This year we received our Christmas present three days early. Our second daughter was born December 22nd and the experience was more than we could have hoped for.

After the birth of our first daughter we decided if we were to ever have another child our experience with labor and delivery would be very different. With our first daughter we had to be induced with pitocin and hooked up to a lot of monitors and an IV making it impossible to change positions and very difficult to cope with labor. I also was under constant pressure to get an epidural; which I eventually received after 15 hours of labor. It was not the labor and delivery we had hoped for.

When we found out we were pregnant this time we were referred to Jean Sala through two good friends who couldn’t say enough great things about their experiences with her. We found their rave reviews to be more than true. Jean always took the time to listen and answer any questions we had along the way. She made herself accessible at any time. We always looked forward to our appointments with her. When she presented the option of using the birthing center instead of the hospital it was an easy decision for my husband and I. We knew we wanted to be in a comfortable place where we would be free to labor without pressure to medicate. We also liked the fact that the center was in close proximity to the hospital so that if a transfer was necessary it wouldn’t be difficult or dangerous.

So, on Dec. 22nd when we were a little more than a week overdue we came in for an appointment with Jean and decided to try some natural methods of inducement. Thankfully it was successful. My husband and I settled into our suite at the birthing center and began our journey to meet our new baby. Everything was going well and I wasn’t having a difficult time coping until my contractions began to come one on top of another. Jean suggested I get into the bathtub to relax and slow my contractions. This proved to be my saving grace. It made labor so much easier to cope with along with all of the support and encouragement I received from Jean and the rest of the staff at the center.

We hadn’t planned of a water birth but when it came time to push I was so much more relaxed in the bathtub that I didn’t want to get out. So, at 10:18 our daughter Grace Wesleigh was born into the world in a room lit by candlelight instead of the bright sterile lights of the hospital. We loved that we were the first ones to hold her and that she wasn’t whisked away from us. The experience was one we will forever treasure. We felt encouraged and supported by everyone who participated in our birth.

We are so thankful for our birth experience and would enthusiastically recommend Jean and birthing at Inanna Birth and Women's Care to anyone looking for a very personal and wonderful pregnancy and birthing experience.

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