A Happy Client and New Baby

Cathy O’Bryant is a CPM and LDEM and has been practicing for over 20 years. Currently, she has attended over 600 women in childbirth. She has experienced amazing things over the course of her career in midwifery, and currently operates Enlightened Birth Midwifery Services located in Payson, Utah.

Cathy offers her clients in the Utah Valley area the option of birthing in the comfort of their own home, and she also has privileges at the beautiful birth center, BellaNatal, in Orem, Utah.

Enlightened Birth Midwifery Services offers all of their clients the option of birthing in the water.  Waterbirth has been found to ease pain of childbirth and help the mother relax.

From Enlightened Birth’s website, Cathy’s philosophy:

I believe birth to be a natural physiological process and not a medical phenomenon.

My style of midwifery is non-interventive.   I encourage and support the laboring woman to make choices surrounding her birth.   I feel that in most cases she intuitively knows what is best for her and her baby.   I respect this knowledge and always support her desires providing they are within safe limits.

I believe that homebirth and care from a Certified Professional Midwife can be of the highest quality and in most cases of the same caliber as other health care providers.   I believe that homebirth isn’t for everyone, but that homebirth should be available as a childbirth alternative for those who desire it.   I do not believe that homebirth is risky, providing that the mother is in good health and has researched the subject extensively, until she feels comfortable with her decision.

Enlightened Birth Midwifery Services, located in Payson, and serving the surrounding areas, is another choice in maternal health care in Utah.

Great Expectations Birth Care

Great Expectations Birth Care is run by Rebecca Williams, CNM, CPM, MSN, and is located in Murray, Utah.

Rebecca offers her clients the option of birthing at her beautiful birth suite, or in the comfort of their own home.

The birth suite is located right next to Cottonwood Medical Center, and would be a perfect situation for women and families who may be looking for an alternative to the Obstetrical Model of Care, but are not interested in birthing at home.

Great Expectations seems to really give clients star treatment!  From her website, with regard to considering homebirth or birth at the birth suite, both options sound like the family can expect to be pampered by a compassionate, professional midwife:

Birthing At Home With Great Expectations

Around 36 weeks gestation I will visit your birth site for a prenatal visit and bring birth supplies, a tub if needed, and a postpartum packet which includes all the information and paperwork needed for me to file your birth certificate, obtain a social security card for your baby, etc.. Between 37 to 42 weeks we can legally birth at home and I will come to your house for the birthday party whenever you’d like me to. I stay after the birth until mom and baby are stable and ready for sleep. Sometimes I stay until the birthday cake is frosted and served because I like cake…you’re under no obligation to feed me cake though. I’m there to make your birth wonderful, not to cause extra work.

Birth Suite Birthing With Great Expectations

Women who choose a birth suite birth come to Great Expectations in labor, have a wonderful birth in a “Bed and Breakfast” setting and return home when they’re stable and the time is right. We have a brand new kitchen and food handler permits so you won’t starve and we’ll try to plan your menu before your birth. Maybe you like waffles, fried ham and smoothies, or will it be pasta???

And Regardless Of Location…

Because having a safe pregnancy and birth is a priority, I do transfer to the hospital if problems arise and am certified in Advanced Life Support for Obstetrics. Unless I have someone else laboring, I go with my laboring women and act as their advocate and doula at the hospital in the event of transfer. I have many years of hospital experience and can help couples navigate the hospital “world” to achieve the best possible birth under the circumstances.

Great Expectations Birth Care is located in Murray, Utah, and Rebecca provides complete maternal health care for women living in the Salt Lake area.

Photo Courtesy Heather and Jared

Birth center births have clearly demonstrated to be as safe as hospital births, with fewer invasive procedures, fewer cesarean sections, higher satisfaction, and lower cost.

In a national survey conducted by the Public Citizens’ Health Research Group on nurse-midwifery care, 419 hospitals and 39 freestanding birthcenters, they recommended insurers, hospitals and consumers to encourage use of freestanding birthcenters.

The Birth and Family Place, located in Holladay, Utah, is a beautiful birth center that offers the relaxing atmosphere of a beautifully decorated birthing suite with a fully functional birth center.

From their website:

We care for you, your family, and your nurse-midwife or doctor to create the safest, softest, happiest experience possible.

