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Bridey Asher: In her own words
All I wanted was help through my labor — and beyond.
Before I was pregnant, a friend had invited me to be with her during her birth. She delivered her baby naturally, with a minimum of interventions, and it opened my mind to this possibility — we had so many more choices than I realized.
My first visit to a midwife left such an impression on me. I was pregnant with my first child, had my list of questions about what was important to me, and I was so happy because the midwife came in the room, sat down, put down her pencil, folded her hands and said, "Hi, how are you?" I felt like I had all the time in the world to ask questions. I thought, "Finally, I found what I was looking for."
I saw all the midwives in the practice during my pregnancy, and I knew they would be willing to support me and what I wanted to do, which was a water birth. The day I went to St Joe’s in labor, they had the water tub ready for me, they got me in, and the pain literally was cut in half. My midwife, Julia, was with my husband and me the whole time. I never felt pushed to do anything — at any point. She gave me my options and told me the grand scheme of things, and I never felt like I had to worry or make a decision alone.
My second baby was 10 pounds, 9 ounces. It was a more difficult labor, and looking back, we were so thankful to have the backup of the hospital in addition to Mary Kempf, my midwife. So by the birth of our third child, it was just me hanging out with Mary again, there in the water tub. Each of my deliveries was totally different experiences, and honestly, created friendships with my midwives. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Learn more about HealthEast Nurse-Midwives.
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