On a February night, just after 1:30 am, a very pregnant Heather drove into the parking lot at Community of Hope’s Family Health and Birth Center with her husband, where midwives Ebony, Sola, and Sherece were waiting for her. Heather’s labor progressed rapidly before she could even get out of the car. The following two hours would be an unexpected yet joyous ride.
This was Heather’s fourth pregnancy and third delivery at Community of Hope, but her first birth at our new Family Health and Birth Center and her first water birth.
Once Heather exited the car, the midwives slowly walked with her into FHBC. Before each move, the midwives would ask her if she wanted to do ‘this or that’ so Heather could decide what was most comfortable for her.
When she entered the birthing suite, she was four centimeters dilated and a little discouraged by her progress. With the high pain level, she feared she wouldn’t be able to manage the pain. “I didn’t want an epidural or any pain medication, so I felt like I was going to give up at times, but the midwives were my cheerleaders, reminding me I could do this,” says Heather. “When the pain was so bad, the midwives normalized it rather than minimizing it. They told me to accept the pain I was in to help the process rather than to fight it.”
Heather planned a water birth in her detailed birth plan shared with the midwives, although there was room for her to change her mind. Our midwives encouraged Heather to labor in the way that felt best for her in the moment, whether in bed, chair, or tub.
Once Heather moved into the tub, she says it was a smooth labor from there. The midwives were by her side the whole time, which Heather jokes, “was like having extra husbands in the room for support, but more educated with birthing babies.” At 3:05 am, Heather gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Azari.
Heather says the after-birth experience was incredible. Often after the baby is born, the medical attention shifts from mom to baby, but that is not the case at the Family Health and Birth Center. “The mom is birthing an organ as well as a baby,” says Heather. “I feel like once they made sure the baby was okay, they shifted their attention back to me to ensure I was okay. They let me shower in the birthing suite right after the birth. They made sure the care that I received post-labor was excellent. They let me stay in the room for as long as I needed. They made sure I ate something, checked my bleeding, and gave me medication so that I didn’t experience cramping when I went back home.”
“It was a beautiful experience. It felt like a haven for a birthing mom because it is at your own pace. You are not just a name in a room number; you are a person. [The midwives] understand the mortality rates for Black moms. This was my fourth child, and I am a Black woman, so I know I am at higher risk. I felt like I got the rights that I deserved by having my daughter at the FHBC. Everybody looked at me like a person, and everybody wanted me to get through it and survive,” says Heather.
When asked if there was any difference from her birthing experience in the former Family Health and Birth Center location to the new, Heather says, “The quality of care for the people has always been there, but having the birthing room space, the pharmacy, and the beauty of the center creates a welcoming environment. The old location was a little cramped, but we didn’t mind because the quality of care was so rare. When I walk into FHBC now, I feel like I am walking into a luxury clinic. It is something that the community needs to feel like we are important too.”
Heather is not alone in her joyous birthing experience. Thirty (and counting) families have welcomed their babies in our birthing suites at our new Family Health and Birth Center.
“Thank you, Community of Hope team, from myself and my family, for delivering our newest family member and the care they gave me that felt just as important as the baby. They provided equity in their service by giving me what I need for my experience and not just general care,” says Heather.