We welcome you, your family and your new baby into a world where nurturing is the priority.

Our three birthing rooms have been designed specifically to provide a comfortable and peaceful birthing environment. Each bathroom is equipped with a jetted tub for relaxation during labor. Full-sized beds accommodate mom, dad and baby.

The family waiting room is a comfy spot for whomever you want present to celebrate your baby’s birth.

Flexible and caring professional staff will plan with you to design your ideal birthing experience. We understand that giving birth should be a joyful and relaxing experience for the whole family.

The Birth and Family Place is accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC) and a member of the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC).

Birth and Family Place Contact Information:

Birth and Family Place
2180 East 4500 South, Suite 150
Holladay, Utah 84117
Phone (801) 278-3102
Fax (801) 278-3112
info@birthandfamilyplace.com

Providing the Best Birth Experience

If you are interested in a home or birth center birth,  Better Birth is a provider to consider.

Better Birth, founded by Suzanne Smith, a graduate with multiple degrees from Stanford and the Utah College of Midwifery, was the first licensed direct-entry midwife in the state of Utah.  She definitely has a great love for what she does, and has a lot of learning behind her!

Better Birth offers their clients the option of delivering at the beautiful BellaNatal Birthing Center in Orem, or in the comfort of their own home.  Better Birth serves mothers and families in Utah and Salt Lake Counties, although sometimes they will travel to Davis, Tooele, Summit and Wasatch counties.

From Better Birth’s website:

At BetterBirth, LLC we provide the very finest and most personal maternity care available.  We see birth as a normal, healthy physical, social, and emotional process, and we expect it to be so throughout your experience with us.

We believe the relationship between midwife and mother is very important, and can have a big impact on your birth.  It’s so important to be comfortable with your midwife.  Trust should come easy.  We schedule appointments so there is plenty of time to talk about questions and concerns, or just chit-chat about whatever is going on for you.

We believe your birth is a pivotal experience in your life, and will have repercussions much broader than you might imagine.  We will work hard to make it exactly the experience you want it to be.  A “good outcome,” that is, a healthy mother and baby, are the absolute minimum standard.  Of course you want a healthy mother and baby(!) and we will never compromise our efforts to ensure you get them.  But birth can and should be so much more than that.  It is the experience beyond “alive and well” that makes BetterBirth, LLC an outstanding choice for your maternity care.  We hope you will describe your experience with childbirth and with us as “exquisite.”

Better Birth Contact Information:

Salt Lake Office

3098 S Highland Dr Suite 394
(801) 363-2448

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Orem Office

560 S State St Suite D2
(801) 225-5668

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BellaNatal Birthing Suites

BellaNatal Birthing Suites is the first of its kind in the world.  Of hospital, birthing center, and home, BellaNatal Birthing Suites is most like a birthing center, with a few important differences.

Like a hospital or birthing center, BellaNatal Birthing Suites is a facility specifically designed to support the process of childbirth. But unlike a hospital or birthing center, at BellaNatal the care is separated from the facility in which that care occurs.  This means your chosen provider is 100% responsible for your delivery and care.

Why is that so great?  Because this is the person you want to be responsible for you!  This is the person you have chosen, the person you know and who knows you.  Many women are surprised when they go to a hospital for their delivery and they don’t see their doctor until the last few minutes.  Most care in a hospital is provided by nursing staff you’ve never met before.  At BellaNatal, your provider will attend you for your entire labor.

From BellaNatal’s website:

We believe in the ability of healthy women to safely give birth in the setting of their choice, and we want to provide the most comfortable, supportive, and safe setting possible.  We believe any facility in which women give birth should be flexible and accommodating to the needs of the mothers and babies who use it.  We believe you and your care provider should make decisions regarding your care, not the facility.  We believe normal healthy birth should not be expensive, and we have adopted a strategy to keep costs as low as possible.

Currently, several providers have priveleges at BellaNatal.  Here is a list:

• Brigitte Eastman, CPM, LDEM (801) 225-5668
• Cathy Larson, CPM, LDEM  (801) 712-8013
• Cathy O’Bryant, CPM, LDEM   (801) 465-4021
• Suzanne Smith, CPM, LDEM  (801) 225-5668
• Trinette Thompson, CPM, LDEM  (801) 225-5668
• Tara Tulley, CPM, LDEM (801) 380-3247