Maria Osorio

Review of Birthing Your Way

Moved from Southern California after delivering 3 ...

Moved from Southern California after delivering 3 babies naturally in hospitals. Decided to pay cash for our 4th baby and deliver in an actual birthing center. Previous hospitals respected all my wishes and followed by birth plan. This place was ackward at first for me, as I have symphysis pubis dysfunction, so walking up the stairs for my prenatals was a bit painful. However, the waiting room provided comfy sofas and toys for my kids and I would relax as they checked me in regularly, politely, and professionally. Every prenatal felt relaxed and they were very knowledgeable. We have Cigna insurance so the lab work and ultrasounds were done outside the facility. My precious pregnancy records were a pain to transfer, but it got done eventually. Heather assisted me towards the end of my visits and was the one to help me deliver. During my time to deliver, as my SPD worsened, I was under the impression of actual labor and headed down to the center to find that I was only 4cm dilated. They were patient with me and asked if I d like to go back home and rest. I did. I slept the rest of the labor and 2 days later returned and was 7cm ready. Everything was peaceful and calm. They talked in soft voices, checked in with my husband to let me concentrate in my hypnobreathing and ended up puncturing my water to speed it up, as I was getting tired from the 4-day labor. When delivery time came, an intern I had previously met during prenatals, was helping and rushed in as I breathed baby out. She kind of pulled as I tried to relax, but little did anyone know that my baby s umbilical cord was just too short and so when the intern tried to pull her out the water to my chest the baby stopped breathing. Heather immediately pushed everyone aside and sat my baby low on my abdomen and did some things that made the baby breathe and cry. I didn t know that pulling on the umbilical cord was dangerous, but Heather was quick to react. They followed my birth plan to the letter and checked baby as routine requirement while the intern spoke out loud about every detail she did, which I enjoyed. I breastfed the baby, relaxed, had some soup, and was on my way home again within 2 hours of birthing. I needed my own home again. The stairs to go down were better, as my SPD went away after delivery. They later came to my home to check on baby and myself and filed the birth certificate. All in all, best experience ever and I d do it again if I was having another child! It was a serene, pleasant, and memorable experience for my husband and I.