Behind the Scenes at a Birthing Center

There's No Place Like Home

While I'd worried about the early discharge, I found I loved being home, surrounded by my family. I tucked my older kids in at bedtime. I slept in my own bed with Adam snuggled up beside me. Every eight hours, I recorded my vital signs and Adam's, as well as when he nursed and how many diapers he wet.

Aszani visited us on Day 2 and 4. She checked me and the baby and performed all the newborn screening tests in the comfort of our own home. Before she left on her final visit, we hugged.

Aszani and the Madison Birth Center staff had given me more than a great birth and a healthy baby. I'm now a passionate advocate for midwifery and birth-center care. I've embraced a more natural style of living. And I'm a better mother. My experience taught me to trust myself and my intuition -- priceless gifts for any parent.

Jennifer L.W. Fink is a mother of three in Mayville, Wisconsin.

Originally published in American Baby magazine, April 2005.