Following is a typical birth story from a woman who has given birth at a birth center like The Birth House. We thought you would enjoy seeing a birth at a birth center through someone else's experience and words:

    When we arrived at the birth center, my midwife greeted us at the door and welcomed us in for the night. I’d been in contact with my midwife off and on all day long, and we decided now was the time to come in. It was a hot night, but the birth room was cool and breezy. My contractions backed off a little while we settled in, but it was a welcome relief. We listened to the baby and had what was almost like a mini-prenatal appointment. My baby sounded so strong! Once we were finished, my contractions started right back up again. They felt even stronger than they had at home, but now that we were here, with my midwife, knowing we would soon meet our baby, they seemed easier to handle.

    My midwife left us alone for a moment so that we could truly make the space our own sacred birth space. When she came back, she brought me a cool drink, and a bowl of the grapes and cheese we brought for me to snack on. The rest of the birth team had arrived, and gently made their presence known. They helped my partner support me, and stayed with me as long as I wanted; sometimes quiet, sometimes talking me through a tough one, and always responsive to what I needed. My midwife helped me find positions that gave me rest, and also helped me find ones that made everything feel more intense, always reminding me that this would bring my baby.

    When I did not think my labor could get any stronger, suddenly it did – and I started to wonder, “My God, how long can I keep doing this? It’s so hard…I don’t know if I can do this…” and my midwife was at our side again, reminding me that I was doing it, every moment. She filled the birth tub so that I could move to the water. At first I didn’t like the tub, but decided to give it a try for a few contractions. The warm water started to sink in and I relaxed, just moved and sang out with each rush. My midwife used pressure on my back to help me as the baby began moving down. There was so much pressure! I didn’t think there could be that much pressure in my body; my contractions were coming one-two, right on top of each other. I decided to just let go and let this train take me; it was my body doing this, after all. My partner poured warm water over me with each rush, and my midwife just looked into my eyes, and breathed with me.

    After an especially good and loud contraction, she asked me if I felt like I wanted to push. I said, “I have to go to the bathroom. I want to get out of the tub.” She told me that was my baby I was feeling. I didn’t believe her. I wanted out of the tub, and onto the toilet. She helped me move to the toilet, and sitting there, the pressure was even greater. I peed a little, but there was nothing else there, so I asked my midwife if it was really the baby, if I could really start pushing. She said yes, and asked if I wanted to give birth in the water? I moved back into the tub and I asked her to check me and make sure. I was totally open, and the baby was only a few inches away!

    I loved pushing. It took a few tries to get the hang of it, but once my body and I started working together it was amazing. I felt so full, so powerful. I could actually feel the baby moving down! My partner and the birth team were with me always, calmly guiding and supporting me. I have no idea how much time this took. It was exhilarating.

My midwife told us she could see the head come down with each contraction, and that each time she could see more, and it stayed longer. Soon the baby was staying low even during my rests. My midwife brought out a mirror, so that I could look, and encouraged me to touch the baby. It seemed a little weird at first, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to, but I reached down and felt this body that wasn’t mine, and her hair… it was so soft, and so amazing! I kept my hand on her head through the next push, and felt her head moving down, filling more of my hand. I wanted to hold her so badly, and then it felt like I was going to burst, there was this burning… my midwife helped me slow down my breathing, and ease my pushes as the baby’s head crowned. This felt like forever, and just a blink at the same time. Then the baby’s head was out, and I felt so relieved. It was over. Then my midwife reminded me that it wasn’t quite over yet, and helped me to focus on pushing the rest of the baby out.

    I swear she was born with her eyes wide open. She came straight up onto my chest, and just stared at me. We dried her off; she gave a cry, and then just settled back into examining me. She was so peaceful. I have never felt so in love with life as I did at that moment. I birthed the placenta, and we started trying to nurse. The baby caught on very quickly. After some time, the birth team left us in peace with our baby… since they checked in on us, we never felt alone. Then they came back, and my midwife examined our baby. She was (and is) perfect! One of them helped me into the shower, and the others stayed with my partner, helping with our baby, and gathering our things together.

    After my shower, I was famished. My midwife stayed with me and helped us nurse again, as my partner prepared a meal in the kitchen downstairs. Once we were done eating I was ready to go home and get into my own bed. The birth team helped my partner load our things into the car and get the baby into the car seat, and walked us to our car. My midwife told me to call her anytime we needed, and promised to see us the next day at our house.

    I cannot imagine giving birth any other way.