Owen Henry, son of Dustin and Brittany Hamm of Orange City, was born 6:50 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, in his home, weighing 8 pounds, 14 ounces, and measuring 22.5 inches. He has an older sister, Madison.
Brittany shared her reflections on being cared for by midwife Belinda Lassen of Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center throughout both of her pregnancies and during the home births of her children:
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Brittany Hamm holds her baby, Owen,
during a recent appointment at Promise
Community Health Center in Sioux Center.
Owen was born at home on Tuesday,
March 29, with the assistance of
Promise midwife Belinda Lassen.
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BY BRITTANY HAMM
There are not many things in life more significant than the birth of one of your children. When selecting a provider to care for your family during your pregnancy and labor, you dream of the perfect fit, and you place an incredible amount of trust in that individual to partner with you, share your dreams for how the experience will go and have the knowledge to care for your family every step of the way.
That is what a midwife is to my family — that is why we have chosen a midwife.
First and foremost, I cared about delivering with a midwife. Midwives are experts in normal pregnancy and birth, and I believed they could help me have the natural childbirth experience I was looking for. The home birth was my option to deliver with a midwife, and we were extremely satisfied with our decision and experience — it was what we were looking for.
Belinda Lassen, CNM, cared for our family throughout our pregnancy and birth. We had the privilege of continuing our relationship with her, as she cared for us in the pregnancy and birth of our first child as well. We remember our prenatal visits being so personal and tailored to our family, our needs and the baby. She showed deep knowledge of my maternal history and allowed that to shape the way she approached this new pregnancy. We always felt heard, knew we could always have each question answered and had confidence in her years of experience. Our daughter (big sister) was always welcomed at the visits and involved in our care, which we deeply appreciated — our whole family received care, not just the mother and baby.
We have had two incredible birth experiences with Belinda and the prenatal staff. Words cannot express the peace that comes with laboring and delivering with a provider so experienced, caring and professional. Both of our experiences were home births and were beautiful memories our family will always hold.
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| Baby Owen |
Comfortable, relaxed, and natural are how we describe both of our births. Belinda and the attending nurse were extremely attentive throughout the entire labor and birth — not only supporting our family’s plan for the experience but actively involved in helping us take measures to achieve those dreams. We also had complete confidence that if at any point the labor was not going as planned, Belinda would be up front and direct the actions that needed to be taken. Belinda took the time to go through all the things she monitored during labor prior to our birth, so we knew what her plan would be and felt confident in her approach.
When I think of our home birth, the midwife and nurse were like coaches through the whole process. They did a great job of giving my husband and I space to support each other through the process but also interceded and gave guidance when they felt it would benefit my labor. I specifically remember as my labor intensified and I got closer to pushing, Belinda suggested different positions based on how my labor has been, how baby had been positioned throughout my pregnancy, etc. Her suggestions had immediate effect on my labor and comfort — it was just one of the ways I was reminded of her expertise.
When I held my baby in my arms for the first time, my husband and I practically said in the same breath how much our son looked just like our daughter when she arrived. What a cool experience then to have our midwife and attending nurse say, "Yeah, you are right!" because they were both there for our first birth. The blessing and comfort of birthing with the same team for both of our children's births is so hard to put into words and something we are so grateful for!
We sincerely loved our home births and feel so blessed and grateful to have had such a wonderful group of professionals to care for our family.
