I still remember the first time my husband Kevin and I walked into the Cascade Birth Center together. Kayla was sitting at her desk and greeted us with a warm welcome and asked us how she could help us. We came there because we were curious about all of our birthing options and decided to take a look into the birth center. Kayla took a few minutes of her time to give us a tour of the Birth Center even though we didn’t have an appointment. She assured us that even though the suites are comfortable, they still have all of the same safety and health equipment as a hospital hidden away in the cupboards. When I asked Kayla about epidurals she said “here at that the birth center we use these bath tubs as a natural epidural, the hot water helps ease the contractions”. I was honestly baffled I remember thinking “Women do this naturally? NO WAY!!” So we left with a very good impression of the Cascade Birth Center. I wanted to have a safe, natural labor but I was still uneasy, I worried about something going wrong and not having enough time to get to the hospital.
            To be honest I was so scared to go through a midwife. I felt like I was taking a risky chance. But to be truly honest all that fear went away when I met Darlene Curtis. She was so kind from the start! I didn’t feel uneasy or anxious. And I didn’t get any sort of bad vibe from her at all. I could tell from just few minutes of conversation that delivering babies was her passion, and that instilled a lot of confidence in me. To see that she had so much passion about caring for and delivering babies, and that it wasn’t just her job, made me feel like I was in the right place. I didn’t feel as if I would have had as good as an experience if I chose a hospital.
            Dar, and her students Kate and Whitney, was always answering my questions. Even if it meant calling me back if I thought something wasn’t right. They would always reassure me “This is part of pregnancy you’re not experiencing anything unusual.” They let me know of things that were available such as Birth Classes. I am so happy that we took one because we honestly learned so much from the Bradley Method classes. And without that class I don’t think Kevin and I would have done as well as we did during labor.
            So as time went on, we would get more and more excited the closer September came. I remember three days before Ezra was born, I had an appointment with Dar, and when it was over she said “Hey! Maybe we will see you before your next appointment…well probably not… but maybe!” Ezra wasn’t supposed to be born for another two weeks. She ended up seeing us the morning of September 7th, 2008 after we called to let her know I had gone into labor.
            Dar took me in at 4 centimeters dilation. In early labor, Whitney and Dar would encourage me to keep trying different positions, to take a walk to speed up the process. It was nice to have the freedom to move into different positions as one would become more comfortable than another. In active labor, Dar guided me through pushing and crowning, and didn’t care at all that I was screaming. Having an experienced woman to guide me, and not just talk to me, when to push and when I shouldn’t prevented me from tearing with my first child.  She also took me in on her Anniversary. I could not believe that she delivered Ezra on her anniversary. When I found out that she was there with me rather than with her husband I said “Oh god Darlene! I’m sorry you’re here and not with your husband!” And she said “Don’t worry about it, I wouldn’t be anywhere else on my anniversary than delivering babies, this is what I do, this is what I love”. Darlene made me feel so grateful that she took care of Kevin, Ezra and I and wasn’t grumpy or mean about it.  
            I love my experience with Dar, Whitney, Kate, Kayla and Molly. They felt more like friends than care givers.  I saw more of Dar, Kate, and Whitney. Molly came more at the end of my pregnancy and I saw her for my appointments and she was so nice right away. She was always willing to help and answered any of my questions.  I remember one time I got shocked on my finger and it went up my arm. My fingers went a little numb and I paged Molly and she didn’t mind one bit that I paged her. She answered my questions and was happy that I made sure that everything was fine with Ezra than just wait to call the next day.
            My experience with these ladies was perfect.  I wouldn’t change one thing that I went through at the Birth Center. They are the best midwives ever. I recommend them to EVERYONE!!!!

Love always: Megan, Kevin, and Ezra Andersen

As I heard the sweet cry of my new baby girl, I knew that my journey had ended with not only pregnancy and childbirth but with someone that I had grown with, trusted, held all faith in and had been touched by over the years. Darlene was hands down the only person that I could have gone through my experiences with and wanted by my side through it all.
As I looked down onto the perfect little rosy faced girl I just brought into this world, memories flooded back into my head of all the loving moments that my family and girls shared with the one person that was there for us in way more ways then I could have ever imagined. This was not our first precious childbirth experience that we shared with Darlene, but our fourth. And not only was this our fourth birth we shared together but our fourth baby girl that we brought into this world as a team.
All 4 of my birth stories are completely different but Darlene is the person that stayed consistent through them all. Back in 2002 Darlene was there for us when we arrived at the birth center with our little one already plenty on her way. Darlene gently but with great reassurance encouraged me the rest of the 25 mins. until our first daughter joined us. We happened upon Darlene by chance but I knew at that moment that it was far from chance that she was in our lives. When we were back in 2003 for the birth of our second daughter, she again showed her expertise, loving and caring nature. Her flexibility and how to keep her cool while performing her ‘job’ or so I like to call her ‘calling’ shined through when she was presented with a stressful situation. As I labored at the birth center I hardly noticed as Darlene was taking care of everything, that the birth center was flooding. She was there for me when I needed her as well as shielded the chaos around me. My daughter was a water birth, but this definitely put a new twist on that term! With our 3rd daughter in 2005, Darlene didn’t actually make it for her birth but we arrived with smiles on our faces as we greeted her at the center never the less. Even though she was born in transit on the way, everything was perfect. I knew I was in strong hands, professional care, and teamed up with an excellent midwife. Darlene didn’t let us come to the center for our 4th daughter. She knew this time through experience with me that I didn’t have the time. She calmly ordered with a smile on her face that she was coming to us this time. In 2007 our last little angel joined us. Through the snow, Darlene got to our home and greeted us with hugs and plenty of encouragement. In the comfort of our own home and our other 3 daughters we shared this magnificent moment together.
I knew from the beginning that having natural, gentle and relaxed childbirths was the journey I wanted to take. She trusted my strengths, supported me in my weaknesses, and she showed me that I could do what I believed in.
I know that anyone going through this journey with Darlene that they will have their very own unique, special and unforgettable experience. I will always hold a special place for the strong woman that helped bring my daughters to me, Darlene, my midwife, my friend.

