Bella Natal

I am planning a waterbirth at Bella Natal Birthing Suites. (It means beautiful birth.) Bella Natal is a Nataloc which means "birth place". A nataloc is very similiar to a birthing center. We have all our appointments here, and we had our ultrasound here as well. I know everyone is curious about it. I think sometimes when I tell someone I am seeing a midwife for my prenatal care, they imagine me seeing some hippie in her trailer home. Actually, our midwife is very professional. We go to our appointments (except I have NEVER had to wait) and do all the same things they do at a doctor's office. They take a urine sample and take my temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. There have been plenty of studies comparing low-risk women giving birth in a hospital with low-risk women giving birth at home. Intervention percentages were enough to convince me that I did not want to give birth in a hospital again. When I had Caius, we delivered at a really great hospital. It was great compared to many other hospitals around the country. Still, I didn't have the birth experience I wanted mostly due to the routine medical procedures I was forced to have, but didn't need. Neal and I have gotten the impression that people think we are being careless and ignorantant, or even selfish in our decision to birth at Bella Natal with a midwife. Our midwife is trained and experienced in overseeing normal births, as well as births where the mother or baby had complications. We are completely confident in her abilities. We have asked all the questions about safety that you are asking, and we were satisfied with the answers. We are doing this because of our safety concerns for myself and for our baby. And we won't be paying $800 for the longest most uncomfortable, mandatory wheelchair ride of my life...

This is the appointment room.

Here is the bedroom. On the other side of the room is a queen sized bed. We will most likely be birthing in the new suite, which was finished just a few months ago. It is pretty much the same, just a different color scheme.

This is the tub I will be giving birth in! It uses hygenic pipeless jets. I have been in the tub before and it is HUGE. It is SO deep, the water will be up to my shoulders. Oooh...what I wouldn't give to have one of these at home. There is also a second bathroom with a shower.

And this is the fully stocked kitchen. During our stay at Bella Natal, we will be free to help ourselves to whatever is in the fridge. :)