From my very first appointment when Amie Hernandez sat next to me during the appointment, never making me feel rushed when I had a million questions or I was late to the appointment, and then giving me a hug when I left, it felt so much different than what I was use to in a doctors office. I felt so relaxed, comfortable, and most importantly I felt I had a voice in the decisions for me and my son. Nothing was ever pushed on me. The midwives offered gentle education when and where it was needed. I cannot express the excellent care enough from all three of the midwives. The hospitality from everyone was phenomenal, always bringing us drinks and snacks and welcoming us and we walked in. Then my birth. I really don't even know how to put it into words. It was nothing like I had ever experienced before. Amie H. was phenomenal running the office AND my labor. She's a rockstar! You can tell that these midwives have a passion for what they do and truly love each of the women they see. I felt so comfortable the whole time. Amie always let me know what was to come and prepared me for everything. When things picked up (finally) during labor, they were there to comfort me. Laura was amazing! She and my husband (as well as Amie) held me for 3 hours while I labored in the tub and coached me through breathing and humming through my contractions. I mean it when I say I couldn't have done it without them!!! Cassie was great the short time she was there with me, too! She even checked on me the next morning. After my birth Amie, Angie, and Laura physically picked me up and put me back...

Two weeks ago my husband and I had the opportunity to have our 4th child, a daughter, at the Birth Center. I knew before she was born I wanted a water birth to bring her into the world. Never having one before, I was nervous. The greatest part about the Birth center, was the relationships formed between the midwives, additional staff, and myself. I never felt like a 'patient', I never felt like a 'client', I never felt rushed. The women working there made every visit and appointment comfortable, and informative. They always listened to my questions, took time to get to know me, and about my life. They let me be myself. I craved that after having 3 children already. They truly MADE the experience for me. After my other 3 children were born, I remember thinking, 'I don't want to do that again...' but the water birth experience I had, with the guidance and care of Amie and her assistants left me confident in myself, as a mom, wife, and woman. I have no negative thoughts, feelings, or memories about the Birth of my daughter. I love remembering every moment of it, and the role each of the midwives played in my pregnancy, and how my husband was able to be there, having an active role in the delivery, helping me, and his ability to have an instant bond with our daughter was one of those memories I will forever cherish. I think he enjoys telling her birth story as much as I do! I'm actually kind of sad I'm not pregnant any longer because I truly enjoyed meeting with them monthly, and weekly. From the first time I took a tour, to seeing my daughter's eyes staring at me under the water, and her literally leaving me...

Amy Hill was the midwife that overlooked our labor process and helped guide us to the birth we wanted. Truly amazing woman and never was pushy in the least. One of our main concerns with our previous OB was her soulless eyes and her “I’m making a fat paycheck off these people” and “I’m just trying to get out early” attitude. We were so glad we switched to the Birth Center especially after hearing how shitty our friends birth was through an actual hospital and OB. If you are a strong woman whom can take the pain without drugs and want your baby to come out ready to bond with you and not a doped up mess, go to the Birth Center. Our baby is so healthy, smart, strong, and blowing away goals that we wouldn’t have dreamed him doing so quickly.

From the personalized, patient centered approach to prenatal care to informative preparations for labor and delivery, we knew we were in good hands. Delivering our baby girl was a beautiful experience and the midwife support was second to none. [expand title="Read More"] I felt capable, confident, and in control throughout labor and have no regrets about how our birth plan unfolded. In addition, the support of midwives post-partum and even outside of office hours was huge those first few nights at home!! The staff at the birth center aren't just care providers, they have become family! We look forward to working with them again in the future as we prepare to establish our growing family!![/expand]

I never had to wait long for my appointments, it was a much better experience than my 2 previous Hospital births. I went home after about 6 hours after delivery to rest up in my own bed. Angie was great and listened to what I wanted, I definitely would go there again if I have any more babies.

I’ve had three kids, but the birth center hadn’t been around until my third baby. It was by far the most amazing experience of all of them!! I looked forward to each appointment because everyone there was absolutely wonderful. I got so close to not only the midwives, but the other staff as well and it was the most incredible pregnancy and delivery I’ve had! The kindness and care they all showed me was incomparable, I couldn’t be more happy and grateful for such a fantastic team! The birthing suites were also really amazing! Very spacious and incredibly homie and comfortable. I wish I could have had all of my kids there! Truly the best experience throughout, the most relaxing visits with all the comforts of home, the greatest birthing experience, and the most incredible group of people I’ve had the pleasure of sharing my pregnancy and delivery with! I will truly miss seeing everyone regularly, but I will always go back to visit! Thank you so VERY much for absolutely everything to all of you phenomenal ladies at the birth center!! Much love to you all! Jessica, Buffy, Laura, Amy, and Amie, you’ll always be very dear to me and always remembered!

I would never birth in a hospital again. It was so peaceful, private and comfortable. You're just free to give birth how you want. All 3 midwives are fantastic and I adore each one.