Thank you Darlene for everything,
The Hoekema Family

Ok, I'll admit, I was one of those people who said "Give me the epidural at the first twinge of pain". Everything was going good with my pregnancy and I was sticking to my plan, a traditional hospital birth. I wanted a pain-free labor, be handed my baby, and move on with my life. To tell you the truth I didn't know there were any other options.

When I was about 29 weeks into my pregnancy, my sister was due to have her son. She was attending Cascade Birth Center (which I thought was insane to actually want to have natural childbirth). But of course I supported her in that decision. I arrived there about two minutes after he was born. Just in time to see her hold her baby for the first time. This was my first visit to Cascade Birth Center. The feeling I had when I walked in was overwhelming to say the least.

We all rejoiced in my nephews birth, talked with my sister and reveled in the moment. Then I turned the focus on myself, being that I was close to the end of my own pregnancy. I wasn't quite sure what I was feeling. It was such a different atmosphere than I had pictured. I had only witnessed hospital births until that point.

As I sat on the couch, feelings of warmth, comfort, and kindness surrounded me. There was a strange pull I felt towards this place that I couldn't quite figure out. The midwives, seeing that I was large and uncomfortable, kept asking me what they could get me or how they could make me more comfortable. Here they were, after working hard to deliver a baby, and still focusing on what other people needed.
That was the first moment I considered this place might be for me. In the following days I researched my options. I was surprised to learn it was still okay to switch healthcare providers even this late in pregnancy. This made me consider it even more seriously. I quickly began learning about natural methods of pain relief and ways of coping through labor. By the following week I had made my first appointment with Darlene, my midwife.

I made my decision and became very excited about it. The rest of my prenatal care check-ups confirmed I was happy with my choice. It was the first time I felt at ease about everything. The first time I didn't feel nervous about labor. I think what made me feel so ready was that the power was now in my hands. All decisions were mine to make. Darlene was just there to support me in them.
The big day finally arrived. April 22nd, 2001…my daughter was born. What an amazing day. It was the experience I was searching for all along. It changed who I was and how I though of myself. I didn't know I had the strength inside to experience what I did. What a wonderful way to start our life together as a family. I've never been so proud of my husband, and of myself. I can't wait to do it all over again!

Love,
Cori, Nate, and baby Marina

Darlene,
Getting to know you over the past nine months has been an incredible experience. Our past experiences with our other births have pushed us to seek an alternate method of enjoying this incredible time in our lives. This search took us a number of midwives in the area. However, none could even come close to comparing with the warmth and friendliness that we have found with you. We knew right away that the Cascade Birth Center was where we wanted to bring our new family member into our lives, and that we wanted you to be a part of it.

No words can even begin to express the way we appreciate you, no thanks enough, se we chose to offer you this token of our appreciation in hopes that you will be as comfortable in it as you have made us feel. We will always remember you as a special part of our family.

With the warmest thanks and appreciation,
The Wise family.

Travis and I want to thank you for helping us bring our Ella into the world. That first night we happened by the birth center, we hoped that we would like the midwife that worked there. Well, that question was answered the moment we met you. Even though we weren't pregnant yet, you treated us with such care, answering all of our questions and encouraging us in our conception efforts. And most importantly, your great sincerity and warmth told our hearts that we could trust you with such an important part of our lives.
We were not disappointed. Throughout the nine months, you were there for all of the goofy little questions to the big concerns. We so appreciated being partners with you in the entire process; we felt that our opinions and desires were respected when any issue or decision came up. To put it bluntly, you never made me feel stupid, and that meant a lot to me! I only wish everyone could have the fun, wonderful, comfortable experience we had.

Then, of course, Ella made her entrance (early) and you were available to us every moment in that amazing day. I felt safe in your care, Darlene, because I knew that bringing our little girl into the world was part of your calling, not just your "job". I knew that it mattered to you that we had the beautiful birth experience we'd been planning for, and we did. Even though I was pretty oblivious at one point, I still knew you were there, making sure Ella and I were o.k., and that gave me comfort.

Once she came, I felt absolutely cared for; I can't even imagine going through that part in a hospital! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Works fall short, but I hope at least get the idea. You are amazing!

Love Pier, Travis & baby Ella

For anyone who is considering natural childbirth you may want to read on. This is one of the best choices you could make. I highly recommend Cascade Birth Center, but more importantly Darlene Curtis. My experience as a client of Darlene's was wonderful. I was treated with the utmost respect right from the first consultation. Darlene has a genuine love for her clients and the unborn. My husband and I made the educated decision not to have a hospital birth and we have never regretted it. Now we are expecting out second child, and there was no question that Darlene would be our midwife again. You will be comforted by her top notch professional care and loved as an individual. Darlene will always be a part of my family.

Love Amanda and Lewis

© 2008 Cascade Midwives & Birth Center
2808 Colby Avenue, Suite A
Everett, WA 98201-3513
425-317-0157 (voice)
425-317-0756 (fax)
Updated August 2008