Alex Brian Hammer II was born on Thursday, January 2, 2003 (1-2-3) at 10:00 a.m. He weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs 6 oz and was 22.5 inches long. We're not sure which surprised us more -- that fact that we had a boy or that he entered the world so much larger than his sisters. Emily and Abigail are thrilled to have him as a member of our family and help out as often as they can.
Alex was born at Options in Birth, Iowa's only state licensed and nationally accredited freestanding birth center. After delivering Emily at the local hospital, we decided we'd never go that route again. Too many bad things happened that we didn't want to go through again. All of Abigail's prenatal care was done through Nancy Jipp, CNM at Options in Birth but she was born at a different hospital in the area.
With Alex, we were determined to have everything done at Nancy's birth center and would highly recommend the same to anybody expecting a baby or trying to conceive. The care is so personal. Visits to see Nancy do not make you feel like a number, you feel like a person. And every baby is special, not just another one born. She even came to our house a few days after the birth to check on Alex and me. Below are pictures of the living room, the whirlpool tub where I did much of my labor, and the bedroom where I delivered Alex. Also operating out of the birth center is Chamein Clark-Witter of Wholistic Family Chiropractic who works wonders on expectant mothers, children and even handled my husband once!
If anybody reading this is looking for a birthing alternative to the standard ob/gyn and hospital, please contact Nancy Jipp, Certified Nurse Midwife at nkjipp@aol.com or call 563-344-6742. God forbid I get pregnant for a fourth time, but if I did, Nancy is the first and only person I'd call to handle the pregnancy. Thanks Nancy and Chamein - you're awesome!!!!!.
