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SILVERTHORNE — When she was 27 weeks pregnant, Tracy Mathison checked into a hospital in Vail for a minor complication.
Nurses hooked her to an IV, ran tests, and in the end, she figured out she did not want a similar experience when she gave birth. For her, the setting was uncomfortable and impersonal.
So, Mathison, of Silverthorne, began looking into different options, and through her sister, who was studying herbology and was also pregnant at the time, she found Cocoon Enterprises childbirth classes in Idaho Springs and Mountain Midwifery Center in Englewood. She learned everything about birth she could possibly want to know and discovered she wanted to have her baby girl at a birth center — an option an increasing number of women are exploring.
“I see quite a few Summit County moms,” said Tracy Ryan, certified nurse midwife and owner of Mountain Midwifery Center, the only free-standing birth center in the state.
Women in the mountains are often “outdoorsy and strong,” she added. They enjoy rock climbing, hiking and so “the thought of an epidural because they can’t stand the pain of labor ... they find that very insulting.”
Basically, the birth center offers a home-like experience, but it is also near hospital in case complications arise. “It’s the best of both worlds,” Ryan said, adding that as more healthy women consider their options, the birth center has become flooded with patients to the point where they’ve doubled in size.
The initial visit is about an hour and a half and involves talking to women about nutrition, what is ahead, answering questions and taking a holistic approach to birth.
“Our approach is education intensive. ... It’s how women deserved to be treated,” she said.
Within about four to six hours after birth, moms head home with their baby, and two days later the midwife who delivered their child pays them a visit at home. The women are highly educated about what is normal and what is not and need to be near a place where they can get emergency medical care if that becomes necessary, Ryan explained.
“This (using midwives) is done all over the world,” she paused, “And with better outcomes.”
In the U.S., more than 30 percent of babies are born via surgery, Ryan said, adding that The World Health Organization says the rate should be between 8 and 10 percent. At Mountain Midwifery, about 15 percent of moms are transported to the hospital, and of those, four percent have surgery, she continued.
However, Ryan will be the first person to tell moms the birth center is not for everyone. Ultimately, moms need to choose a birth place where they are most comfortable, she added.
She advises women to do their research, ask the hospital about their C-section rate and ask if they have options for the position they feel comfortable giving birth. For example, some women do best pushing over a toilet or in a pool, Ryan explained.
Jen Matera and Heather Scott, certified labor doulas and certified childbirth educators who started Cocoon Enterprises Inc. in Idaho Springs, offer a four-week series of classes designed to meet the needs of women giving birth in the hospital, at home or at the birth center. Throughout the past year, they’ve seen an increase in calls and more women looking into the birth center or home births, Scott said.
In the classes, moms are educated about common issues, they talk about relationships, answer questions, she added. Also, classes cover breast feeding, infant care, CPR and First Aid.
“We’re really seeing a lot of different attitudes toward birth,” Scott said. “Women today are so excited to have different options.”
What Mathison, who used Scott as her doula as well as attended classes, found during the process is that doctors, midwives, those involved were open to answering questions while she worked to find what was right for her. Also, the classes provided her with information “down to the detail, even things I would never even think to ask,” Mathison said.
As her doula, Scott directed Mathison’s mom and husband about how to help. She also helped her keep liquids and food down.
“It’s another world,” Mathison said. “Any little touch could set you off. ... The whole birthing center, that experience was just comfort.”
The room had a queen sized bed, rocking chair, birthing balls, a little pool. It was quaint and “more personal,” she added.
Mathison went into labor about 1 a.m. and gave birth 8 p.m. the next night. July 11, Lillianna Grace was born weighing 7-pounds,10 ounces.
“They kept me going after my goals as long as they knew I could take it,” Mathison said.
<i>Lory Pounder can be reached at (970) 668-4628, or at lpounder@summitdaily.com.</i>
Nurses hooked her to an IV, ran tests, and in the end, she figured out she did not want a similar experience when she gave birth. For her, the setting was uncomfortable and impersonal.
