I did not envision my second child be born the way he was. It never even crossed my mind to have a home birth. Not until one day my husband returned home from nursing school having watched a video called The Business of Being Born. My first reaction was “No. You must be crazy.” He asked me to watch a video and look into it before I made my decision. My mind had been changed from there is no way I am having a baby at home to I only want to have my baby at home. We were both really excited about what was in store for us. Then the process of finding a midwife started. We expected to meet a lot of midwives before finding the one; after all we were trusting this person to deliver our baby. As luck would have it the first person we met was Quincy Bates and I knew from the moment we met that I wanted her as my midwife. She had this way about her that made you feel comfortable. We were right in picking her because the next nine months of prenatal were a breeze. She explained every step to both of us (this was my husbands first time experiencing any of this). The question I got the most after people found out my birth plan was “aren’t you scared?” and the answer was always no. I knew that there was somebody experienced helping me out who answered any and all questions making me feel confident in my choice. As my due date came and went I knew it was only a matter of time before meeting my baby boy. The day finally came and my water broke at 5AM. We were excited. Quincy came a little after and he was born at 6PM that evening. During my labor I felt comfortable knowing that I had my midwife with me. This was a first for me. My last birth was at a hospital fully medicated and told when to do each step. This time I was feeling my body telling me when it was ready.
After he was born my midwife finished our check ups and helped get baby and I tucked into bed. Then she continued to check in on us the next day and the following weeks. So of course when I became pregnant with my next baby the following year it was no question as to who I wanted to assist me in my birth. Quincy was the first person I called. Again she assisted me with all my prenatal visits and answered any questions I might have had. Then the day came and she was balancing another mommy and me on the same night. She kept me updated as to what she was doing and since the other mom was moving faster she went to her first. She still arrived with plenty of time to delivery my beautiful baby girl. I would have to say that I am so blessed to have been able to meet Quincy and to have had her deliver two of my babies. She is an amazing midwife who I now call a friend.
-The Padojino Family
