Reflections of Motherhood

Welcome Baby Sinclaire

I recently gave birth at the Providence ABC unit.  My daughter,
Sinclaire, was born on 10/9/2010.  Our experience was fantastic - so
much more than I expected!  This is my second child and I can honestly
say this time around was much more satisfying with the help of
everyone at the ABC.  I especially appreciated the calm, relaxed
atmosphere - everyone was so comforting and friendly.  I really felt
like I was home with family.  Our midwife, Rondi, was awesome - even
though we had not met before that day she was so great in guiding me
through the process.
The birthing unit was very accomodating, my husband was even able to
stay comfortably in the room with me overnight after our daughter was
born.  And my daughter never had to leave my side - every procedure or
test was done right in the room with me, even the state blood test and
her hearing test.  That was not true for my first child and I really
appreciated keeping her at my side the whole time.  Overall, my
husband and I were really impressed and definitely recommend the ABC
to anyone interested in natural childbirth. Trust your body ladies -
you CAN do it



Nicole

Letter of Gratitude

August 1st, 2010

To: Chief of Staff at Providence Hospital, Southfield, MI

We would like to express our gratitude for the Alternative Birth Care Unit (ABC).  We had originally chosen to have the birth of our first child at the ABC Unit of Providence Hospital in Southfield, MI as we felt they best complemented our wishes and desires for a natural childbirth.  Sadly, when the time arrived, a complication (meconium in the amniotic fluid) automatically disqualified us from staying and birthing in the ABC unit.  We were transferred to the hospital’s Labor & Delivery ward.  Needless to say, we were devastated that we had driven so far to be relegated to a Labor & Delivery unit that we could have attended at any hospital much closer to our home and our wishes for a natural childbirth setting in the ABC unit were diminished.

However, we found that your nursing staff (one upsetting incidents aside) was extremely accommodating and understanding of our situation (Donetta was fantastic and we appreciated her immensely!).  Most took the time to read our birth plan, talk with us and be compassionate to our situation.  Please accept our thanks and pass along our appreciation to your Labor & Delivery nursing staff.  Our CNM (Sarah Sutton) was allowed to continue working with us and made all the difference in our birth experience.  She brought as much of the ABC unit to us as was possible so our experience could be as close to the natural childbirth we had hoped for.  Sarah fought hard for us and our beliefs amongst the pressure she was receiving from certain staffers to go against our wishes.  We owe her a debt of gratitude…she was simply amazing.

On March 17th, 2010, our son was born very healthy with an Apgar score of 9.  He was wide-eyed and alert and we whole-heartedly attribute this to the natural childbirth path.

Due to the policy that once you are transferred out of the ABC, you cannot be transferred back in, we could not return to the ABC unit as hoped.  However, we were transferred to a room that was right next to the ABC unit and the ABC nurses were allowed to take care of us for the duration of our stay.  This was highly appreciated and just one of the things that helped make a positive experience for us.

We cannot provide enough praise for how wonderful the ABC nurses are.  Each and every one of them is an asset to your facility and should be treated as such.  What they do and the services they provide are unequalled.  Just having a place where the staff is of the same mindset that certain patients are is wonderful.  The ABC unit and staff should be commended by Providence Hospital for the tremendous service they provide.

In all, what first appeared to be a discouraging event was turned around by our CNM, the ABC unit staff and almost all of the L&D nurses that assisted us.  Please keep the ABC unit going and we’ll most assuredly return for the birth of our next child.  We will highly recommend the ABC unit to anyone without hesitation.

