Atlanta Birth Center is OPEN!!!!!
What an honor to attend the very first birth at the very first birth center in Atlanta! So many people have been working on opening a birth center for many years, so it was a little surreal to actually be there last week.
As I drove home that night I was trying to come up with words to describe what I saw--not the birth itself, because each and every birth I witness is unique and amazing, but the location...What makes the Birth Center different than birthing in a hospital?
The first word that kept rolling around in my head was "quiet," quickly followed by "peaceful..." By nature hospitals are busy, loud places with strangers coming and going. At the Birth Center it was just the family, the Midwives, the nurse, the Doula, and me (the birth photographer). And that's it. There isn't a cleaning staff coming in to change the trash, or administrative staff bringing papers to sign. Instead it was like being in someone's home. It was quiet, and peaceful.
Another word that came to mind was "dark"--which as you can imagine, isn't a great word for a birth photographer!...But it was also bright. What I mean, is, there were plenty of lamps on, but no fluorescent lights. So it was perfect, like a homebirth.
I am really excited that Atlanta families now have Atlanta Birth Center as an option. It is perfect for families who do not want to birth in a hospital, but at the same time do not want a home birth.
This family was very generous and gave me permission to share their birth story, which you can see below:
I offer birth photography to families birthing in intown Atlanta and Decatur. I usually join families in early labor, and stay until a few hours after baby arrives. Clients receive edited images and a birth story on USB.
www.chandawilliams.com atlanta birth photographer and doula