Madison Birth Center Serves First Client
By Mark L. Hendrickson
When Aszani Kunkler, RN, CNM, opened the Madison Birth Center in February, she felt that most of the center's clients would come from the Madison area. So she was understandably pleased when the center's first client came from Mayville, about 75 miles away.
"We still believe that most of our clients will come from Dane County," says Kunkler. "But there is no question that for low-risk, healthy women, a distance of 75 miles is no obstacle when it comes to accessing birth center care."
That first client, Jennifer Fink, is a nurse who works at Watertown Memorial Hospital. She learned about the Madison Birth Center through a January Nursingmatters article. According to Fink, it was just the type of birthing experience she sought. "I prefer the midwifery approach over the OB/GYN approach. I have nothing against OB/GYN, but I came to believe that birth is natural and normal, that our bodies are made to do this, and the midwifery model supports this philosophy." Fink says she was immediately attracted to the birth center model of care that puts low-risk, healthy woman in control of their labor and delivery.
And the distance from Mayville? Fink didn't let that deter her for a moment. "I figured the extra 15 to 20 minutes of travel beyond Beaver Dam was well worth the time to obtain the birth experience that I wanted."
At the birth center, Fink arrived with her husband about 10:45 p.m. on March 8. She was warmly welcomed and shown into the Kitty Ernst Birth Room. Ernst is a pioneer of the birth center movement, helping to found the first national organization of birth centers. Fink's son Adam was born at 12:50 a.m. on March 9. She chose the water birth option and she says that it helped her greatly during labor. "A strong reason I chose the birth center over another facility was the availability of the whirlpool tubs. In a larger setting, they may have all been in use."
For Fink and her family, the birth center experience was welcoming, natural and free of interventions. "Not that interventions are bad," she added, "but I've had the experience of interventions leading to other interventions and subsequent complications."
She advises other women to fully explore their birth options. "Do some reading on labor and delivery, talk to other mothers about their experiences. And talk to health care providers and listen carefully to see if what they are saying matches up with what you want," said Fink.
REPRINTED FROM:
Nursing Matters
May, 2003
Volume 13, Number 11