Sincerely,

Pete & Sarah

Another great birth story

I have now given birth 11 times.  I am fortunate enough to have had two babies at Providence.  One birth occurred in the ABC unit and I felt so blessed.  I was 40w 3days and totally dehydrated.  Of course I didn't know I was dehydrated and went to ABC ordered from my midwife to check me out.  Since I was GBS positive , the wonderful nurses fed me and then started my IV.  Within an hour I popped into labor and was at 7cm.  It was the most amazing birth.  I had been no fluid when I went in, so pushing was a struggle,  but I found that the tub was so relaxing, and the rocking chair did wonders.  My baby was posterior and Jan had me get on my hands and knees on the bed and I literally felt the baby spin.  I was so thrilled to get the relaxing birth in the ABC unit.  I was so surprised at the constant care from the nurses and the midwife.  It being my first midwife assisted birth, I vowed that any future babies would be with a midwife.  Jan was wonderful.  Rosalyn Dominica was born Oct. 17, 2008 weighing 8lbs 5 1/2 ounces.

 

My next delivery didn't go as well, but we again had Jan.  We started out with one of the ABC nurses with me, and I felt the staff at my insistence was respectful of my disappointment of not having the baby in the ABC unit, but also was respectful of my wishes.  I found out at 37 weeks I was very low on fluid and being my 11th child I was feeling that something wasn't quite right.  We began the induction and labored all night, unfortunately for whatever reason things weren't going well for us, we decided to stop the induction to try again the next day.  My midwife was prompt and was positive getting me out of the feelings of something being terribly wrong.  We endured a very long hard labor.  My little man was not moving down, and I was not dilating what I thought to be norm.  I had tried the epidural to my total dislike and secretly happy when it seemed to wear off within a few hours.  Finally I was able to get on my hands and knees leaning over the bed to bring the baby down, I felt the urge so urgently and flipped over to push.  I had studied the Bradley Method and for the last nine months had programmed my brain to listen to both Jan and my husband once I hit those emotional signposts.  I worked very hard to overcome the pain and do exactly as Jan told me to do, and my husband was an amazing coach also studying the Bradley Method kept me centered and breathing.  Finally Anthony was born at a tiny 6lbs 13oz but we found his umbilical cord to be extremely short, probably causing much of the last three days of difficulty.  He was born Anthony Allan on August 1, 2010.

 

Thank you Jan, Metro Midwives and although I felt heart broken for the last few weeks, thank you ABC for helping woman to give birth in an atmosphere of comfort.  After I had Anthony they put me in a room across the hall, while I so wished I was in the ABC, even a few nurses at my independece kept telling me I was a candidate for the ABC I secretly wished for a different labor.  But feel blessed to have a wonderful midwife, Anthony's doctor Dr. Rosenburg came to see us right away and by the next morning we were on our way home.  

Welcoming Serenity Divine Rebecca

I had my baby at the Birthing Center January 26th. It was an amazing experience with it being my first child. I didn't know what I was having so that made it even more great. Dee was the greatest support system a person who's in a labor could ever have.  Never thought it'd be that great! It was like they were a part of my family also. I was so comfortable with them. I wouldn't have wanted my experience to go any other way. My water broke at 5am in the morning while I was getting out of bed to go to the restroom. I told my mom and husband that my water broke and you would think they were the ones who were getting ready to have a baby. I was calmer then they were...lol. I called the center and they told me to stay home until my contractions were 5 minutes apart which was a great idea cause I wouldn't have been wanted it to be any other way. It was such an amazing feeling to know that you’re in control of what’s going on with your body and not some physician pressuring you into getting an epidural and trying to get you on IV, poking you every 30 minutes. I left the house at 6:30 and I arrived at the birthing center at 7 something. By the time I got there I was dilated 5cm. I used the birthing ball which was my best friend during my whole pregnancy and labor. I got in the hydrotherapy tub for no longer than 20 minutes because it made me so comfortable which I'm assuming relaxed me so much that it allowed me to become fully dilated. It was time for my sunshine to come into the world and in three pushes and no rip, my sunshine was born at 9:20am, which I was surprised to find out that it was a girl cause that’s just what I wanted. I named her Serenity Divine Rebecca. Thank you Dee and Mary. I LOVE YOU'LL!

