I had my first child at PSBC in 2003 - I stumbled across the Birth Center after touring several local hospitals and being discouraged by all the 'rules', such as : you can labor in the tub, but not give birth there (liability issues), that you were not allowed to eat during labor, the constant rotation of providers (nurses), and so on and so forth. I have never really looked into midwifery care because, unfortunately, it is not something that is widely discussed or known (or understood) by the general public. When my husband and I first took a tour of PSBC and met with Valerie (Sasson) we instantly felt the difference between midwives and OBs and loved the look and feel of the large, beautifully decorated birth suites. I was pregnant at the same time as four of my friends all of whom chose to have hospital births - all of whom only were allowed short visits with their OBs as opposed to my hour-long visits (sometimes longer!!!) with my midwife and all of whom had C-sections. I'm not condemning hospital births, but if you are looking for personalized prenatal care and want to feel like part of a family when you are in your most vulnerable and beautiful time in your life, PSBC is the way to go. I had a long, tricky labor and my midwife, Heather, was incredible through the entire 55 hour ordeal. She made me feel safe because I never had to question her motives, she continually explained what was happening, and the loving, nurturing care she provided me allowed me to deliver my son without any medical intervention - he was surrounded by love from the moment he was born - not bright lights and medical instruments. I am now pregnant with our second child and there is no other place that I want to be than in the safety and comfort of my Birth Center.
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