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Christina Hess (maternity center birth)

I wasn’t comfortable giving birth in the upper unit of a duplex we rented do to privacy issues.  I had a few discouraging experiences with “modern medicine’ as it related to my pregnancy and so at almost 20 weeks I decided I wanted to find an alternative solution to a very mainstream ideal.  My girlfriend had taken her birthing classes at Well-Rounded and Coral came highly recommended.  Within our first visit with Coral I knew that the center was where I wanted to welcome my baby into the world.  I was now on a mission to find a mid-wife who not only worked with the center but would also be a good fit for my husband, our baby, and me.  Coral gave us a list of resources and after a few meet and greets we found our midwife.  We took the Bradley Method class taught by Coral and anxiously awaited our first born.  I labored with Hannah for almost two and a half days with little progress but an experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world.  In the two days at the center I laughed and cried.  The birthing tub was a welcome retreat during what seemed like a lifetime.  With progress being slow and the risk of infection looming, my midwife finally made the decision to move us to the hospital.  An hour after entering the hospital we were being introduced to Hannah without complication.  Many have asked if I could do it all over if I would do it the same way again or just plan a hospital birth next time.  The answer is a resounding YES!  I would plan it the same again.  I fully believe that had I labored for that long in the hospital I would have either been encouraged to take drugs or been a potential candidate for cesarean section.  Instead I had the most wonderful experience with my husband, birth coaches and midwife in our home away from home.  I am moved to tears whenever I recall the center and those days we prepared for our family of three.  For any mother-to-be contemplating whether or not an out-of-hospital birth is right for them I strongly encourage you visit the center.  Coral has done an awesome job creating a sanctuary for your blessed event.  As an added bonus the center takes care of all the post-partum clean-up.  Leaving you to go home and enjoy the new addition to your family.   

Coral, thank you so much for all your support during the pregnancy and after.  What we learned in The Bradley Method class was vital to both of my natural births.  You are dear to our hearts! 

 Sam & Ken Wilson (maternity center birth)

I’m so glad I found the Well Rounded Maternity Center! I wanted my 3rd baby to be born at home, but my husband wasn’t quite comfortable with that. So I looked up birth centers near Milwaukee and was happy to find Coral’s. I had already had a successful natural childbirth in a hospital prior to this, but wanted to avoid the hospital and all the potential unnecessary interventions altogether. The birthing room was very nice and homey, and the birthing tub was a big selling point for me, too. It was a good compromise for my husband & I for our birthing place, located near a hospital in case of emergency. I also liked that there was a separate room w/ toys and things, where my parents could play w/ our other children.

Midwife checks baby's heart tones -------Mama laboring in the birth tub

We met up with my midwife at the birth center around 12:30 pm. After she checked me out, we all decided my husband and I should go get some lunch and walk around for a bit. There were plenty of places near the center to eat and shop or walk around. My labor picked up fast after eating, and we headed back to the center shortly before 2 pm. Coral was very helpful and accommodating, making sure the tub was full and warm when I arrived ready to get in it. Candles were also lit in the room when we arrived. At 3:05 pm, only an hour after I got in the tub, our almost 8 lb, beautiful baby girl was born into the water. It was a great labor and delivery, I thank God for that blessing. We were able to stay at the center as long as we needed to, and ended up heading home about 6 hours after the birth.

I would definitely recommend the Well Rounded Maternity Center to anyone who wants to avoid the hospital for their birth, but for whatever reason isn’t going to birth in their own home. It’s the perfect alternative

~Samantha & Kenneth Wilson, Kenosha

Laura & Jeff Vanderbilt (maternity center birth)

"My birth, aside from the pain, was almost magical in how beautifully and easily it went for me and baby Mark. On a snowy winter night I arrived to a warm room lit by candles and christmas lights, and a cup of hot tea. As the contractions became closer together and my attention became entirely focused on my labor (and finding any position I could to make it easier) I had an array of options open to me. I was able to go from a chair to a yoga ball, to the pool and then to a lying position, and then back to the pool, which is where I stayed for the duration. The contractions really became hard to get through at this point, but Coral, my doula, and Ginnie, my midwife, were able to keep me focused on the work I needed to do to deliver my baby.

