Reason for the Season Evident with every birth at MBC
This article is the combined effort of Aszani Kunkler, CNM, MSN, owner of the Madison Birth Center, and Molly Krolczyk, whose first baby Anna was born at the birth center last December.
Molly: A quote by Peace Pilgrim reminds us that "Your life should be full, but not overcrowded." The Birth Center has been a place that has filled me up, but never overcrowded my mind, my pregnancy or my time. Having a child at the Madison Birth Center is like going to a friend's home where you will be comforted, encouraged and supported in the most difficult mental-physical task that women's bodies are made to do. The staff has amazing attitudes. They believe in you and your body. They build you up inside. They include fathers and give them confidence.
Aszani: As a nurse-midwife in private practice, I have the unique opportunity to develop deep and abiding relationships with my clients. These relationships have been a continual source of joy for me, and I am grateful everyday to have the opportunity to walk with families down the path of new parenthood.
I met Molly and Sam when they came to a Madison Birth Center tour and was immediately drawn to their openness and warmth. During the months leading up to Anna's birth, Molly was transformed, as every woman is, by her pregnancy. She learned to love her swelling body, trust her instincts, and allow her immense love to blossom out into the world. On the night before Anna was born, Molly's water broke before her labor started. Molly and Sam used their faith in the process of birth to guide their decision-making. As I do with every woman to whom this happens, I offered a choice between awaiting spontaneous labor or using complementary modalities like acupuncture to encourage labor onset. Molly and Sam choose to go home and sleep through the night and then returned the next morning. Through the day, Molly labored and Anna was born into her parent's arms by evening. Natural childbirth is hard work, and it is here that the body, mind and spirit combine in a way unlike any other to bring forth new life. The transition into parenthood requires authentic communication and support in a supremely intimate setting, and the bonds that are formed between all who are present are sturdy.
Molly: I quickly realized that it was not a "job" for those working at the birth center but rather a true calling. They love what they do; I could feel it every time I visited there or someone came to visit me. My daughter was due on Christmas Day 2003 and although she came early, I will never forget Aszani saying that if I was at the Birth Center for Christmas, Bill (her husband and business partner) had it all planned out; they would bring the turkey and Christmas celebration to the birth center. When I learned that Mary (another birth center midwife) occasionally had to travel, I told her my wish that my labor came on a day she was here and with confidence, she assured me that "she wasn't planning on missing it."
If you'd multiply my joy from accomplishing other difficult events in my life by a million, it would not even compare to the way I felt when my daughter was born. I felt amazing, like I could accomplish anything. Perhaps the reason that natural childbirth is so rewarding is because of all the preparation, pain and hard work it takes to get there. Even better, you did it all for someone else, you have that miracle in your arms.
Aszani: Each woman draws on her strengths to move through the dance of labor and birth. Two character traits come to mind when I think back to Molly's birth. One is that she is an artist, and her craft requires deep examination of life's gifts and hardships. Her work reflects the vulnerability each artist feels when they commit paint to canvas. In Molly's case, I asked her to paint a piece for my husband's birthday. Not only did she give birth to the most wonderful painting in our home, she also shared her journaling as the piece emerged. When I presented the painting and framed writings together, Bill was moved to tears. There are no words to describe how meaningful Molly's willingness to expose her inner self was to both of us. Again, a deep source of joy.
Another source of Molly's strength is her spirituality, which is deeply rooted in her family. After getting married, Molly and Sam traveled to Thailand for four months to help Molly's cousin, Fr. Michael Shea. Fr. Mike runs three orphanages for children either orphaned by AIDS or with AIDS themselves. Sam and Molly were deeply affected after witnessing the death of a child at Fr. Mike's Sarnelli House Orphanage. They knew that Fr. Mike could not afford the new anti-retroviral AIDS medications for his orphans. Further inspired by a spunky, big-hearted little AIDS orphan named Cebo, they created the CeboRide. The CeboRide is a 125-mile bike ride that they have organized for the past three years in Wisconsin. From these rides they have raised over $79,000 to give directly to Fr. Mike to purchase anti-retroviral AIDS medicines and food and supplies for daily living. Due to the increased financial support and access to medicines, no child has died at Sarnelli House since the first Ceboride and Fr. Mike been able to take in many more children, now numbering well over 100. The compassion and devotion that Molly and Sam demonstrate through their work is a source of joy for all involved. The money they raise every year makes a very real difference in the world.
