Giving birth YOUR way

Adriana García and Roberto Jimenez were overjoyed when they discovered they were going to become first-time parents. They wanted to do everything right, which included signing up for Kaiser Permanente’s Preparation for Birth Class and checking out the Family Birth Center at Southwest Washington Medical Center. They even created an online blog so friends and family in Mexico could track the pregnancy and share their good wishes with the couple.

After taking the prenatal class, Adriana and Roberto created their birthing plan; making important decisions about how they wanted to deliver their baby. When the due date neared, they were going to stay at home as long as possible before going to the hospital … listening to music, talking to baby and enjoying the experience.

On a beautiful June Sunday afternoon, Adriana felt mild contractions, but because of what she learned in childbirth classes she knew she didn’t need to go to the hospital yet (read the article: The signs of true labor). She began logging the time and intensity of each contraction, and by the following Tuesday morning, she knew her time was getting closer. She invited her mother to come to her home to visit.

When Adriana’s mother arrived, she recommended that they check into the hospital soon. Adriana and Robert were reluctant, knowing they wanted to stay in the comfort of their home as long as possible before delivery. Adriana had listened to her physician and was in tune with her baby and body enough to know that the time wasn’t right yet. They had timed their travel route to the hospital, and knew they were just a few minutes away. But after much urging from her mother, who had delivered three children of her own, Adriana began to doubt their decision to stay at home longer. They packed her bags and headed to Southwest.

When they arrived at the Family Birth Center to check in, FBC staff agreed with Adriana that she had time left. Adriana and Roberto took a long walk, ate lunch, and returned to the FBC where, with her mother’s insistence in mind, Adriana checked in. She delivered their son Esteban more than 24 hours later.

While Adriana was content during her stay in the delivery suite, and happy to have FBC staff on hand to offer comfort and medical advice, she would have preferred to remain at home longer. “I love my mother,” said Adriana. “But now I know that next time I need to listen to my body, follow my birth plan, and deliver my baby MY way!”

Download a birth planning form >
Read about false labor and the signs of true labor >

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