We welcomed our baby girl, Selah Grace, on April 3rd at the Birth Center with the tremendous support of midwife Amy Hill. My water broke early in the morning, but my contractions stopped before we made it to Bloomington (Champaign residents). Amy gently encouraged me to do a few tricks to get labor going again without me feeling rushed, pushed, or like an inconvenience. She was so gentle with me and made me feel so very safe and in control of all that was happening. Finally after hours and hours of what felt like a relaxing time hanging out, true labor kicked in and Amy was on her knees supporting me while I labored in the tub. In my moment of weakness (transition, apparently), I said, "I don't think I can do this!" to which Amy and the lovely ladies assisting her all replied without hesitation, "You ARE doing it! You already are and you're doing great." An hour later our sweet girl arrived! That encouragement was something I didn't receive with my first in a hospital setting and why I will always always recommend The Birth Center to women looking for alternative care.

Just gave birth to our first child this morning at the Birth Center!! What a great experience! The team of women there have been a true blessing to our family. They were informative, responsible, sensitive, and professional. There is literally nothing else I could ask for in a birthing experience. Highly recommend!

I had an amazing experience having my second daughter at the birthing center! We had a beautiful water birth! The midwives are just FANTASTIC! You can tell they truly care, and they always go above and beyond for you! I can't recommend checking out the birthing center enough!!!

I've been meaning to write this for a while, but as a professional writer who just had a newborn, I haven't had many spoons to spare. Our experience at the Birth Center was truly fantastic. The classes they had there were illuminating and definitely made framing the birth and making a birth plan easier. Unfortunately, after three days of labor, we had a medical complication and had to be transferred to OSF, so we couldn't actually deliver at the center; but the head midwife and several of the doulas traveled with us to the hospital, and I'm fairly certain the quick thinking by Amie saved our child's life. The emergency response team was there *incredibly* quickly. Like, so fast that we hadn't even fully assessed the nature of the complication yet. And with the entire team in tow, my wife was able to deliver naturally at the OSF's facilities (which are also very nice) with the entire team from the Birth Center helping us. Our stay there was amazing, and I would recommend the Birth Center to anybody with a low-risk pregnancy. It's the best, safest, and most comfortable way to give birth that I can think of, and if something goes wrong, you'll be in the best hands and get to the hospital in literally minutes.

My husband and I could probably write pages about how incredible our experience with the Birth Center has been. I began receiving prenatal care there in August shortly after they opened. Each appointment was something we looked forward to as we felt cared for and listened to. All of our questions and concerns were heard and addressed. This is our first child so we appreciated all the time that was spent helping us to feel confident. The experience was so personal, and we felt like everyone there actually cared about us instead of just caring for us. We also really appreciated that they included my husband in the process. He was treated like an integral part of my care and birth instead of just a bystander. That was so important to us, and it is something we had yet to experience before going there. My maternity care and birth became an intimate, personalized, family event instead of a medical event. We were honored to be the first birth to take place there, and we honestly couldn't be happier with how it went. We are some of the lucky few who actually had the birth experience we hoped for and dreamed of. They took time to create relationships with us beforehand so we felt secure when it was time to go there during labor. It felt as natural as going home. We had originally planned for a home birth but realized that wasn't going to work for us for this baby, but after our birth at the Birth Center, I honestly don't know if a home birth would have been more intimate. We were so genuienly supported throughout labor and delivery. There was such an atmosphere of love and comfort. Everyone was so attentive and encouraging. Best of all, they gave us space...

I loved delivering in the tub and feel that the entire process was very relaxing and empowering. The midwives are all amazing and so caring. They have the perfect balance of confident reassurance & calm coaching, yet hands off (as much as possible) that helps to make the entire process very naturally centered.

Hospitality is unbelievably good. My wife felt welcome and comfortable and the staff did an exceptional job leading her through her labor and including me in the process. They go above and beyond to provide a calming environment. Our first child was born at a hospital, and we would highly recommend the Birth Center instead. The stress level is much lower, and both mom and baby are quicker to recover.

I cannot express how grateful I am to everyone at The Birth Center. Every appointment I had meant I was bringing 5 kids, 10 and under, with me. Never once did I ever feel they were a burden or that we weren't welcome. When we arrived for our birth, the kids were so comfortable being there that they took off their shoes and just treated it like home. For our birth, I've never felt so pampered, so doted upon. Everyone was very attentive and they all knew I just wanted to focus and basically be in my own zone. They respected that and just let me do my thing. But, here and there, they did things that I never knew would be so nice. Like, rose petals and lavender oil in the tub while laboring, for example. I wasn't rushed, we had a lot of noise and chaos from family and I never felt like that annoyed anyone there, and they just made me feel like I was important. That I mattered, my baby mattered, and we were just part of the family at The Birth Center. It truly was a wonderful birthing experience. Even my mother, who was not on board with me birthing outside a hospital, has now told me that I should, when the kids get a little older, look at what I'd need to do to open up something like that closer to home.

From the personalized appointments with a wonderful midwife (Amie), to the most perfect water birth, everyone at the birth center goes above and beyond for the patients. I could not have felt more comfortable during my short stay. Thank you everyone who has made this possible for our community!