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A Natural Way to Birth:
Nine Short Months

By Karleigh Stone

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ou have a baby on the way and
now, it feels like you have a
million decisions to make to
prepare for the arrival. What
color should you paint the nursery? Is
your house fully baby-proofed? Do you
have enough diapers? A stroller? A car
seat? And what about the day the baby
arrives? What type of birth do you want
to have? How about a natural birth?
Oakland County-based Nine Short
Months Birth and Community Wellness
Center offers the following services:
home birth, natural birthing center
birth, water birth, acupuncture, mas-
sage therapy, lactation consultants,
birth and postpartum doula ser-
vices, childbirth education, placenta
encapsulation and belly casting. The
natural birthing center is located at 525
Southfield Road in Birmingham, as well
as at 5½ S. Main St. in Clarkston, but the
midwives can come to your home for
births as well.
Midwife services include frequent vis-
its throughout pregnancy and a physical
assessment of both mom and baby at
each. When it’s time for delivery, mid-
wives are on-call and available 24 hours
a day. During birth, your midwife will
monitor your vital signs and the baby’s
heartbeat, watch for complications, and
provide physical and emotional support.
“I decided to start Nine Short Months

Wendy Pinter

when I was looking for a place like this
for my own birth,” says Wendy Pinter,
Certified Professional Midwife and pres-
ident of Nine Short Months. “This was
something that I was looking for when
I was having children and it didn’t exist
in the area where I lived. People need
options.”
Pinter emphasizes that birth is a nat-

ural, normal event and it is best for both
mom and baby if kept that way.
“Most of the time, a birth will happen
whether I’m there or not. The less I do
to someone, the more likely she is to
give birth. Less is more. We still moni-
tor for safety but we don’t believe that
intervening in a birth leads to better
outcomes.”
Nine Short Months’ business phi-
losophy continues with an importance
placed on providing the best care, not
only for the newborn, but also for the
mother.
“We believe that a safe, satisfying
birth best for mom and baby happens
when you provide compassionate, indi-
vidualized care for each woman,” says
Pinter.
Despite the fact that the United States
leads the world in health care spending,
its maternal mortality rate also takes
the top spot, according to Pinter, and
she and her colleagues are working to
change this.
“Individualized care that listens to the
mother and cares about her as much
as we care about the baby is critical to
changing this,” she says.
Pinter also points out that a mid-
wifery experience is different than a
typical hospital experience as they keep
in constant contact with the mother
for the first six weeks after birth and it

includes three visits with a midwife and
one lactation consultation. They also
assist with breastfeeding directly after
the birth. This differs from hospitals
which, in most cases, simply have mom
back for a six-week check-up.
In addition to the services mentioned
above, Nine Short Months also offers
free community prenatal events, state-
mandated newborn testing, postpartum
services and support groups, and Doula
services.
Doulas are an integral part of a birth
team. They provide a bevy of informa-
tion and support. A doula will meet with
you for two prenatal visits and provide
both physical and emotional support
during labor, birth, and recovery.
“A doula is your advocate during
birth,” Pinter says. “She will help provide
support during long labors. It’s unfair
to expect a husband to know what to
do during birth; it’s a lot of pressure to
put on them. When the day is long we
want the woman to feel supported at all
times, a doula does that.”
Nine Short Months is qualified to per-
form newborn screening that includes
bloodwork, pulse oximetry testing, which
screens for critical congenital heart
defects, and the newborn hearing test.
Postpartum support groups are avail-
able for women who need to connect
with someone else who’s going through
it too.
With a wide variety of services and
professional care, women looking for
a natural birth need look no further.
Those still considering their options
can call Wendy at (248) 792-3322 dur-
ing business hours or send an email to
wendy@nineshortmonths.com to learn
more.
“I truly believe that every healthy
woman who comes through my door
can do this! They are even going to
enjoy their birth. Sure, it’s going to be
hard, but at the end of the day when you
are holding your baby, you will realize
you can do anything now,” Pinter says.
“I feel so honored to watch women turn
into warriors for their children. I love
providing a safe place for birth partners
to receive their babies into their own
hands. I’m proud we are the only place
in Oakland County that facilitates gentle
water birth.” Y

Nine Short Months

525 Southfield Road, Birmingham
or
5½ S. Main St., Clarkston
(248) 425-6782

nineshortmonths.com

jn

September 28 • 2017

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