I honestly believe that without that gentle and constant guidance, my labor would have been longer and harder to get through. At the moment of birth, Mark was pulled out of the water and placed on my chest. He already seemed to be comfortable there, and barely cried at all but started right in on his attempts to breastfeed. (Within an hour he was latching on and suckling a bit. That first night he woke me at 3:30 and breasfed for over an hour!) After the placenta was delivered, everyone (midwife, doula, husband, friends and family) gathered in the birthing room to toast this new little life and share some thoughts on the occasion. Then it was to bed for some much needed R&R.

The accommodations were very comfortable and nurturing. Coral let us stay as long as we needed to. Remarkably, I was ready to go late the next morning after giving birth naturally to a 9 lb. 6 oz. baby boy. I left amazed at what my body was capable of achieving, and amazed at the new little boy in my arms. I think a natural birth was able to give me this unique experience the way I wanted it to be - free from unnecessary medical intervention and focused on the joy and magic of giving birth. I am very grateful to have had the Well Rounded Maternity Center as birthing option."

~ Laura Vanderbilt, Milwaukee

the Vanderbilt family Baby Mark

Allie (maternity center birth)

". . . my birth was AMAZING. During transition and when he was crowning, I thoroughly loved every moment of it! The feelings, sensations, everything. I yelled out how great it felt, as he was emerging from my body, which is supposed to be the "worst" of the pain... but none of it was the"worst" and none of it was painful. I never felt any negative pain at all, did not feel scared or worried about anything. It was so amazing.

What I really want you to know, the part that was the most special... is that if your birth center did not exist, we would have had him in a hospital and it would have been an entirely different experience. My husband would not have gone for a home birth. It took a while for him to adjust to the idea of an out of hospital birth at all, but he now acknoledges that it was a a great experience and that he actaully wishes we were so informed and made such a great choice for our first son as well. That means a LOT coming from my husband! A home birth in our actual home was a little too far out sounding for him, and your middle-of-the-road option of a freestanding birth center was truly a gift. The way it just fell into our lap- first learning about doulas, then finding our wonderful doula, who lead me to you, and the birth center....

... it was such fate, and the birth itself was so healing, so incredible. I know for sure that it would not and could not have been such an unbelievable experience in a hospital.

It was so perfect for us- for our family and for the baby, and without you and the birth center, a hospital birth would have been a whole different story. Thank you ."

~ Allie, Waukesha

Lilith & Lincoln Fowler (hospital birth) 

"I wanted to let you know that Lincoln and I have a wonderful healthy baby girl! she arrived on her due date promptly at 3 am. My labor went very smoothly - I had occasional contractions Saturday night and all day Sunday, spent the day doing some last-minute errands, and over dinner my contractions started to get more serious. At 10:30 my water broke and we went to the hospital - when we got there I was 5 cm. Willa was born 4 1/2 hours later. At no point did I feel a need for any drugs (til we got to the stitching up.... which took almost as long as the labor!).

We both felt that your [Bradley] classes were a TREMENDOUS help and the nurses and [the midwife] all commented on how well we worked together, for which much credit goes to you. Lincoln went from being a skeptic about the whole idea of birthing classes to singing your praises to anyone who will listen! Thanks so much!"

~ Lilith Fowler, Milwaukee  

Emily and son Noah (parenting naturally support group)

"The Parenting Naturally group was a bright light in the dark for me. After my son was born one of my two close friends moved away with her new baby and my other friend was busy with her newborn and going to college and working. I was the only stay-at-home mom I knew and soon I became very lonely for some adult conversation. During a phone call with my midwife she suggested Corals parenting group and I decided to go. At the first group I was re-united with a friend from Bradley class and we've been close friends ever since. The wisdom and support I gained from being a part of the group helped me beyond measure.'

~ Emily, Waukesha