Julie’s Story

I am 42 years old. My birth story began in a positive way. My water broke when I was at dinner with my family, and I thought it was the beginning of a very healthy birth that I'd been preparing for with my midwife. I labored at home for about 10 hours thinking that I was getting very close to the transition phase of my labor, and I went into my birthing center with my midwife who checked me out. It turns out my baby was the wrong direction. I had not dilated at all. I was potentially septic because there was meconium inside of me and from that moment it became an emergency.

Luckily the emergency room was two minutes away. So, we immediately went to the emergency room to get on antibiotics and get the medical attention I needed. Then at the hospital for about 20 more hours, we tried to create a situation of a natural birth, having the baby turn, potentially getting to 10 centimeters of dilation. When that didn't happen after two and a half days of labor, I went in for my cesarean section which was a great experience. I had Dr. Morton and Dr. Algoe who were friends of mine. I knew them in the community. I felt very safe and my healthy baby boy, Grady, was born. And after that, we were in the hospital for a few more days as he had jaundice, and I was recovering from labor and the cesarean section. And this had all been a situation I was hopeful would be a natural labor process in a birthing tub, at a birthing center.

I think about what could have happened had I been further from a hospital with my situation. What could have happened to both me and my baby? It so quickly turned into a life-threatening situation for both that I don't know if I would have gone with a midwife and chosen to be at a birthing center without the comfort of knowing an emergency room was literally around the corner from our birthing center. I am forever grateful for the OB-GYNs at Bonner General Health, and I have now coached their children in soccer. Our kids are best friends at school and the fact that they're leaving the community is devastating because they saved my life and they're in and out of my life. I'm forever grateful that they were there two minutes away during my life-threatening situation.

—Julie