Sarah knew what she wanted.  Her first birth experience didn’t go as she had planned, and with the pregnancy of her second child she had another chance to do it right.

“With your first pregnancy you don’t know what to expect, so staying close to home seemed like the best thing to do,” Sarah said. “Even though the hospitals where I lived didn’t have the same philosophy of care I had wanted, I decided to give birth to my first son in San Joaquin County anyway.”

Sarah knew from the start what she wanted and had a vision of what it should be like bringing her children into this world. 

“Childbirth is one of the most natural experiences, and I knew that I wanted to do it as naturally as possible,” she said. “After my first childbirth went so badly I knew I had a second chance with the birth of my second son to get it right.”

Sarah’s sister-in-law lived in Davis and told her about her wonderful birth experience at Sutter Davis Hospital.  Sarah decided to go online to find out more about the birthing center.

“When I was reading the web site I was shocked,” Sarah said.  “I always knew what I wanted; I just never thought I would actually be able to find a place that could give it to me.”

At 25 weeks of pregnancy, Sarah switched her care to Sutter West Medical Group and registered to give birth at Sutter Davis Hospital.  When she toured the hospital she was very impressed with the private rooms and bathrooms, but the best part of all was the birthing tub.

When Sarah went into labor and was admitted to the hospital, she wanted to give the birthing tub a try.  She had read that the soothing properties of the water really help the mom relax and can help the labor process.

“Labor is hard, but I knew I was in good hands when my nurse midwife, Kristen Cates, told me how powerful my moaning was,” Sarah said.  “She encouraged me to continue moaning and made me feel like what was happening to my body was normal.  The way she spoke to me made me feel more comfortable and I started to relax.”

After 23 hours of labor Sarah gave birth to a healthy baby boy and was able to have the birthing experience she had always wanted.

“At Sutter Davis Hospital all the nurses and staff treated me like family,” she said. “Everyone that works there loves working there, and their attitude shows in the care that you receive.”