Birth Story: Elsie Leigh Herrmann

  My husband, Matt, and I took Bradley Method Natural Childbirth classes, based on a recommendation from a friend of mine. At first, Matt was pretty shocked that I wanted to attend a 12-week class that cost $275, but the class, and our teacher, Jenny Zaner, gave us so much information, and more importantly, a new perspective on medical care for pregnancy and delivery. As we began to explore our options, we figured out what we did (and more importantly did not) want our birth experience to be. Much thanks to the ABC for being open to and encouraging of our birth plan and helping us bring our little girl into the world in the most natural and healthy way.
  I began having contractions on Tuesday, July 6th 2010 at 1:30am, three days before my due date. The contractions were short cramps in my back, so I was unsure if they were really contractions.  Matt woke up around 2:45am and saw that I was having contractions 6-7 minutes apart, and took over keeping track of timing. The contractions grew quicker and longer, but never reached a minute in length, which is what we were waiting for before going to the hospital. We called my midwife around 5:30am, and she wanted me to get in the tub to slow contractions down. I got in the tub while Matt tried to keep me eating and drinking, but on the second contraction, my water broke, and we realized that we needed to get to the ABC. Matt called the ABC, but was told that he had the wrong number – he called Mary, my midwife, back and she said that we had the number right, but that she would call them and let them know we were on our way. We grabbed our (somewhat) packed bag and got in the car. It was very hot and humid outside, and in the car I started having very intense contractions that were difficult to manage while Matt called my work and told them I wouldn’t be in, and called our parents to let them know we were going to the hospital. It took about 20 minutes to get to the ABC, and upon getting me out of the car, my contractions were so intense that I couldn’t walk and had to be wheeled in. A couple of NICU nurses wheeled me up while Matt took care of the car, and when I got to triage, the nurse seemed slightly dismissive of my contractions. She asked me to go to the bathroom and put on a gown and told Matt that he needed to go to register me. I was unable to do any more than sit on the toilet and have contractions, and once Matt got back, I showed the nurse how much I was bleeding and she quickly got me on a bed to do an exam and told me that I was fully dilated. Because there had been no births at the ABC the previous night, there wasn’t a nurse there, she was on call and was on her way, they took me instead to the regular labor and delivery wing of the hospital. Once in the room, they hooked me up to electronic fetal monitoring, had me lay flat on the bed, and had numerous staff scrubbed in with masks and full protective gear. One of the nurses was very much in my face telling me to calm down and stop wasting my energy. I looked at Matt, who was holding my hand, knowing that this was exactly the birth experience I was trying to avoid by delivering at the ABC. Within several minutes, Dee, the nurse from the ABC (to whom our family will always be so grateful) came in, kicked the labor and delivery staff out, turned the lights down, took the monitor off, and asked me how I wanted to push. I told her that I couldn’t push the way I was lying, and we agreed to have me push on my hands and knees. Dee did intermittent monitoring of Elsie’s heart, and used compresses to keep my perineum from tearing while Matt fanned me and spoke reassuring words about the progress we were making. Mary arrived about a 7:45a.m. With every push I could feel Elsie moving down the birth canal, and then back up when I stopped pushing. I started to feel frustrated, but Dee and Mary reminded me that that is exactly what my body was supposed to be doing so that I didn’t tear, and Mary had me reach down to feel Elsie’s head, which was so motivating. I pushed when I felt the urge to push, and Elsie Leigh was born at 8:21a.m., Matt caught her. They brought her up between my legs (umbilical cord still attached) so that both Matt and I could hold her and touch her, and rub the vernex into her skin. I couldn’t believe that she was real, it was the most amazing feeling I could ever imagine! After a few minutes, I turned over onto my back so that Matt could cut the umbilical cord and I could deliver the placenta. After pushing out the placenta, I lost a bit of blood, and felt light-headed and dizzy, and had to spend the rest of the day lying down. I had to have an injection of pitocin and an IV, but I was so happy to have had a healthy baby, and no interventions during delivery that I didn’t care at that point.  After delivery, they wheeled the bed over to the ABC, and Matt and I held Elsie for the next few hours before the nurses even took her to weigh her (7lbs, 11oz; 20in) or do any tests. She breastfed right away and slept on us. So aside from a little scare in the beginning, we had the birth experience that we were hoping for, and are so grateful for our beautiful, healthy girl!
Tessa Benziger

And Eli makes 3 (not counting Napoleon)

I'm expecting!

