Birth stories from OHSU Hospital

Avery's Waterbirth Story
I wouldn’t have chosen anyone other than the midwives at OHSU to share that time with my husband and me. Their warm care, open conversation, calming presence and skill all contributed to me having the water birth I wished for.

Lillian's Waterbirth Story
Giving birth was the most peaceful, beautiful and exhilarating journey of my life. When I close my eyes and revisit the vivid memories of childbirth, I am filled with a sense of calm and joy.

Why Becca Chose OHSU Twice
Dr. Mark Nichols has seen me through two pregnancies. I first saw him for a miscarriage, and he was so compassionate then that I thought, “He’s a keeper.”

Aislinn's Birth Story
I did it without any medication, and I think that’s largely because OHSU was so accommodating—I labored in the tub, on the toilet, on the yoga ball and in the hospital bed.

Jordyn's Story
I was a Doernbecher kid myself. I had open heart surgery here when I was eight years old. Because of my heart condition, when I was pregnant, my doctor suggested I go back to OHSU.

Ryker's Story
At my 18-week ultrasound for my son Ryker, I had an idea something was wrong when the Ultrasound tech continued to look at the baby’s heart instead of proceeding with ultrasound like normal.

Alaina's Story
When I was 19 weeks pregnant, routine tests turned up excess fluid in my daughter Alaina’s chest cavity, stomach and forehead.

Dawn's VBAC Story
I felt overwhelming joy for the fortune to have had this lovely, natural, life-changing experience of giving birth, birth story

Janet and Philip's Story
We always knew we wanted kids. And if one went okay, we’d have one more. But when Janet had her eight-week prenatal ultrasound, we learned we were going to have triplets

Anya's VBAC Story
This was such an incredibly different experience than my first, this was a self-actualizing experience. It was spiritual. I challenged what I thought were absolutes and found people who trusted me and trusted in the birthing process. In turn I trusted myself.

Rosa's Birth Story
Hot water and sitting on the birth balls helped. In fact, at one point, I was balanced on a birth ball in the shower with the spray hitting my back. Spontaneous laughter also really helped: yes, amazingly, in the grueling work of labor, there was deep humor that could be found.

Sahra's Birth Story
My labor was challenging and could have easily ended in cesarean, but the midwives used creative solutions to help me have the natural birth I wanted.

Eryn's Birth Story
When [my midwife] arrived...she took over the small room and within seconds created a birth space for me that was comfortable. Although he was born in ER, which was not my plan; my son came into this world exactly how I hoped he would.

Tammie's Birth Story
When the actual delivery was at hand, I remember the midwives massaging my feet. Who would have thought such a seemingly simple thing would have been so completely relaxing in the middle of labor and pushing?

Jessica's VBAC Story
Appointments with the OHSU midwives were nothing like the appointments I’d experienced during my first pregnancy. I brought my concerns, my fears, and my hopes to our meetings, and received warm, nurturing, thoughtful, and respectful responses.