The year was 2009. I was pregnant with my first child, and up until then I had lived my life pretty much “in the box” of the status quo. One day I felt led to check out birth centers. I wasn’t really sure how this idea popped into my head. At the time I knew nothing about any kind of more natural alternatives, I just knew that hospitals kind of scared me. I had always been one of those people who laughed at the “crunchy” types. Honestly, I thought “those people” were a bit strange (which is hilarious to me now), but I told my husband the prompting I was getting and he agreed to look into it with me.
I did some asking around and found out about two local birth centers. We decided to check out a birth center in Meridian, ID called The Baby Place. It was a small house that was beautifully and simply decorated. There was a cozy living room/waiting room when you first walked in. The walls were decorated with canvas photos of precious babies. The house had two birth rooms with rocking chairs, beds with pretty comforters, and large bathtubs. We immediately loved the owner and people who worked there. It seemed so much less intimidating than a hospital environment for birth. We immediately decided that this was the place our baby would be born.
Those who know me know that I love details and research (I was a CPA). When it came to this part of my life, I was no different. I immediately started doing research on natural child birth to prepare myself. I began reading books such as Supernatural Childbirth and many others. Then we enrolled in a local natural childbirth class which I will talk about in a later blog. Little did I know that this birth center decision would be the first step on my journey towards finding more natural solutions for our family in all areas.
Local Birth Centers
If you are considering using a midwife for your birth and live in the Treasure Valley, here are my Birth Center/Midwife recommendations:
- The Baby Place was sold to new owners a few years after our son was born. It is now called A New Beginnings. I don’t know anything about the new staff, but it’s worth checking out if you are in the Treasure Valley and looking for a more natural birth experience.
- Our second child was born at another local birth center called Treasure Valley Midwives. We chose it because I wanted quick access to a hospital in case there were any complications. They are just a few minutes from St. Lukes. We had a great experience there. Most of the midwives that were there when we gave birth have left, so I can’t speak to what their current staff is like.
- If anyone asks me for my personal recommendation I always recommend Brittany Hiller who owns Family Tree Midwifery. She was present at the birth of my second child and is incredible. She has helped over 700 women with the birth process, and I completely trust her expertise. She offers birth center as well as home birth services.