What wonderful news, now what to do first?

I announced the news to our families, and asked around about prenatal care.  Through the suggestion of a family friend (who was a midwife at one point in her life) I tried a midwife who worked out of Garden City hospital.  It didn't work out, she was wonderful there just wasn't a connection.  I kept saying to my family, "i want to feel like I am the only pregnant woman on the planet, is that wrong"?  I was reassured it was not only ok to feel that way but completely normal and not a tall order.

I continued my prenatal care all the while on a search for the place that really spoke to me internally.  This is NO easy journey especially when you throw in the red tape of health insurance.  I need to also say that I have never taken such good care of myself in my life as I did during this pregnancy.  I was able to quite smoking, and drinking cold turkey.  I was a bartender aside from my day job, and giving up these things in that environment wasn't easy.  So I had to leave the job as well.  No regrets.

One night my partner and I watched a documentary The Business of Being Born, and this completely changed my way of thinking and my action plan was clear.  I knew a few folks including my brother that had emerged into this world via the birthing center.  Their reputation was amazing.  So I made an appointment to meet the staff and see if I was eligible. I say eligible because you had to be low risk and I was already almost 20 wks pregnant.  Good news I made the cut!!

Doug and I went through orientation with awesome Heather, and birthing prep classes with the wonderful Helen.  Talking to some friends and family during incubation sharing my feeling of natural childbirth I was greeted with side stares, and pursed lips.  "Girl your crazy, you will see its not that easy" "Have the epidural on standby" etc

All the visits were nice and normal everything moving as hoped and anticipated with the due date of June tenth approaching, and passing :)

At this point I had to go inside myself and have a talk with anxiety, and realize that it isn't time yet and to let go and let baby.  The anticipation and eagerness of fellow friends and family didn't make it easy.  June 22nd: My doula calls and says hey lets go to the USSF (US Social Forum) parade downtown, so we go, it was HOT but so moving and inspiring to see friends and smiling faces in Detroit uniting.

All my life I hear of animals being so sensitive to new life and energy moving, I think ok well if I have doubt I will just look to Napoleon (our dog) for a cue to get geared up, I was sure he would tell me when it Eli was near. If for some reason I had doubt.

June 23rd 2am... Napoleon and Doug snoozing in the bed, I awake to a dog barking relentlessly, I get up frustrated of coarse because I stayed up until midnight watching tv.  I go outside on the balcony and there is a stray dog looking up at my from our front sidewalk right at me, as if she were waiting for me to come outside.  I have never seen this dog before and never have since.  I decide to leave the dog and go back to bed and try to sleep.  Walking back to the bedroom my water breaks.  This is my first pregnancy.  I ask myself if I have lost control of my bladder, of course not.  I call the midwife, I am informed that there is no room in the birthing center.  At this point I realize that I could freak out and panic or remain calm and trust in process.  I chose the latter.  Sarah says to call back in an hour and say how I feel, my contractions didn't start instantly.  I make coffee, drink the rest of my red raspberry leaf tea, shower, light a candle.  I am forgetting something.  Oh right wake Doug and tell him what is happening.  Shower, record contractions, pack bag, make calls.  Family is informed and I call the ABC and Sarah wants me to come in so they can make sure I have ruptured.  Whisked up to the 3rd floor in the wheel chair in L&D to begin.  As I get up out of the wheelchair whoosh, no need to check I am sure that wasn't my bladder.  When Sarah checks she discovers that Eli is sunny side up, we have work to do.

My Doula met me at the hospital and we are pacing the halls in hope that we can get Eli to turn.  During this time the staff informs me that there is "room at the inn" and we can go o the ABC wing. 

