3 Reasons Why I Chose a Birthing Center
Roots and Truth
I was 24 years old during my first pregnancy. At that time I didn’t know that trained midwives could deliver in the hospital. (They can!) I didn’t know that there was another option aside from delivering in a hospital with an M.D.
What I did know—I wanted to deliver my child naturally. I was willing to prepare! I was willing to struggle through labor! So I immersed myself in reading, and practicing breathing techniques parallel to HypnoBirthing®.
I had done all of these. I was in a process of developing physical inner strength and maturity. But when I entered the hospital, the night of April 3 2012, to give birth for the first time. I learned how contrasting the approach to birth was in that hospital, verses what I had heard about from my mother’s experiences and what I had read about in the HypnoBirthing® resources.
My Complicated History
I gave birth to a healthy baby boy the next day. Some might say to be grateful, but I didn’t feel that way the years following his birth. I didn’t know that they were going to start aggressive labor drugs at 8pm at night. I personally function better in the day. The contrast felt so strong. How they treated me felt mechanical and inhumane. If you’re interested in reading, I recorded the whole story in the following post:
It is important to note here, that I had been invited into a holistic birth experience before I was married. I went to a class at church that planted a seed for me to desire natural birth. In this class the teacher talked about midwives in the context of home birth. I share that introduction in this blog post:
With my first I didn’t know that midwives assisted births in the hospital. And I hadn’t heard about a birthing center.
Before my birthing center experience, I had another son. He was born in 2015. His birth was interlaced with complication and miraculous timing. He was born in a hospital with the assistance of a midwife. (I was so happy to be led to this option.) I was unmedicated during his birth as well. I delivered him easily after I had gone through labor.
But that hospital room was small and crowded. Then we had to move rooms. We were settled in our postpartum room around 2 am. There was a hard window bench for Curtis to sleep on, and a mass-manufactured vinyl covered chair in the room.
Our oldest son wasn’t allowed in the hospital room because it was February, and it was still flu season. He was at home with his aunt. I remember him coming on the hospital grounds, so his dad could see him. I hadn’t been discharged, so I couldn’t leave the floor to see my son.
I stayed at the hospital for two nights. My bum hurt so bad. The bed wasn’t cushioned enough, and there wasn’t space to move around the room. I remember that being stuck to the bed was the most uncomfortable thing. I also remember not having a choice if I could go home. I hadn’t seen all of the nurses and doctors that I needed to see to get discharged by the end of the first day that I had my son in arms.
These memories bring me to the benefits of delivering in a birthing center with our third.
1. Comfortability
The number one reason I choose a birthing center over a hospital is the atmosphere and how the rooms are designed.
The goal is to have the room feel more like home. In the picture below, notice the natural light.
The tub placed right by the bed.
The queen-sized bed and a fuzzy sofa.
Each room has a beautiful cradle or bassinet.
The medical equipment is sitting in the closet. It is accessible, but not seen.
This is Curtis and I in the room at My Family Birthing Center in Ogden, UT. It was taken after the birth of our third child. We were delighted to welcome her into our family on a Saturday afternoon in April of 2021. (Although our boys were welcome in the birthing center, they were happy at home, both playing with the neighbor’s kids.)
My water broke before I drove to the birthing center, so I arrived with towels and messy clothes. My midwife and her assistance had done all of my laundry by the time I was ready to go home.
We delivered our baby girl in the room pictured. And we stayed there all afternoon so I could sleep and eat a meal. There is a kitchen in this facility. Our midwife offered us dinner, and warm cookies!
2. My Opinion Mattered
The second reason that I choose a birthing center was that it was more aligned with my value of the natural birthing process.
When I spoke to the midwives that worked for the birthing center, I could tell that they had read the natural birthing books that I had been reading. With it being my third pregnancy, I did have an opinion, and knew better how to express it and receive feedback. It helped me feel less alone during every prenatal appointment.
3. Openness for Adaptation
Some might see birthing centers as “risky”, but actually they have significantly lower rates of medical interventions compared to hospitals. The cesarean section rate for laboring people in birth centers averages around 6%, which is about half the rate seen in low-risk hospital births. 1
It takes time to have a natural birthing process. The midwives that work in birthing centers are trained to allow women their natural laboring process, no matter how long it takes. This low-stress atmosphere creates a conducive environment for healthy mom and healthy baby!
Midwives at birthing centers are open to inviting others into the room during the labor. They actually offer referrals for natural-birth advocates like a HypnoBirthing® instructor, or a birth assistant like a doula. They view the birthing process as a collaborative process that takes a metaphorical village to aid a woman with support that she needs.
Unmedicated birth NEVER goes exactly as planned–ever. But with the right team, guidance, love and kind words, I have seen miracles happen in my birthing stories!
The miracle stories are almost always better then the original plans! Learning to adapt and allowing the village to help is a key!
What is Possible for You?
I used to think it was silly when people talked about the village. And it is a concept that is still developing in my psyche.
As I’ve observed my needs, I feel and know that I can’t do all the jobs alone.
When we utilize the village, it means that we use people that have acquired the spiritual, physical, and mental expertise for their specific job.
A midwife is a trained guide and a labor keeper. If she is qualified, she trusts the spiritual nature of birth. She also understands the seriousness of taking care of the human body at such a vulnerable time.
During birth the partner is usually not the expert in this field. But a partner can be an excellent observer, a member of the support staff and listener.
My husband offered his service to me when I was laboring. When I needed my hips pressed on, he aided me and gave the physical pressure I was seeking. When I needed to move, sway or go to the bathroom, he assisted me.
A breathing coach can help you to learn the skill of finding rhythm, when it seems near to impossible to continue on.
A birth guide, like a doula, knows the process and should know your needs as an individual.
Often the partner may loose the endurance or be so fatigued, and that is ok! That is why others are invited into the room. Never think that you and your spouse have to do this process alone.
I had one experience at a birthing center, and there is no doubt that I would do it again if I was led to have another child. The motherly love, that felt while we were there, made us better. Both my husband and I came away with hope and joy that we had not felt in a long time.
This is what I hope for you.
With all the love that I have for babies, and more!
Note:
Birthing centers are a great option for those who have low risk pregnancies. Going to a birthing center during my first pregnancy and delivery would have been a great option for me because their staff values aligned with mine. (I just didn’t know about it.) Through a fist time pregnancy, it is hard to know what the best decision would be for you.
While making this decision, openness with your partner around your desire, is always a best first step! Assessing your own personal health is at utmost importance as well.
Natural Birth Resources
If you are interested in looking into other’s experiences of the natural birthing process, I have created a list of books, and documentaries linked here:
Hi, I’m Cami
and this is my little girl, Mae.
I’m a lover of nature, and will advocate for each person to discover their own spiritual nature through the process of writing their story.
That’s why I blog. To encourage you to believe in your own unique, “unlimited possibilities” story!
Stock photo: Pexels.com
Bio Photo: Maegan Stallings Photography
- https://www.birthcenters.org/bc-experience[↩]
