Birthing a Movement

Atlanta Birth Center creates a supportive environment for both babies and parents. Board chair Stephanie Eason Adams tells us more.

The birth of a child is always life-changing. And that was doubly true for Stephanie Eason Adams. Becoming a parent also set her on her path as a #MovementMaker. Today, Stephanie is board chair for the Atlanta Birth Center, a freestanding, nationally accredited birth center providing personalized care before, during, and after pregnancy. With Mother’s Day approaching, it’s the perfect time to share the center’s mission and Stephanie’s story.

A Journey of Discovery

Stephanie, a marketing strategist, had her first child, Sage, in 2017. She wanted a low-intervention birth with no epidural—a preference that got a lot of pushback from the traditional OB-GYNs she consulted. Finally, though, she found an OB-GYN whose approach she liked.

Stephanie also chose to work with a doula, a trained professional who provides physical, emotional and informational support through pregnancy and childbirth. When Stephanie told the doula about her birth preferences, she suggested that Stephanie look into Atlanta Birth Center.

Because the center did not accept insurance then, Stephanie stuck with her plan for a hospital birth with her OB-GYN. “I delivered Sage unmedicated in a traditional hospital setting,” she says. “I showed up at the hospital fully dilated, ready to push.”

What her doctor told her afterward only strengthened her interest in Atlanta Birth Center: “You are literally a perfect candidate for a birth center. You need little to no intervention. You labor beautifully.”

Finding Support Beyond Birth

After Sage’s birth, she was invited by a friend to attend Motherwise, a free, therapist-led weekly support group offered by the center.

“It is a safe space that allows new moms and pregnant moms to talk about all the feelings of new motherhood,” Stephanie says. “It was literally the one thing a week that I did to get out of the house with the baby.”After group meetings, Stephanie would go to lunch with the other Black moms in the group to talk about the unique challenges they faced due to the maternal health gap: The maternal mortality rate is more than 2.5 times higher for Black women than for white women. “The birth center sees no discrepancy between the outcomes between white mothers and Black mothers,” Stephanie points out, adding that more than 50% of the center’s clients are Black.

At the birth center, she found practical help too, like advice on baby-wearing. That was a big relief, since new parents often feel left on their own to figure things out after leaving the hospital.

From Board Member to Birth Experience

Impressed by the comprehensive care and community she found at the center, Stephanie joined the board in early 2020, just before the pandemic hit. What began as an advisory role quickly became more operational as COVID-19 presented unprecedented challenges for the small staff.

In 2021, Stephanie became interim executive director of the center. She was also pregnant with her second child during this time. Stephanie had initially decided not to have this child at the birth center, because she didn’t want her interim role to create awkward or uncomfortable situations for anyone. She was working again with the OB-GYN who delivered Sage, so she felt in good hands.

Her plans, however, got upended at the last minute. Stephanie went into labor a couple of weeks before her due date. She laughs when she recalls that she had other things to do that day, including getting a pedicure and picking up a boba tea, her pregnancy craving. But her baby had other ideas.

The doctor who was on call for Stephanie’s OB-GYN was one she didn’t know. Delivering early with an unfamiliar doctor simply felt like too many unknowns. So she quickly resigned as interim executive director and transferred her medical records to the birth center. While she already knew the center was a special place, she was about to experience it in a whole new way.

A Different Model of Care

Atlanta Birth Center exemplifies the midwifery model of care, which the World Health Organization calls “the most appropriate and cost-effective type of healthcare provider” for low-risk pregnancies and births.

Midwifery has been practiced since ancient times. Midwife-attended births are still relatively rare in the U.S., but are common in other countries. According to the birth center, research shows that benefits of midwifery include reduced neonatal and infant mortality rates and a lower rate of preterm birth. Giving birth with a midwife also reduces Cesarean births, use of pain medication and epidurals, and hospital visits during pregnancy.

In conventional medical settings, sometimes it can feel like the baby is the patient and the mother is an afterthought, Stephanie notes. But, with midwifery, moms feel more supported and in control.

That was very much true for Stephanie at Atlanta Birth Center. Her midwife and nurses gave her a pedicure and got her the boba tea. Inspired by Native American practices, they also spoke words of affirmation over her as she prepared to deliver. “They reminded me of my strength and what a beautiful journey I was about to embark on,” she says.

The reward at the end of that journey was priceless: Stephanie’s son, Lennox, who entered the world with a mom who felt safe, healthy, and cared for.

Supporting the Movement

As board chair, Stephanie wants even more families to benefit from the center’s efforts to provide culturally congruent, holistic care across the full spectrum of reproductive health.

Want to support this important work? There are several ways to help:

Donate. Financial support is crucial, especially if there are cuts to Medicaid that impact the center’s ability to serve those who need it most.
Spread the word. Many people don’t know about birth centers as an option until they’re already pregnant. Parents can find birth centers near them at https://www.birthcenters.org/.
Vote responsibly. Be informed about how your vote might impact healthcare access for vulnerable populations.
Shop. The center has a store whose proceeds support their mission.

Advice for Change-Makers

When I asked Stephanie what advice she would give to others looking to create positive change, her answer resonated deeply with me.

“You definitely need a community of support. You cannot do it alone,” she says. “Support is going to look different along the journey. There’s going to be people that support you monetarily.

There are going to be people that support you with their skills. There are going to be people that support you with spreading the word.”

She adds that while altruism and the desire to do good are key, a sound business plan and financials are equally important: “Your altruism has to be mixed with reality. There have to be things that you do that don’t compromise the overall mission but allow you to continue to move the mission forward.”

As Mother’s Day approaches, let’s celebrate organizations like Atlanta Birth Center that are working to ensure everyone who gives birth feels empowered, safe and supported during one of life’s most transformative experiences. To learn more or support their work, visit atlantabirthcenter.org.