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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Bernie Sanders says he's relying on high turnout to win Oregon primary ... Jackson County officials predict 50 percent voter turnout in Tuesday's primary ... Judge tosses out Josephine County's GMO crop ban ... Bernie Sanders says he's relying on high turnout to win Oregon primary ... Jackson County officials predict 50 percent voter turnout in Tuesday's primary ... Judge tosses out Josephine County's GMO crop ban ... A place for water babies Birthing center offers relaxing atmosphere for mother and child Augustine Colebrook has helped more than 300 babies enter this world. Comment By Sanne Specht MailTribune.com By Sanne Specht Posted Feb. 1, 2011 at 12:01 AM Updated Feb 1, 2011 at 3:29 PM By Sanne Specht Posted Feb. 1, 2011 at 12:01 AM Updated Feb 1, 2011 at 3:29 PM » Social News Augustine Colebrook has helped more than 300 babies enter this world. "I've been catching babies since Mother's Day of '99," Colebrook said. On Sunday, the state-certified midwife and director of Medford's Wise Women Care Associates gave birth to another kind of baby — the only licensed, freestanding birthing center between Eugene and Sacramento. At the grand opening of Trillium Waterbirth Center, a beaming Colebrook greeted pregnant moms, moms with babies, grandmas and the occasional male as they wandered through deep-purple hallways of the two-story building at 400 Crater Lake Avenue. There is a massage room, a yoga room, rooms for psychotherapy and exams and meetings. But the room garnering the most attention was the one with the brand new birthing tub. The triangular tub is nestled in the corner of the new waterbirth room, tiled in soft taupe tones. Two purple candles flickered on the ledge. When it comes to natural childbirth, it's all about the care and comfort of mother and baby. The warmth and weightlessness in a birthing tub is not only soothing, it's therapeutic, Colebrook said. The water supports the mother and keeps her body temperature regulated. Blood stays in the uterus and can speed up labor, she said. For the baby, a water birth provides a gentler transition into the world, she added. "Water birth babies don't cry very much," Colebrook said. "There are no harsh lights or cold air. They go from the warm (amniotic fluid) in their mother's womb to the warm water in the tub." Both Medford hospitals allow mothers to experience water labor, but not a water birth. Ashland Community Hospital does allow water births, she said The former anthropology student decided to become a midwife after studying childbirth in other countries and cultures. But she may have been hooked after witnessing her first home birth when she was only 8 years old, Colebrook said. "My aunt was a midwife and she had a baby at home," Colebrook said. "She had drinks of water. She squatted. She did what she knew to do, what her body told her to do. I remember it was a spring baby. And there were baby horses and baby chickens out in the yard. It all seemed so natural to me." Now Colebrook has five students who are studying midwifery under her tutelage, she said. "Midwives are the experts in normal births," she said. Colebrook and the other certified midwives at the clinic help women give birth without surgery or epidurals. The mothers can chose to have their babies at home or at the clinic, Colebrook said In the event of an emergency, Providence hospital is across the street. "If we anticipated a problem, we wouldn't hesitate to transfer," she said. Tosha Emptage, 25, is expecting her first baby. The White City first-time mom is seven months along, and looking forward to having a waterbirth baby. "I go through days where I am nervous. But most of the time I'm excited," Emptage said. "At the hospital, I think you go in scared. Here it feels it's just going to be a beautiful experience." Colebrook, 34, said she will bring the baby to the surface as soon as it's born, but they do not immediately cut the umbilical cord. "There's no benefit to cutting the cord early," Colebrook said. "The cord is still delivering oxygenated blood to the baby. The cord stops pulsing in five to 50 minutes. We wait until the cord stops pulsing." Julie Furrer, 28, wandered into the waterbirth room with her 20-month-old daughter, Bridget. Her daughter was delivered at home by Colebrook, Furrer said. "I felt so safe with Augustine," Furrer said. Furrer said she would like to have her next child delivered by Colebrook. But she'd like her baby delivered in the waterbirth room, she added. "We didn't have a good tub at home. I'd have it here in a second," Furrer said. Taneea Browning, 33, bounced her grinning 8-month-old baby boy on her knee. Weston was born in her Central Point home, she said. And so will any future children — unless she decides to have her child at the Wise Woman clinic, she added. "I was born at home. I really feel birth is a natural, beautiful thing," Browning said. For more information, call 541-772-2291. (Update: This story has been updated to include contact information for Wise Women Care Associates.) Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 541-776-4497 or e-mail [email protected]. By Sanne Specht MailTribune.com By Sanne Specht Posted Feb. 1, 2011 at 12:01 AM Updated Feb 1, 2011 at 3:29 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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