Beverly birth center to remain open -- for now

Congratulations to the Board for listening to their community and agreeing to give a valuable service the consideration it deserves. Hopefully the health insurance system is not too broken, and the fear of lawyers too strong, for the Hospital to find a way to protect and celebrate this remarkable resource.

Amazing that there are only two centers that offer natural birth options in a state that is supposed to be so up to date on health and medical. The arcane method of shooting a mother up with drugs in every hospital in the state and giving birth in a sterile setting where people go to die is beyond me. You would think a nice natural and welcoming environment would be the way to go as it has worked since the beginning of time.

My wife and I have experienced the care of both facilities. We delivered our first two children at the birthing center, and our last at the hospital as a medical precaution brought to our attention by the midwives at the birthing center. Both delivery teams were outstanding, however it is our preference to do things naturally, and to augment with the wonderful advances in medical technology as necessary. I thank the Board for keeping the birthing center open, and truly hope that they can manage a way to continue to support natural childbirth, guided by the capable staff at the Birth Center, with the security of a near-by medical staff, also highly capable, ready to intervene should the need arise.

"You would think a nice natural and welcoming environment would be the way to go as it has worked since the beginning of time".

Has it really "worked since the beginning of time?" Until recently, it was common for women and babies to die in childbirth. In some places, they still do. Check out "The Killing FIelds", or the Washington Post's recent series on maternal mortality in Sierre Leone.

Childbirth is a natural process that can go very wrong, very quickly. Midwives have better outcomes than OB-GYNs because they are very good at screening out high-risk pregnancies.

Birth centers have their place. So do hospitals. What matters is getting a heathy mother and baby.

I just wanted to note that Mount Auburn's Center for Women and The Birthplace at Newton-Wellesley both offer midwife-assisted natural birth and have excellent reputations and comparatively low c-section rates.

Congratulations and many thanks to the Board.

I know a natural birth is not for everyone, but shutting down this wonderful Birth Center is shutting down the choice that each woman should have as to where and how she would like to endure labor.

With my first child I opted for a natural childbirth at one of the large teaching hospitals. Although my prenatal care provided by the midwives was wonderful; once I entered the labor and delivery ward my decisions could not have been more disrespected.

My second birth was at the North Shore Birth Center. What a civilized experience. I could not have hoped for a better experience.

While things can go wrong during childbirth, and I am glad that we have hospitals when they do, it is a bit deceptive to say that midwives have better rates because they screen out high-risk pregnancies. For example, at The Farm, a famous birthing center in TN, the cesarean rate is below 2 percent, and they have assisted in over 2,000 births. These statistics include twins and breech babies. (At Beverly Hospital, the cesarean rate is above 30 percent.) Of course there are high-risk situations where women are referred to hospital care. But some situations that are termed high-risk -- such as multiple births and breech presentations-- can be handled by skillful, experienced midwives. In impoverished communities, poor diet and other factors can make birthing dangerous. But this does not mean that birthing with an experienced midwife is not safe. It is especially safe at the North Shore Birth Center, which is located across the street from a hospital.

Congratulations to all the families who worked hard for this outcome. Keep the pressure on until a permanent decision is made to keep the Center open.

Six years ago my bride and I had to fight off all manner of well-intended medical interventionists who, had we not insisted, would have much rather scheduled, induced and C-sectioned there way into a processed, convenient birthing of our twins. We chose to have a hospital available for the birth, just in case. But this is walking a fine line. Once there, informed consent tends to vanish.

Remarkably, Mt. Auburn Hospital "allowed" us to have an Accupuncturist and a Doula, so long as the needles, scalpels and probes were at the ready should it be necessary to use them. The battles were won and, despite all the prognostications to the contrary, my bride gave birth, in perfect anatomical positioning, to two healthy babies.

That was the good part. What followed was a horrid experience of being cooped up in a cold room with no accommodation for parents who choose not to place their infants in a mechanized rotisserie with artificial lighting and the screams of nearby infants wondering where their mother is. No sleep for the exhausted parents and babies. Absolutely horrid food. Little to no respect.

Birthing centers provide a safe haven and help bridge the gap between a clinical birthing process and one that follows the needs of the parents. It's hard to imagine there are only two of these in the entire state. Should it be gone, women and children may be placed in greater risk, or may, as we did, have to fight their way through the entire process to get it done right.

In response to "has it really worked since the beginning of time"? Yes it has. While birth centers do "have their place" as do hospitals, there are only 2 in the state. If this one closes even fewer women would have the option of a safe, non-hospital delivery. While many hospitals and practices have midwives, my experience at the North Shore Birth Center was very different from that of all my friends who went to OB/GYNs. Midwives listen. They provide options. They allow the woman to be the decision maker in every aspect of her pregnancy and birthing process. They also do a lot more than just pregnancy/childbirth. It would be a devestating loss to lose this option.

Congratulations to Rebecca Hains and all who got involved with her to bring the Board of Trustee's decision to a halt - kudos to the Board for hearing and giving pause to what they heard from the Community wanting to optimize their birthing options. Job well done!

Lucie

Liz, above, said that both birth centers and hospitals have their place, and she is of course right.. But Liz, the point about THIS birth center is that it is located in the grounds of Beverly Hospital and the very experienced Birthcenter midwives can avail of the medical technology on its doorstep if necessary. A great compromise for those who would like as little intervention as possible in the birth of their baby but who are aware that things don't always go to plan. I'm glad to see that it will stay open.

As an obstetrical nurse of many, many years and an employee of Beverly Hospital, I say kudos to The Board for listening to th community. My daughter delivered her second baby at the Birthing Center after a very dissatisfying experience with her first birth, by a midwife, in a hospital in town. Those midwives are pushed to follow the medical model of birth, not the nurturing support given in The Birthing Center.

When I heard the news that Beverly Birth Center might be endanger of closing, I too felt personally affected. My mother delivered me there almost 28 years ago, when I believe they first opened. The tails of my birth, the amazing strength and courage of my mother promted me to pursue a life in women's health and prenatal care. I am a prenatal nurse in the city of Boston, and am well aware of how critical having options for natural birth is to our community. I support the Birth Center!

I am the mother that delivered Allison on valentine's day, 1981 with my midwive's Fran and Joan at my side. (Thanks forever to you both).She was the third baby born there, and will always remain the most powerful defining moment in my life. When she went into women's health, and began teaching pre-natal classes, i truly verified the circle of life.