Bonnie, Mike & Vivian

My husband, Mike and I had three beautiful children, all born in a hospital. I hadn’t seriously thought of doing it any other way. After hoping for several years for another baby, we were so happy when we realized we would be blessed with our fourth. However, I felt a little nervous that we would be moving to Madison one month before our baby’s due date. I had some very frustrating experiences with doctors during my pregnancy, and was nervous to find another one. I got referrals for doctors, looked online, and made a lot of phone calls. I felt frustrated when no one could help me or adequately answer my questions. I didn’t feel comfortable with the hospitals either. One day when I was searching online, I found the Birth Center website. I knew almost instantly that it was what I wanted. I felt so relieved. When I called to set things up, everyone I spoke with was so helpful and kind.

When we got to Madison, I got to have four prenatal visits before our baby was born. The only thing I was sad about was that I didn’t get to have all my prenatal care at the Birth Center. The visits I did have were so helpful and relaxing. The midwives always seemed to have all the time in the world to visit with Mike and me. This was very different than our previous experiences with doctors.

All of our other children had been born before their due dates, so I was very anxious when this one’s due date came and went. The day after her due date, I had a prenatal visit with Aszani. I can’t remember what she said, but I felt much better about things after the visit. The midwives were all very comforting, like having a mom there.

Early the next morning, I had regular contractions that were harder than I’d had up to that point. Since I tested positive for Group B strep, I wanted to make sure I got to the antibiotic in time. Because I have a history of fast labors, and also because I was overdue, I think I was extra nervous. I called the midwives, and Mary met us at the Birth Center. I was only dilated to 2cm and 30 percent effaced. With my last two babies, I had been at 4cm and 90 percent effaced for more than a week before labor started. I was discouraged. I ended up going home a few hours later. I felt badly about making Mary come in at 4AM for no reason, and I felt sort of embarrassed for not realizing that I wasn’t really in labor. I was also very disappointed to go home without having a baby. But, Mary hugged me and helped me feel better about everything. She told me this baby was just letting us know that she is her own person, not just the same as the other children.

The next two days, I tried hard not to think too much about going into labor. I decided to act as if it would be a week or two away. At 3AM, four days after the due date, I woke up suddenly with a really hard contraction. I got up, went to the bathroom, then tried to go back to bed, but the contractions were so close together and so painful that I couldn’t really sleep. I was nervous about having another false alarm, so I tried walking around for a bit, but the contractions kept coming and were getting more painful. I woke my husband up around 3:30. He encouraged me not to wait to call, so I called and Aszani answered. We didn’t say much, but Aszani met us at the birth center just a few minutes before 4AM.

When we got there, she said she could tell from my voice that this was really it. I was grateful that she was so perceptive. I was already in so much pain. My other labors were fast, but I had lighter contractions for days before and knew that labor was coming. Then, when serious labor began, I had long spaces between contractions. This was a very different kind of labor. Aszani checked me. I was at 4cm. and about 80 percent effaced. I felt a little afraid because it was so intense already. I was worried labor would go on a long time or that my baby would be posterior like my last baby. But, Aszani seemed to know it wouldn’t be long.

After I was checked, I got in the water. It helped me so much. The intensity was decreased enough that I felt a little less nervous. As the contractions became more painful, Arlinda, who was one of our nurses, suggested counter-pressure, which also helped a lot. Mike helped with this until it no longer felt good to me. I felt like pushing before I thought it was time because the water helped so much. I didn’t know how to position myself. I was used to being told how to be. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be in or out of the water. Aszani suggested staying on my hands and knees. Finally, I did stay on hands and knees in the water. It was so much easier to push in this position.

After only twelve minutes of pushing, our sweet little Vivian was born in the water at 5:22AM. I turned around and held her, so happy to finally see her face. I never got to hold or even really see my other children until 15 or 20 minutes after they were born. I just loved how everyone at the birth center respected my husband and me as parents and how they treated the birth as such a joyous occasion for our family. After the placenta was born, my husband held the baby as I was helped out of the tub. The baby was very alert and nursed off and on for the next two hours. Aszani and the nurses, Arlinda and Nicole, were all so attentive, but not interfering during and after the labor. One small thing that I appreciated was that, in contrast to hospital births, no one tried to have conversations with me during my contractions. I felt like everyone was focusing on what was happening, which was comforting to me.

We went home around noon that day. The home visits were so wonderful. Having a baby at the Birth Center has really helped my husband and I feel empowered to make decisions about our health and our children’s health. I was so happy that Vivian was born into a loving, peaceful environment. She fills our family with new joy and excitement. It was an answer to my heartfelt prayers to find the Madison Birth Center.