission is to provide a much overdue, needed, and desired collection of services that specialize in natural, proven, and evidence based practices. Due to the hard work and dedication of devoted people that sought to improve maternity care in the state, what were previously just visions of freestanding birth centers, are now very real possibilities.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

My name is Julie Banas. I am the Director of Operations at Nova Enterprises. I am a happily married mother of three who has been active in the birth community for a number of years as a doula, birth assistant, birth photographer, childbirth educator and apprentice midwife.

There is a lack of education and support for pregnant women. Low risk woman (which is about 85% of all pregnancies) should have the right to birth how and where she wants without meeting resistance. The United States comes behind 30 other countries in maternity care. I want to do something to improve those odds. I don't think enough women know about their options and rights when it comes to the birth of their babies.

Birth matters and the experience of a birth has lasting effects on everyone involved.

What is a Birth Center

A birth center is a home-like facility, existing within a healthcare system with a program of care designed in the wellness model of pregnancy and birth. Birth centers are guided by principles of prevention, sensitivity, safety, appropriate medical intervention, and cost effectiveness. Birth centers provide family-centered care for healthy women before, during and after normal pregnancy, labor and birth. – National Association of Childbearing Centers, 1995

Benefits of Birth Centers & Midwifery Led Care

• Greater Control and Involvement
• A Network of Services
• Freedom of Movement
• Reduction in C-section & Interventions
• Lower Costs
• Reduced Mortality and Morbidity for Mother and Baby
• Fewer Recovery Complications

OUR VISION

Now that the doors have finally been breached to allow birth centers to be opened, we are going for it. Our vision is an all-inclusive facility with comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care, labor and birth options with 4 luxurious birth rooms, maternal-focus fitness center, wellness spa, doula services, "baby and me boutique", full time childcare for clients and staff, breastfeeding support clinic, nutrition services, maternal mental-wellness support, education center, and other mother/baby related services. We want our center to be a big part of the community. We believe that happy, healthy families start at birth.

OUR PLAN

In order to submit for the application for licensure we need to have a location, detailed architecture plans, all staffing accounted for and all funds to run the center.
We have been creating a support system throughout Illinois and have made breakthroughs in gathering a solid team to make this vision happen in the next year.

We have a location, a solid proposal to give to the bank, a network of public and professional support, building designs, and now we need to finish our funding to finish getting this project underway.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

We want to take our business to the mayor of to gain the cities support for the project. We want to walk into their office with a huge stack of signatures of people from the community who back the birth center project. Please sign our petition to show that you support a freestanding birth center in the Chicago area.