By Laura Fenton Pidge
Inspired by her own childbirth experiences, Leigh Fransen was determined to provide women more options.
Her ideas quickly turned to reality.
Fransen and three other women recently opened Carolina Community Maternity Center.
And, the sounds of newborn babies and proud mothers have since been echoing throughout northern York County.
“We strive to offer true continuity of care. The midwife who sees you for your pre-natal visits will be the midwife at your birth,” says Fransen, executive director at CCMC and a licensed midwife.
“We don’t believe that women should settle for whomever is on-call when they go into labor. Continuity of care also offers additional safety, such as when a midwife notices subtle changes in her client, such as facial swelling or changes in fetal growth patterns. When I’m the one seeing you every couple of weeks or more, I notice when something changes.”
CCMC is not for every expectant mother. Fransen says it’s a wonderful option for women who are low risk and healthy. The center requires that each mother have two exams by a physician before delivering there. CCMC is not allowed to deliver twins or breech babies. In the case of a breech pregnancy, CCMC suggests the Webster Technique, a specific chiropractic adjustment for pregnant mothers administered by a chiropractor who can turn the baby into the correct position.
Each of the CCMC midwives is trained in various complications, such as responding to a cord around a baby’s neck. And, in case of an emergency, CCMC is prepared for transport to a hospital.
CCMC midwives encourage all mother’s to breast feed their babies right away and they avoid separating the child from the mother, unless necessary. “Most of our mothers are ready to go home within four hours after birth,” says Fransen. “We find that most mothers and babies have the best recovery overnight at home to rest and recuperate.”
Fransen began researching options of opening a maternity center in the area and found help from fellow midwives Damaris Pittman, Christine Strothers, and Lisa Johnson. Within months, the four midwives opened the Fort Mill center as a non-profit with the help of donations from the local community.
Fransen moved to the Charlotte area from Miami, Florida, with hopes of opening a birthing center in the area. She discovered it was illegal for midwives to attend women giving birth outside of a hospital in North Carolina, so she decided to place the maternity center just over the South Carolina border so that Charlotte women have the option to drive across the border and experience natural child birth in a home-like environment.
Carolina Community Maternity Center midwives have a combined 47 years of experience delivering babies. All four are licensed by the Department of Health and Environmental Control of South Carolina. CCMC offers continuity of care from beginning to end. Since the opening of the center in October, five babies have been born at CCMC and several more are expected very soon.
Fransen was inspired to open a birth center after she delivered her second daughter on the show “House of Babies”, which aired on the Discovery Health Channel.
Since the birth of her first daughter, she had been committed to helping other women give birth naturally without the assistance of drugs or surgery.
Fransen is one of many midwives committed to reducing what she calls “unnecessary cesarean” births. Fransen attended the International School Of Midwifery in Miami and received a diploma there in 2008. She has attended 200 births and served as a midwife in 75 births. CCMC offers natural birth with techniques such as water birth, aqua therapy, massage, position change, breathing and relaxation techniques.
These techniques all help to avoid unnecessary medical intervention. “There is a lot of fear about birth,” says Fransen. “We encourage women to have faith in their bodies and know that they can deliver all on their own.”
Stepping into CCMC feels very comfortable. The common areas and birth rooms are decorated in very soothing, calm colors. The birthing beds are queen size and comfortable. One room even has a four-poster bed and a full chest of drawers.
Each birthing suite has hardwood floors, a full-size bathroom and a large shower.
The lighting is subdued and soft. A water-birthing pool is available in the room if the mother chooses to use it.
Kate Baillon-Case, of Charlotte, recently delivered her daughter, Violetta, on New Year’s day.
“I chose the birth center because it offers the type of prenatal care and birth options that I am familiar with from my native country of England,” says Baillon-Case.
“The care is very personal, building up a trusting relationship between the expectant mother and the actual person who will deliver the baby. I could not find this model for care in Charlotte.
I really wanted an all natural, drug-free birth. It was important to me that I be able to move around as I pleased, have whomever I wished in the room, and be able to eat and drink if I wished.”
“After the birth, it was important to me to be able to hold and bond with my little one for as long as I wanted before she was weighed, measured, etc….and that I would be able to leave and go home that same day,” added Baillon-Case. “Their care during labor and delivery was wonderful. Someone was always with me offering encouragement and support, progress was monitored as needed via internal exams and use of Doppler scope.”
Becky Clark, also of Charlotte, has decided to have her second child at CCMC after the birth of her first child in the hospital left her somewhat disappointed.
“We chose to have our son in a hospital, but the experience was a bit of a nightmare for us,” says Clark.
While in labor, Clark felt like the nurses were arguing with her. “I also felt like we were bombarded with so much over medical attention that we could not rest and couldn’t bond while we were there,” says Clark, who added that they were also disappointed that they could not take pictures in the delivery room.
“After that experience, my husband and I decided we we seek out a midwife for the next child.We believe that birthing is a natural experience that mothers are perfectly capable of doing without over medical intervention.
I’m planning to try to do a water birth with my next child and I look forward to the careful and natural care of having a midwife with me,” she added.
CCMC accepts most insurance. For more information: 803-802-9494 or, visit Carolinabirth.org.