"It was nothing like what I expected – but it was perfect."

New mom Liz Graham did her research on what to expect from giving birth. She asked questions. She asked her friends. And she asked her prenatal team, the Nebraska Medicine midwives. Graham, a nurse in the Cardiac Cath Lab, hoped for a natural experience.

"I had heard so many good things about the midwife group," Graham explains. "And being a nurse, I really felt drawn to going to a nurse practitioner." 

During her appointments with the midwives, Graham learned they would start performing water births before her due date. That, along with her familiarity with the hospital, made it an easy choice for Graham to have her baby right at Nebraska Medical Center, where she works.

"I knew delivering at the med center I would have a comfortable and at-home feeling compared to going to another hospital," she says. 

Graham had appointments with all the members of the midwife team, including Kathleen Scott, APRN-CNM.

"Being in a group practice has numerous benefits," Scott says. "Instead of one person thinking about an issue, you have four people thinking about an issue. We all have strengths that bring different ideas to help patients and families reach their dream." 

Graham liked the idea of laboring and possibly birthing in water. When her contractions got close together on the night of June 26, she called her doula and labored in her bathtub at home until something told her it was time to come to the hospital. "Maybe it was just panic," she recalls.

Graham was settled into a room, hoping she was at least five centimeters dilated. It turned out she was already at nine centimeters. Her care team got a birthing tub into a room so she could finish her labor there.

"The relief I felt getting in the water, I'm not sure if it gave me a sense of control or helped me let go. I'm not sure which one it was, but I felt way more at peace." 

Laboring moms at Nebraska Medical Center can opt for hydrotherapy and even a water delivery if conditions are right. The midwives began doing water births in May 2023.

They list the following as some of the benefits of water birth:

• Decreased pain and need for anesthesia
• Shorter labors
• Less risk of severe perineal lacerations or episiotomy
• Increased chance of a spontaneous vaginal birth
• Higher patient satisfaction

Not everyone is a candidate for water birth. The ideal scenario is a low-risk, full-term pregnancy with a single baby.

"Labor is not static. It is always evolving," Scott says, adding that the midwives discuss labor plans with all their patients, making sure to manage expectations in case things don't always go as planned. “Safety is always going to be first."

In Graham's case, everything proceeded safely enough to allow for a water birth under Scott's coaching.

"I latched on to her like a mama bear. She and I were basically hugging. She just coached me, and I was like a little puppy," Graham says. "She told me to push, and I pushed. She told me to breathe, and I breathed. Kate is very nurturing. But very direct. That was what I needed." 

It took about 18 minutes once Graham began pushing before baby Leo entered the world very early on the morning of June 27. 

"He was so awake and alert," recalls Graham's partner, John Frankl. "He came out like he'd been out for a day or two."

"I feel like I was able to enjoy that first moment with my son with so much clarity," Graham says. "I didn't even take a Tylenol. It was naturally just the two of us."

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the low-tech, high-touch care provided by the Nebraska Medicine midwives, Scott suggests calling for a consultation or scheduling your annual well-woman check with them. You don't have to be pregnant to be a patient. 

Leo surprised his family with more than just his quick arrival. Graham expected him to be about 7 pounds, instead he weighed in at 8 pounds, 15.7 ounces.

"I delivered naturally," Graham jokes. "Give me 9 pounds." 

Would Graham do it the same way again? 

"One hundred percent," she says, adding that anyone considering a natural birth does their research and meets the midwives.