Three Years Later: How I Chose an Unmedicated Birth at a Midwife-Led Birth Center

This week my son turns three — and I figured it’s finally time to write his birth story.

For me, it wasn’t just about how he entered the world. It was about choosing a birth that reflected what I believe in — trusting my body, staying connected to my intuition, and surrounding myself with a team who respected that.

Most other countries still birth this way — with midwives, unmedicated, in birth centers, or even at home. The way women have done for generations before birth became so over-medicalized. I wanted that, too.

Why I Didn’t Choose the Hospital Route

From the start, I knew a hospital birth wasn’t right for me. The sterile environment, the rush, the lack of personal connection — every hospital experience I’d ever had left me feeling uneasy or unseen.

I didn’t want to be “delivered.” I wanted to birth my son — to learn how to work with my body instead of handing the process over to someone trained primarily in drugs and surgery.

I also wanted a care team that respected my beliefs and boundaries. I wasn’t getting the COVID vaccine, flu shot, TDAP, or RSV shot during pregnancy, and I didn’t want to have to defend my choices or feel pressured.

So when I found Midwives of NJ, everything clicked. Their philosophy aligned perfectly with mine. And when I met Renee Pizzuto, my doula, I knew I had the perfect support system.

My Prenatal Experience with Midwives of NJ

At my first appointment around 20 weeks, I knew I’d made the right choice. The midwife spent a full hour with me — learning about my goals, values, and fears — not rushing through an ultrasound and sending me on my way.

We talked about birth options, toured the birth center, and I instantly said yes. It felt peaceful, homey, and safe — the total opposite of a hospital room.

Throughout my pregnancy, I met with every midwife in the practice so I’d be comfortable with whoever attended my birth. My husband and I also took a childbirth education class through the practice and had four sessions with Renee to prepare for labor, postpartum, and breastfeeding.

At around 30 weeks, my son was transverse and refusing to move. The midwives immediately recommended a program called Spinning Babies, ordered me a moxibustion stick, and gave me at-home exercises. Two weeks later, he flipped head-down. If I’d been with a typical OB-GYN, I probably would have been told to “wait and see.”

That kind of hands-on, proactive care made all the difference.

The Birth Story

Three days past my due date, I woke up at 1 a.m. and just knew. I showered, got cozy, and started laboring while watching Friends. Around 5 a.m., my contractions picked up, and Renee came over. She helped me through each one, coached my husband on how to support me, and kept me calm.

By 9 a.m., we arrived at the birth center — I was already 7 cm dilated. The room was beautiful: my own queen bed, a tub, a shower, birthing ball, dim lighting. It felt like home.

I labored for about two hours before things got intense. My son had flipped sunny-side up, causing brutal back labor. My team stayed calm and creative — they tried water injections for the back pain, helped me into different positions, and guided me through targeted exercises to help him rotate.

After two hours of hard work (including a few upside-down positions that were no joke!), he finally turned. When I later told an OB-GYN what my midwives had done, she admitted, “We’re not trained for that.”

Once he was properly positioned, I labored mostly in the shower while our “Let’s Have a Baby” Spotify playlist played in the background. We laughed, cried, and actually had fun between contractions.

When it came time to push, I moved into the tub for a water birth. His head emerged — but his shoulders got stuck (a complication called shoulder dystocia). My team stayed composed and direct. They quickly helped me out of the tub, repositioned me twice, and within moments, he was free and safe.

The second they placed him on my chest, everything stopped. The rush of love, the connection, the euphoria — it was exactly what I knew I’d feel if I skipped the drugs and trusted my body. It was primal, electric, and pure. The love I felt was immediate and overwhelming — one of the most memorable and beautiful feelings I will ever experience.

Had I been in a hospital, that likely would’ve meant an emergency cut or a broken clavicle. Instead, we had an empowered, calm resolution. I felt safe the entire time — that’s the difference skilled midwives and doulas make.

Afterward, we were served tacos (yes, really), the midwives taught me how to breastfeed, and we got a few hours of sleep. At 2 a.m., they asked if we wanted to go home or stay the night — we chose home. Seven hours after giving birth, I was showered, in my own bed, with my baby sleeping next to me.

The next day, both the midwife nurse and my doula came to our home to check in. Three years later, I still keep in touch with them and fully plan to use the Midwives of NJ and Renee again for baby number two.

The Data That Backed My Choice

My experience felt right, but it’s also backed by research:

• In the U.S., 32.3% of births are C-sections. In New Jersey, the rate is one of the highest in the country at around 45%.
  

• Midwife-led births have lower rates of C-section, induction, and postpartum hemorrhage — and higher rates of vaginal delivery and breastfeeding.
  

• Doula support significantly reduces the need for medical interventions — women with continuous doula care are ~40–50% less likely to have a C-section and less likely to experience postpartum depression or anxiety.
  
  

Midwives are trained to support physiologic birth, to work with your body rather than override it. Their education focuses on positioning, environment, and emotional support, not just interventions and medications.

Why This Path Was Right for Me

This kind of birth isn’t for everyone — and that’s okay. The most important thing is that you feel safe, supported, and informed wherever you choose to give birth.

For me, this was the right path because:

• I wanted to be an active participant, not a passive patient.

• I trusted birth as a natural, powerful process.

• I wanted a team that respected my beliefs and decisions.

• I wanted to leave my birth feeling empowered- not traumatized.
  
  

Was it hard? Absolutely. But it was also the most empowering, transformative day of my life.

Three years later, I still remember every contraction, every laugh, every song on that playlist — and the overwhelming gratitude I felt holding my son for the first time.

Final Thoughts

If you’re expecting and exploring your options, know this: you have options.
Ask questions. Tour birth centers. Meet midwives and doulas. Choose people who make you feel safe and respected.

Because when you align your care with your values, birth can be something extraordinary — not something to fear, but something to remember with pride.

— Caitlin Fierro, Holistic Nutritionist & Founder of Non Toxic Homes