I had my daughter in a birthing center with another midwife. Even though birth interventions were minimal, she told me to push before I felt ready, and put in me a position to give birth that we had not discussed. Actually, we had never discussed it - I had assumed that I could give birth in whatever position I wanted. Also, since this was a group practice, everytime I went for my visits, I met with someone different and as a result, I felt like they didn't know me very well. Because I was so eager to get home after the birth of my daughter and sleep in my own bed and shower in my own bathroom and wear my own clothes, when I got pregnant with my son, I wanted to have him at home. Joan is everything I could want in a midwife. She always made it about what I wanted or needed and what would make me comfortable. My husband was quite against giving birth at home, but once he had a chance to meet with Joan and talk over his concerns with her, he eventually came around. Since I wasn't sure which room I wanted to give birth in, we went by how I felt during labor, and that was fine with her (I ended up giving birth in my bathroom, although not in my bathtub). She also had a doula to assist her, which was great for the backrubs! And I never had to wait in her office. Since it was only Joan and no one else, I felt like we were able to develop a great relationship. Many people I tell are amazed that I had a homebirth, and what a great experience it was. Joan made a lot of that possible, and I'm grateful for that! Alison