So, Mathison, of Silverthorne, began looking into different options, and through her sister, who was studying herbology and was also pregnant at the time, she found Cocoon Enterprises childbirth classes in Idaho Springs and Mountain Midwifery Center in Englewood. She learned everything about birth she could possibly want to know and discovered she wanted to have her baby girl at a birth center — an option an increasing number of women are exploring.
“I see quite a few Summit County moms,” said Tracy Ryan, certified nurse midwife and owner of Mountain Midwifery Center, the only free-standing birth center in the state.
Women in the mountains are often “outdoorsy and strong,” she added. They enjoy rock climbing, hiking and so “the thought of an epidural because they can’t stand the pain of labor ... they find that very insulting.”
Basically, the birth center offers a home-like experience, but it is also near hospital in case complications arise. “It’s the best of both worlds,” Ryan said, adding that as more healthy women consider their options, the birth center has become flooded with patients to the point where they’ve doubled in size.
The initial visit is about an hour and a half and involves talking to women about nutrition, what is ahead, answering questions and taking a holistic approach to birth.
“Our approach is education intensive. ... It’s how women deserved to be treated,” she said.
Within about four to six hours after birth, moms head home with their baby, and two days later the midwife who delivered their child pays them a visit at home. The women are highly educated about what is normal and what is not and need to be near a place where they can get emergency medical care if that becomes necessary, Ryan explained.
“This (using midwives) is done all over the world,” she paused, “And with better outcomes.”
In the U.S., more than 30 percent of babies are born via surgery, Ryan said, adding that The World Health Organization says the rate should be between 8 and 10 percent. At Mountain Midwifery, about 15 percent of moms are transported to the hospital, and of those, four percent have surgery, she continued.
However, Ryan will be the first person to tell moms the birth center is not for everyone. Ultimately, moms need to choose a birth place where they are most comfortable, she added.
She advises women to do their research, ask the hospital about their C-section rate and ask if they have options for the position they feel comfortable giving birth. For example, some women do best pushing over a toilet or in a pool, Ryan explained.
Jen Matera and Heather Scott, certified labor doulas and certified childbirth educators who started Cocoon Enterprises Inc. in Idaho Springs, offer a four-week series of classes designed to meet the needs of women giving birth in the hospital, at home or at the birth center. Throughout the past year, they’ve seen an increase in calls and more women looking into the birth center or home births, Scott said.
In the classes, moms are educated about common issues, they talk about relationships, answer questions, she added. Also, classes cover breast feeding, infant care, CPR and First Aid.
“We’re really seeing a lot of different attitudes toward birth,” Scott said. “Women today are so excited to have different options.”
What Mathison, who used Scott as her doula as well as attended classes, found during the process is that doctors, midwives, those involved were open to answering questions while she worked to find what was right for her. Also, the classes provided her with information “down to the detail, even things I would never even think to ask,” Mathison said.
As her doula, Scott directed Mathison’s mom and husband about how to help. She also helped her keep liquids and food down.
“It’s another world,” Mathison said. “Any little touch could set you off. ... The whole birthing center, that experience was just comfort.”
The room had a queen sized bed, rocking chair, birthing balls, a little pool. It was quaint and “more personal,” she added.
Mathison went into labor about 1 a.m. and gave birth 8 p.m. the next night. July 11, Lillianna Grace was born weighing 7-pounds,10 ounces.
“They kept me going after my goals as long as they knew I could take it,” Mathison said.
<i>Lory Pounder can be reached at (970) 668-4628, or at lpounder@summitdaily.com.</i>
More information
• Anyone interested in finding out more about Cocoon Enterprises childbirth services should call Jen Matera, MA, CD(CBI), CLD, at (303) 905-6948, or Heather Scott, CLD, CCCE, at (303) 838-0501 or visit www.cocoonenterprise.com.• Anyone interested in finding out more about Mountain Midwifery Center should visit www.mountainmidwifery.com.
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