When a birth is at home, it becomes the intimate, private, natural process it's meant to be. Birth as a medical process in a medical facility creates little privacy or family decision making, and takes away many choices families later wish they had the freedom to make.

With West Texas Birth Services, Certified Professional Midwives follow The Midwives Model of Care. This approach is unlike using traditional obstetric care, in that it is family-centered and focuses strongly on the mother's wellbeing as an important factor in a good birth outcome. Mothers move around, change positions, relax in a warm waterbirth pool, and describe their birth experience as less painful and less stressful. In fact, they say it is the Family Event it should be.

Many women wonder why they are not informed by their doctor about the option of a midwife. This typically is due to disinformation common in the United States, much of which originates from ACOG (a trade union representing the financial and professional interests of obstetricians). For an example of this type of disinformation, read this article by Henci Goer: The Assault on Normal Birth: The OB Disinformation Campaign. Of course, there are a few scenarios that are not apprpriate for an out-of-hospital birth. For some examples of these see our Frequently Asked Questions - Question #10.

Nevertheless, there are many benefits of a Midwife Attended Birth, which often begin with your prenatal care. For example, your prenatal appointments are typically 30 minutes to an hour long, at our office or in the convenience of your home. The extra time spent with you serves to reinforce the personal and intimate nature of midwife attended natural childbirth, while at the same time building a solid relationship that will enhance your birth experience. Extensive prenatal education about testing options, birth options, and holistic ways to maintain a healthy pregnancy takes place within these visits with your midwife. Your family becomes familiar with the birth team - and your midwife becomes familiar with your family, as well as your particular desires for the birth. And your family and children are always welcome at each visit.

Your midwife is available by phone 24/7 for questions or concerns. At the birth, patience and warm support are the most used ‘tools’...there are no rigorous time frames or ‘shoulds’; each birth is viewed as being highly individual and completely normal in all its various forms. Parents receive honest communication about choices - allowing you to make informed decisions and to be part of your care, rather than subject to it. For more information on the benefits of a Homebirth Delivery Vs. a Hospital Delivery, visit our Home Court Advantage page.

Scientific research leading to Evidence Based Care shows that 90 percent of mothers can safely qualify for a Homebirth Delivery, with appropriate prenatal care and attendant personnel. As midwives we colaborate with physicians in situations where medical complications arise. We are meticulous in our assessment of moms and babies in order to ascertain when medical intervention is appropriate, and fully support its use when needed. For more information on the safety of a Midwife Attended Homebirth, select this link for The Medical Literature on the Safety of Homebirth, and this link for Homebirth Safety References .

The warm water is relaxing and eases labor by reducing the release of adrenaline caused by pain and fear. The water also stimulates the release of endorphins promoting relaxation and pain reduction. The elasticity of the perineum is increased. These all help to result in an easier birth with fewer lacerations and tears, including the need for an episiotomy. It is certainly ironic that the obstetrical practice of routinely cutting the perineum, known as Episiotomy, during hospital deliveries in the United States has been shown to be the principal risk factor for severe tearing during delivery (the tear starts where the cut is made), which is the injury that it is supposed to prevent. Select this link for more information on Episiotomy: The Ritual Genital Mutilation in Western Obstetrics.

With increased buoyancy in the water the pregnant woman can change her position easily. In most cases, water births are shorter and less painful with no need for the risks associated with analgesics or Epidural Anesthesia. The buoyancy also causes a hormonal change in the mother's body, giving her more oxytocin (the hormone responsible for labor contractions), making her labor more efficient. Birth is also a strenuous effort for the baby and water eases this exertion. The warm liquid is still familiar to the newborn and softens light, colors and noises.

Our specially designed birth pools are large enough to accommodate a labor support person such as the father or another support person, and are equipped with waterbed style heaters to maintain optimum water temperature. The great majority of women who have experienced water birth say that they would never want to have a baby any other way.

Some express concerns with regard to water births, though most objections are because the idea is new to them. Some wonder if the water may increase the chance of infection for the baby, but to date there has been no research to support this contention. Midwives and doctors experienced with water births have not noted any increase in infection rates for either mother or baby.

One common question is ‘will the baby breath water into his lungs?’ The baby will not aspirate water because the baby’s first breath is triggered by the absence of the water over the face, which triggers the ‘mammalian diving reflex’, along with the contact with air pressure on the trigeminal nerve area of the face. For the first breath to take place the baby switches over from fetal circulation to newborn circulation, closing the shunts in the heart, creating pulmonary circulation, changing the pressures in the lungs, pushing out fluids that are already present in lung spaces and allowing for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This process takes a few minutes to completely initiate, during which time the newborn typically is still receiving oxygen from the umbilical cord. There is no threat that the newborn will inhale water during the birth process since his trigger to breathe oxygen is not present until he makes contact with the air. Some ask if the baby can aspirate water if it is raised to the surface after the birth and then re-immersed in the water. Although there is a minute risk of this happening inadvertently, your midwife is well aware of this possibility, and once the baby is brought to the surface the baby is placed straight on the woman’s breast to feed and not re-immersed in the water.

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