I say until this day that if there were I ceiling fan in the room I would have labored from it.  I was so grateful for the ability to move around.  Tub, floor, rocking chair, floor, shower, etc.  Sarah and the ABC staff were so PATIENT, allowing my body to go through it's process.  15 hours of labor total and 3 of them were pushing... out comes my beautiful son Eli, weighing 7lbs 12.6oz and 21 in long.  The whole room claps, cheers, and cries.  What a WONDERFUL group of people the ABC staff are.  Thank you for the best memorable experience I will ever have.  Turns out I am not crazy, I was able to do this completely unmedicated and present.  Thank to the stray mystery dog that woke me to get the baby party started. 

 

Jamilia

Ava's Birth Story - Natural birth inspite of complications

Are you looking for natural child birth?  That’s what we wanted.  My husband Reggie and I wanted to have a baby!  And we wanted everything to be as natural as possible, or so we planned.  Every prenatal visit was marked by good notes and positive feedback about the progression of this growing individual inside of me.  What a miracle God has blessed us with!  The due date grew nearer and nearer.  We were ready to meet our little one, to touch his or her face, to kiss her lips, and to play with her fingers and toes as she gazed at us and grew to know us as mom and dad.

On January 7th, 2009 I arrived for another “normal” prenatal visit at Metro Partners in Women’s Health.  I really looked forward to these visits now as the February 6 due date became closer and closer.  The past month had gotten harder for me, I began swelling in my ankles and feet, and my hands became numb and tingly.  I began retaining lots of fluid and I was getting quite uncomfortable.  This visit ended differently than the others.  My midwife, Mary Gadbaw Davis showed concern as she ran extra tests and sent me home that day.  The call came just after noon on that Wednesday.  I was beginning to show signs of toxemia and I was to check myself into the hospital that evening.  What?  How could this be happening?  We wanted a natural childbirth!

Later that evening I was induced.  My water broke at 7 am and “natural childbirth” began.  After the induction medicine I received nothing further.  My contractions started immediately and increased in intensity and frequency with each passing hour.  I began to have back pains as I was going through the contractions on my back.  Mary encouraged me to move into whatever position I felt comfortable.  So, I proceeded to my knees as I squatted on my legs with my arms gripping the head of the elevated bed in the labor and delivery room.  (We were planning a birth in the Alternative Birthing Center of Providence Park in Southfield, Michigan.  Because of the induction, they brought the ABC to us in the Labor and Delivery Room.)

Ava Jane was born at 11:45 am on January 8, 2009.  She was perfect!  My labor pains lasted 4 hours before I began pushing.  I pushed on my knees for 45 minutes.

When asked later what motivated me to go through the pain and progress with natural childbirth, I answered “I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”  If you are considering natural childbirth and are afraid or influenced otherwise, please reconsider.  I couldn’t have done it without my amazing husband, my outstanding nurse, Dee, and Mary, my midwife.

There is nothing like the amazing blessing of a child.  But, when you have the support of amazing people, there is no other way than as natural as possible.  I cannot imagine giving up the feeling of the entire experience for temporary pain relief.  And if you are anything like me, I would strongly recommend seeking out Mary Gadbaw Davis at Metro Partners in Women’s Health in Novi, Michigan.  You will be blessed and eternally grateful that you did!  I wish you the best and I hope your baby will be as healthy and perfect as our little Ava.

