Our birth center

It dawned on me that I'd never shown you around our birth center!  It is far, far different than what most people imagine a birth center to be- that is because many hospitals these days are calling their L&D units "birth centers" so as to appeal to the more natural-minded mamas.  I won't even go into the issues I have with that (my first birth was at a "birth center," mind you) but I will say it's just a ploy.  Don't fall for it ;-)  Anyway, I understand that these days most people think "hospital" when they think of birthing places.  Alma is not at ALL a hospital, as you'll see.  This is total hippie midwifery here, you guys.  (Again, that may be hard to imagine because most of you, my dear readers, live in areas of the country where midwives usually only practice in hospitals.)

Alma birth center (my midwife is in photos 6 & 10 in that slideshow! Love her!) is not attached to or affiliated with a hospital.  It is, quite literally, a renovated beautiful old house that has both the "clinical" area (see photo below) and the actual birthing suites.  It is very much like birthing in the comfort of my own home, only I'm birthing in someone else's "home" (again, this is the feel that a lot of hospital birth centers are going for, but you know better than to believe that, right?)  While the midwives do have access to certain medical equipment (pitocin for hemorrhage, oxygen tanks, suturing equipment, etc.) there are no large medical machines such as fetal monitoring systems.  All monitoring is done by doppler or fetoscope.  No IV poles, nurse call buttons, or hospital gowns.  There are no infant incubators- boxes, as I call them- no surgical tables, no hospital beds.  There are queen-sized beds for birthing and sleeping and pull-out couches if needed.  Co-sleeping is the norm unless you request a bassinet- a real bassinet, not a hospital one ;-)

I'll quit going on about it, just take a look at these photos.  There is nothing hidden, they don't wheel in equipment from another room... in fact the only other rooms in the birth center are common areas (read: living room), kitchens, and a janitorial closet area.  That's it.  Like I said- it's just a renovated house- nothing medical about it!

This is one of the prenatal care rooms- no table with stirrups- all exams are done right there on that chaise lounge!  Small cart to the right with things like kleenex, measuring tapes, doppler and gel.

This is one of 4 birthing suites, and happens to be the one we chose as our first choice for a birthing room.  No hospital beds, no big machines, no warming tables.  Just like my house except LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS TUB!  Can't wait to labor (and hopefully deliver) in there!

Lovely isn't it?!  So very cozy.

So there you have it!  They do perform *some* newborn procedures IF mamas consent, such as eye ointment and vitamin K.  There are also alternatives to things like vitamin K, like an oral, botanical version.  I love choices!  The best part about this style of midwifery care is that all the benefits and risks of any given test or procedure are given to you a few weeks beforehand and you read over it all and then consent to or waive anything you want.

Again, all the equipment that they have at the birth center would be brought to my home if I was choosing a home birth.  Anything else that is needed (unlikely) requires a transfer to the hospital (narcotics, NICU, operating room, etc.)  But, birth is a very normal process so all that's *really* needed is a few towels and a sterile pair of scissors, right?  (that was kind of an exaggeration, but not really!)

We're so glad to live in a state that allows lay midwives and direct-entry midwives, and where women have a choice about where and how they want to bring their child into the world.

So, what our birth is going to look like is this:  If I *think* I am in labor, I call one of my midwives.  They come to my house and check things out, then stay if I am indeed in labor and act as a support person.  Once things are really moving along (assuming they are not moving along *too* quickly) we all hop in our cars and head to the birth center where the other two midwives meet us.  We labor and birth, then the midwives stay for a couple of hours to be sure me and baby are doing well.  They leave, and a post-partum doula takes care of us around the clock- feeding us two homemade meals and one takeout meal- until we decide to leave which might be immediately, it might be two days later, or anywhere in between.  We are allowed to check-out whenever we see fit, and even if we stay (i.e. sleep at the birth center) we are allowed to come and go as we please for walks, coffee trips, etc.  IF we stay two days, I get a free post-partum one hour massage.  Bliss.  [If I refuse to leave my house during labor (women in labor are hard to please!) or if labor is progressing way too quickly then we stay here at home.  The rest of my midwifery team (3 total) will come here with their birth bags and we'll birth here.]

There are a lot of differences in our care at the birth center versus what we would experience at a hospital or even at home.  The 24-hour personal doula is an amazing benefit.  She is not, however, a nurse.  Any issues would require her to call in a midwife to check things out, but the midwives also do a 1, 2, and 3 day post-partum visit.  We won't be eating hospital food.  We won't have our sleep interrupted by vitals checks and the constant onslaught of hospital staff (the doulas check vitals every 4 hours, unless we are sleeping, but no longer than 8 hours between vitals checks.  The hospital did it every 4, period.)  On the other hand, we will not be in the comfort of our house, which means we will have to keep Owen comfortable in this new environment (fingers crossed he sleeps well!).  I think that for us, the birth center is a nice middle option- lots of amenities that we don't have here, but it is obviously not a hospital.

We are really, really looking forward to this birth experience, but we also understand that it isn't for everyone.  There isn't a team of doctors in a nearby wing, there is no NICU, there is not a lot of high-tech medical equipment.  Those things make some people feel very safe.  However, I personally feel birth is a very safe, normal event (since I am low-risk) and thus the medicalization of birth is, to me, highly unnecessary.  To me, this birth experience will be very therapeutic and heal a lot of the scars from my first birth.  I am thrilled and grateful that I will be able to have this experience.