I’ve watched (and LOVED) The Business of Being Born.
I’ve read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth.
I’ve watched Pregnant in America.
I’m using Hypnobabies (more details in a future post).
I’m using a midwife and hiring a doula.
I believe, strongly, that my body was built to conceive, gestate and birth a baby without intervention or pain relief, and I think one of the most important things I can do is to go into my birth with as much knowledge as possible.
Having said all of that, I am opting for a hospital birth and am keeping my mind open to any and all possible outcomes.
When I first got pregnant, I really thought I’d use a birthing center. Home birth has never been an option that I felt comfortable with (for me and my situation — I completely understand it for others) but a birthing center seemed to offer the best of all worlds: a comfortable, quiet and nurturing environment with few interventions, but run by skilled people who can assist with complications or emergencies.
Then I toured the center. And I toured the hospital, which includes one of the largest and highest-level NICUs in the country. And I made my decision.
Note: we have several great hospitals and birthing centers in Central Florida, and I considered them all. For us, it came down to these two based on location, services and amenities.
HOSPITAL (Winnie Palmer)
Pros
- large NICU center for treatment of all complications
- access to surgery in case of c-section or other complications during labor
- has improved its baby-friendly policies in the past few years to include 2 hours of time with mom, dad and baby in the recovery room immediately post birth
- a commitment to immediate skin-to-skin time with mom and baby post birth
- lots of security for mom and baby
- my midwife will be able to attend (if she’s on call; if not, she will try and attend as much as possible)
- great amenities
- big tub and shower plus other items (birthing ball, etc.) available
- supportive of breastfeeding AND offers lactation consultants
Cons
- 30 minutes from my house
- much less support for laboring as long as possible without medication
- it’s a hospital and feels like a hospital — triage, labor and delivery room, nursery, etc.
- will have nearly constant fetal monitoring
- will have to work hard to make wishes clear to all staff
- can’t eat during labor
- less able to walk around during labor
- kept for at least 48 hours after birth
BIRTHING CENTER (Inspiration Midwifery)
Pros
- midwifery care (and the owner is an EMT!)
- built into a house, so rooms have full-sized beds, beautiful decorations, room for family, etc.
- super supportive of low-intervention labor
- super supportive of breastfeeding
- very relaxed environment — able to eat, move around, etc. during labor
- 15 minutes from my house
- extremely baby-friendly…mom gets baby on chest immediately after birth and is never separated from baby
- big tub (and access to water birth if desired) plus other items available
- all care can be done there (same experience as going to my current midwife/OB office)
- baby and mom sent home as soon as they want — or can stay as long as they want!
Cons
- no emergency care (they have a great relationship with local hospitals and ambulance and could get me and baby to help within 10 minutes but that’s still too scary for me)
- no pain relief — if I go here, it’s unmedicated all the way (unless I opt to be transferred to the hospital)
See? On paper, it’s not a hard choice. But those two cons for the birth center are deal-breakers for me, it turns out. I really want to do everything I can to set up a labor and birth that does not include an early epidural (although I’m definitely open to it later in the labor if needed), does not include a c-section (although I’m a realist: if I need one, I need one and I will NOT feel bad about getting one) and does not include a lot of monitoring, cervical checks, etc.
Of all the things I’m facing and all the decisions I’m making, this one has brought me the most heartache. No matter which choice I made, I was going to be disappointed in something. It’s just that as a first-time mom, I know that for me, the right choice is to go to the place that offers the best “just in case” care, while doing everything in my power to advocate for what I want.
Ask me after I give birth if I regret the choice. It’s possible! The birthing center was amazing, and I really did fall in love with the people and the place. I understand 100% why for some moms and dads, that’s the right choice for them. I think vaginal childbirth, with few interventions, is beautiful and it would certainly be my top choice. But whatever is best for baby is best for me. The end.
