Discovering the existence of the Assagao Birthing Center was an incredible blessing for me. I had been searching for an appropriate place to give birth here in India for months – a place that resonated with my ideas about how I want to bring my children into the world. I had wished for a natural birth in a home or homelike environment with a midwife to assist in a non-invasive and non-intrusive way. As the months passed in Goa without getting any leads on a birthing situation that would suit my needs and wishes, I was beginning to give up hope. Finally, during my 6th month of pregnancy, I found the website and immediately contacted Corinna. She was right under my nose - only a few kilometers from where I had been living!

I received two months of thorough prenatal care from Corinna – just the right amount of birth preparation and check-ups. Corinna kept a watchful eye on all of the important signs from the body that could reveal any potential problems during pregnancy or birth. Only if something shows up like this would Corinna take more of an aggressive approach to treat a problem – and even so, she is a non-alarmist who lays out all the possibilities before you, then shares her opinion without pressure, and allows you to make your own informed decision on how to proceed. She always encouraged me to tune into my body and go with my sense of self and intuition during my prenatal period, labor, and birth, and she continues to do so post-natal. Her hands-off style has allowed me to feel the potency of pregnancy, the power of birth, and the awesomeness of motherhood.

Throughout my whole pregnancy I had not consulted with any doctors as I strongly feel that birth is a normal, natural process that does not usually need any medical intervention. Birth is not a sickness. It was important for me to fully experience the profundity of birth by allowing the process to unfold as my child and my body needed. Choosing to avoid the influence of doctors gave me freedom and peace of mind.

I am fortunate to have been working with Corinna, as my labor most probably would have called for medical intervention if I had been in a hospital situation. When my water broke, true labor contractions did not kick in right away. It was 34 hours later when real labor started. Most medical professionals would have induced labor about 12 hours after the breaking of the waters. Corinna used a number of gentle methods to help along labor during the period between the breaking of the waters and the birth of the baby, both at my home and at the birthing center – acupuncture, homeopathy, enema and it was the ultimate drinking of castor oil to clean out my intestines that really jump started true labor contractions.

Nearly two days after my water broke, I had begun feeling quite exhausted, as I did not have much sleep during that time period. Labor again slowed down and I was not very much dilated. It was in the middle of the night that Corinna suggested giving me a shot of an allopathic medicine that helps to induce labor. She assured me that there were not any known side effects and said that she felt it was a good idea to take it. Being that it was nearly 48 hours after my water broke, it was likely that I would have to go to the hospital if labor did not start to progress soon. After two hours of contemplation (taking this medication would mean that my birth was not entirely “natural”), it was my trust in Corinna combined with the advice of my husband and my distaste for hospitals, that prompted me to take her advice. I experienced no conscious side effect from this, was able to get some much needed rest between contractions, and ultimately had a lot more energy to move along with the birth.

About 10 hours later, I gave birth to a very calm, peaceful and healthy baby boy. A few hours of pushing contractions and his head was born! A few more seconds and he swooshed out on his own accord – not one more push! I looked down and was amazed to see this tiny being wiggling his arms and legs in Corinna’s strong and steady hands! It took me a few minutes to actually believe he was here! Before I knew it he was in my arms and suckling at my breast. We were all home less than 4 hours later!