Kristen S.

Austin Area Birthing Center

After having my daughter unmedicated in a hospital in New York State, when I moved to Austin, the first thing that I did was look for a birthing center. I visited the Austin Area Birthing Center for the first time for my annual exam (I wasn't even pregnant yet) and was very impressed with the midwives and the facility. When I found out I was pregnant, I was so excited to birth there. The prenatal care was excellent and I just loved all of the midwives. I just delivered my son yesterday and had a wonderful experience. We arrived at the birthing center at ~9pm and I was having strong but manageable contractions. I was 5cm dilated and we were given the Winston room. It was so quiet and peaceful, I distinctly remember hearing trains going by every so often, which added to my sense of calm. The midwives, Joan and Jenny, were wonderful. When Joan first saw me, she recommended walking and squatting during the contractions to get the baby into a favorable position. Then she left us alone, which was exactly what we needed. When she came back, she'd suggest another position to get the birth going quickly and comfortably. We were always moving, laying the bed, spending time in the tub, walking around the room, and I was reminded that in the hospital, it was a struggle to get the nurses to let me out of bed and I was so uncomfortable laying down. Just before midnight, my contractions became very strong and I had so much pelvic pressure, I was sure that I was in transition. I was 9 cm dilated and the bag of waters was still intact. We decided to break the bag and my son was born at 12:21. The second phase was difficult, but fast. I experienced some heavy bleeding. The midwives were so professional and attentive. I delivered the placenta shortly after the baby (~10 minutes later) and was given time to bond with my new baby. The most wonderful thing was that my son never left me. I was given almost two hours to hold and nurse him before he was weighed right next to me. We had skin to skin contact all night. At one point, due to the heavy bleeding that I experienced, my blood pressure dropped. My husband got the midwives and they again handled everything professionally and expediently. I was given an IV and within minutes, my blood pressure was recovering. We all went home around 8 hours after the birth and Jenny has called to make sure that things are OK here. I honestly feel that I could not have had a better birthing experience in any other setting and am so happy that I chose to birth at the Austin Area Birthing Center. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to experience a natural childbirth.