Molly: Because of the compassion and devotion Aszani has shared with us through her hard work and creation of the Birth Center, along with her special role in our lives, we wanted to attend a volunteer meeting for the recent Parenting Conference she organized. When we arrived at the center, there was barely enough room for all of the people who showed up. We were obviously not the only ones who had been inspired by the Birth Center. Aszani came out of her office with a look I can only describe as witnessing someone watch their dream come true. Her eyes scanned the overcrowded space filled with mothers, daughters, nurses, friends, grandmothers and strangers who all came to help. The tears began to flow as the dream became a reality - the circle, the people, the celebration, the new babies in laps, the Madison Birth Center.
Aszani: The birth center has been a huge undertaking for my husband and me. But however much energy we've put into it has been returned to us one thousand-fold. The community of incredible people that has formed here is a deep gift to Madison and surrounding communities. I have been given a gift in the opportunity to realize a dream I've held for many years, and I am mindful of how wonderful this is.
Molly: My present dream is as simple as being able to start a family with my best friend, Sam, and bringing little Anna up in a healthy, balanced, happy family. We celebrate the simplicity Anna brings to our lives. Naps, dancing, baths, books, healthy meals, hanging diapers on the line, making people smile, and just taking the time to be together. When I am with this little family of mine, I am not worrying about the future, I am not stressed about tomorrow. I am just appreciative of today. I am also joyful that within a cluttered, fast-paced culture, I found the Madison Birth Center, where I was able to give birth naturally, the way my great-great grandmothers must have done. And where women come together to laugh, cry, nurse their children and support one another in the challenging and beautiful world of motherhood. For all of this I am grateful, and I thank the Birth Center and all of their great staff.
Aszani: Molly, Sam, Anna and their extended families have made me a better person than I was before. Their authentic love as they move through their lives, and their trust in the goodness of humanity and the grace people bestow on each other through acts of compassion serve as a role model to me.
Molly: As we approach Christmas, I think about last Christmas and how we spent a lot of time over the holiday season at the birth center. And, although we celebrate with chocolates, eggnog and the joy of giving, we remember that the base of Christmas is a birthday, a night when Mary bore Jesus in a stable. I would say the joy of Christmas is present every night a new little child is born at the Birth Center. No bright lights, no blinking monitors, just the miracle of God presenting itself from a mother to a new child. And what greater joy is there than new life!
For more information on the Madison
Birth Center, call 608-821-0123 or visit www.madisonbirthcenter.com.
For more information on CeboRide or how you can help the children at Sarnelli House
AIDS Orphanage,
contact Molly Krolczyk and Sam Mueller
at ceboride@hotmail.com.
Reason for the Season Evident with every birth at MBC
This article is the combined effort of Aszani Kunkler, CNM, MSN, owner of the Madison Birth Center, and Molly Krolczyk, whose first baby Anna was born at the birth center last December.
Molly: A quote by Peace Pilgrim reminds us that "Your life should be full, but not overcrowded." The Birth Center has been a place that has filled me up, but never overcrowded my mind, my pregnancy or my time. Having a child at the Madison Birth Center is like going to a friend's home where you will be comforted, encouraged and supported in the most difficult mental-physical task that women's bodies are made to do. The staff has amazing attitudes. They believe in you and your body. They build you up inside. They include fathers and give them confidence.
Aszani: As a nurse-midwife in private practice, I have the unique opportunity to develop deep and abiding relationships with my clients. These relationships have been a continual source of joy for me, and I am grateful everyday to have the opportunity to walk with families down the path of new parenthood.
I met Molly and Sam when they came to a Madison Birth Center tour and was immediately drawn to their openness and warmth. During the months leading up to Anna's birth, Molly was transformed, as every woman is, by her pregnancy. She learned to love her swelling body, trust her instincts, and allow her immense love to blossom out into the world. On the night before Anna was born, Molly's water broke before her labor started. Molly and Sam used their faith in the process of birth to guide their decision-making. As I do with every woman to whom this happens, I offered a choice between awaiting spontaneous labor or using complementary modalities like acupuncture to encourage labor onset. Molly and Sam choose to go home and sleep through the night and then returned the next morning. Through the day, Molly labored and Anna was born into her parent's arms by evening. Natural childbirth is hard work, and it is here that the body, mind and spirit combine in a way unlike any other to bring forth new life. The transition into parenthood requires authentic communication and support in a supremely intimate setting, and the bonds that are formed between all who are present are sturdy.
Molly: I quickly realized that it was not a "job" for those working at the birth center but rather a true calling. They love what they do; I could feel it every time I visited there or someone came to visit me. My daughter was due on Christmas Day 2003 and although she came early, I will never forget Aszani saying that if I was at the Birth Center for Christmas, Bill (her husband and business partner) had it all planned out; they would bring the turkey and Christmas celebration to the birth center. When I learned that Mary (another birth center midwife) occasionally had to travel, I told her my wish that my labor came on a day she was here and with confidence, she assured me that "she wasn't planning on missing it."