Eamon's Birth story

My Birth Story ~ A Labor of Love Part Two
Starting at about 37 weeks pregnant, I began having contractions fairly regularly. Some days I had more than others, and some of these came at regular intervals. On Easter, April 12, I had contractions lasting just less than a minute and coming at regular three to four minute intervals. This lasted for roughly six hours, but I was able to fall asleep and woke up to no contractions at all. I was starting to get slightly irritated with contractions that I thought weren’t doing anything. 
This continued throughout the next week, with everyone on alert, anticipation in the air. Elijah was born 10 days early, so when that point in the pregnancy came and went, the anticipation only worsened. Then at 39 weeks, Saturday April 18, I awoke with a strange sense of peace. I decided that the baby would come whenever it was ready and I was resigned to wait until 42 weeks if that was what was meant to be. 
At about 4 p.m. we decided to head to my aunt and uncle’s house to return the 12-string guitar Larry had restrung for my uncle. Before we left, I was getting a little annoyed at the contractions I was having. I wished they would stop or do something already! We visited with my aunt and uncle until around 8 p.m. When we came home, I was having contractions about 5 minutes apart, but they weren’t painful. This wasn’t anything I hadn’t experienced in the last 2 weeks, but I started to get a little excited.
Around 11 p.m. I headed to bed, thinking I would wake in the morning to no contractions again. Surprisingly, around 12:00 I came out of the bedroom to tell Larry that the contractions were getting stronger and they were about 4 minutes apart. He sighed a little, saying "And what percentage are you sure this time?" I laughed, shrugged, and responded "90 percent." So he went to bed, thinking if this was it, he better get some rest.
Around 1:30, the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart and getting rather painful. This was it! I was 100 percent sure now. I ate a bowl of soup and headed to the shower for some "water therapy." Larry couldn’t fall asleep; there was an excitement in the air. We called my mom at 3 a.m. to come stay with Elijah. She arrived at 3:30 a.m. and at 3:40 a.m. we left for the birthing center. We were checked into the room where an initial dilation check indicated I was already 6 centimeters dilated. 
The room wasn’t quite ready when we arrived; the Jacuzzi tub was still being cleaned. At this point the contractions were such that I was breathing through them and had to really concentrate on relaxing. I got into the shower in the room and the running water on my abdomen was a great distraction. After a while, I began to feel over heated and wanted to lie down on the bed. The tub was still being filled, but it wouldn’t be long before it was ready.
And that was a very good thing! The contractions I had on the bed were very intense. For the first time during labor I was having a lot of pain, writhing and squirming under the intensity. Larry applied counter pressure to my back, which helped some, but I couldn’t wait to get into the tub. It wasn’t quite full when I got in, but what a relief! I started to come back into focus, feeling a control and awareness unlike anything I experienced during my labor with Elijah. Under Larry’s expert coaching, I found my Zen place, and allowed my body to do the work it was by nature designed to do.
It was very calm in the room as I labored in the tub, Larry by my side. We were left alone by the staff, with only brief checks of the baby’s heart rate every 20 minutes or so. I breathed my way through each contraction, willing my body to feel the water as each contraction moved the baby further down. This is what we now call "the calm before the storm." As transition hit, the contractions were long and consistent, not giving me much rest between each one. At some point I looked into the tub and saw blood. "That means it will be soon" I managed to say. A few minutes later my body began to push on its own. Larry went to get the nurse and midwife, who wanted me to get out of the tub to be checked.
I was completely dilated! It was ok to push! So, less than two hours after arriving at the birth center, we prepared for the final moments before meeting our precious new baby. After 12 minutes of pushing, out came our beautiful baby. I instantly asked Larry the answer to the question I had been waiting so long to hear…"What is it???" Larry was still recording the birth, and a little overwhelmed by the intensity of it all, so it took him a moment to realize what I was asking. He laughed jubilantly, "It’s a boy!"
Eamon Arthur Sapp was born at 6:47 a.m. weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces and was 19 ¾ inches in length. He is a beautiful baby, and everyone says he looks like his mom. I feel so blessed to have had another completely unmedicated, natural vaginal birth. Once again, Larry was my rock, and I can’t even imagine a better labor coach, husband or father. Elijah loves his new little brother, and we are all loving life as a family of four. 

Welcome

Welcome to the Birth Stories from the ABC blog! If you have given birth at the ABC Birthing Center at the Providence Southfield and would like to share your experience, please e-mail your story to abcbirthingfriends@gmail.com and we will post it for you!