Issue link: http://accesshealth.uberflip.com/i/1498235
- 21 - accessHealthNews.net May 2023 Volume 9 | Issue No. 70 D ue to her desire for a physiological, unmedicated birth – and her fiancé's celebrity status – Kristen Lehman sought out a birth center that could provide peace, privacy, and a dedicated care team that followed her lead. With the support of her partner, Kansas City-based rapper Aaron Dontez "TECH N9NE" Yates, Lehman chose New Birth Company for her perinatal care and the birth of her second daughter, confident that the focus would be on their family, rather than their fame. "The situation that was offered to us through New Birth brought us so much power – it changed our lives," Lehman said. "I really appreciate them and the work they put in for us. I put the same work in, so I know they appreciate me too. I wouldn't ask for it to be any other way, I got exactly what I wanted." "[New Birth] was the exclusivity we needed as there was nothing but their wonderful team of midwives, our amazing canna doula [Aarin Blount], and a few family members at the facility assisting my strong and fearless fiancé [Kristen Lehman] while she delivered Alina Denae Yates divinely in 2.5 hours. WOW! So blessed to have witnessed this heartfelt moment," Yates shared in a Facebook post on March 6, 2023. Midwifery: Improving Maternal Health New Birth, located in Overland Park, Kansas, is committed to creating a new paradigm in childbirth, rooted in the belief that natural childbirth is a physical, emotional, and spiritual experience. New Birth enhances the birth experience through the utilization of midwifery services, expertise, and scope of care. Kendra Wyatt is CEO and co-founder of New Birth alongside Cathy Gordon, the "grandmother of midwifery" in the area. "The first time I had heard of midwives and birth centers was because I was in Haiti, it wasn't because of my own backyard," she said. Between the birth of her first and second children, she traveled to several countries including Haiti, where she visited a birth center founded by her colleagues. It was here where she first learned about Gordon. Wyatt experienced a severe culture shock surrounding the birth experience in America compared with Haiti, Rwanda, and other countries, and upon returning home she changed her prenatal care over to Gordon and her nurse and midwife team at a birth center in Kansas City, Kansas, where she gave birth to her second son. Wyatt's experience with her first birth, having opted out of the epidural so she could remain in control -- much to the surprise of her care team -- influenced the eventual creation of New Birth. Throughout her prenatal care with Gordon, the two's conversations focused on how maternal health care systems are designed to fail. They saw an opportunity to change that through midwifery and doula care and opened New Birth together in 2011. "I believe women need options," she said. "I believe they need informed consent. I believe they need shared decision-making, and they certainly need world-class outcomes, which we do not have in this country right now." New Birth Co. Offers Peace and Privacy Lehman was concerned about the privacy (or lack thereof) a hospital could offer for her birth, having had negative experiences with hospitals previously due to her fiancé's fame. When her sister recommended New Birth, having enjoyed her own birth experience there, Lehman knew the center's dedication to mothers and midwifery would be the right fit for her. "We've never had a good hospital experience, even when we just go for illness," she said. "I really wanted it to be about the birth and the pregnancy and about us, and not so much about all the fame, so that really helped a lot – the fact that there was just a few rooms in there and it was a very personalized and private setting – that really is the reason why we chose New Birth." "I believe women need options, I believe they need informed consent. I believe they need shared decision-making, and they certainly need world-class outcomes, which we do not have in this country right now." - Kendra Wyatt, CEO and co-founder of New Birth READ MORE