If you'd multiply my joy from accomplishing other difficult events in my life by a million, it would not even compare to the way I felt when my daughter was born. I felt amazing, like I could accomplish anything. Perhaps the reason that natural childbirth is so rewarding is because of all the preparation, pain and hard work it takes to get there. Even better, you did it all for someone else, you have that miracle in your arms.
Aszani: Each woman draws on her strengths to move through the dance of labor and birth. Two character traits come to mind when I think back to Molly's birth. One is that she is an artist, and her craft requires deep examination of life's gifts and hardships. Her work reflects the vulnerability each artist feels when they commit paint to canvas. In Molly's case, I asked her to paint a piece for my husband's birthday. Not only did she give birth to the most wonderful painting in our home, she also shared her journaling as the piece emerged. When I presented the painting and framed writings together, Bill was moved to tears. There are no words to describe how meaningful Molly's willingness to expose her inner self was to both of us. Again, a deep source of joy.
Another source of Molly's strength is her spirituality, which is deeply rooted in her family. After getting married, Molly and Sam traveled to Thailand for four months to help Molly's cousin, Fr. Michael Shea. Fr. Mike runs three orphanages for children either orphaned by AIDS or with AIDS themselves. Sam and Molly were deeply affected after witnessing the death of a child at Fr. Mike's Sarnelli House Orphanage. They knew that Fr. Mike could not afford the new anti-retroviral AIDS medications for his orphans. Further inspired by a spunky, big-hearted little AIDS orphan named Cebo, they created the CeboRide. The CeboRide is a 125-mile bike ride that they have organized for the past three years in Wisconsin. From these rides they have raised over $79,000 to give directly to Fr. Mike to purchase anti-retroviral AIDS medicines and food and supplies for daily living. Due to the increased financial support and access to medicines, no child has died at Sarnelli House since the first Ceboride and Fr. Mike been able to take in many more children, now numbering well over 100. The compassion and devotion that Molly and Sam demonstrate through their work is a source of joy for all involved. The money they raise every year makes a very real difference in the world.
Molly: Because of the compassion and devotion Aszani has shared with us through her hard work and creation of the Birth Center, along with her special role in our lives, we wanted to attend a volunteer meeting for the recent Parenting Conference she organized. When we arrived at the center, there was barely enough room for all of the people who showed up. We were obviously not the only ones who had been inspired by the Birth Center. Aszani came out of her office with a look I can only describe as witnessing someone watch their dream come true. Her eyes scanned the overcrowded space filled with mothers, daughters, nurses, friends, grandmothers and strangers who all came to help. The tears began to flow as the dream became a reality - the circle, the people, the celebration, the new babies in laps, the Madison Birth Center.
Aszani: The birth center has been a huge undertaking for my husband and me. But however much energy we've put into it has been returned to us one thousand-fold. The community of incredible people that has formed here is a deep gift to Madison and surrounding communities. I have been given a gift in the opportunity to realize a dream I've held for many years, and I am mindful of how wonderful this is.
Molly: My present dream is as simple as being able to start a family with my best friend, Sam, and bringing little Anna up in a healthy, balanced, happy family. We celebrate the simplicity Anna brings to our lives. Naps, dancing, baths, books, healthy meals, hanging diapers on the line, making people smile, and just taking the time to be together. When I am with this little family of mine, I am not worrying about the future, I am not stressed about tomorrow. I am just appreciative of today. I am also joyful that within a cluttered, fast-paced culture, I found the Madison Birth Center, where I was able to give birth naturally, the way my great-great grandmothers must have done. And where women come together to laugh, cry, nurse their children and support one another in the challenging and beautiful world of motherhood. For all of this I am grateful, and I thank the Birth Center and all of their great staff.
Aszani: Molly, Sam, Anna and their extended families have made me a better person than I was before. Their authentic love as they move through their lives, and their trust in the goodness of humanity and the grace people bestow on each other through acts of compassion serve as a role model to me.
Molly: As we approach Christmas, I think about last Christmas and how we spent a lot of time over the holiday season at the birth center. And, although we celebrate with chocolates, eggnog and the joy of giving, we remember that the base of Christmas is a birthday, a night when Mary bore Jesus in a stable. I would say the joy of Christmas is present every night a new little child is born at the Birth Center. No bright lights, no blinking monitors, just the miracle of God presenting itself from a mother to a new child. And what greater joy is there than new life!
For more information on the Madison
Birth Center, call 608-821-0123 or visit www.madisonbirthcenter.com.
For more information on CeboRide or how you can help the children at Sarnelli House
AIDS Orphanage,
contact Molly Krolczyk and Sam Mueller
at ceboride@hotmail.com.
