Oh baby!: Valley is growing -- literally

Many Valley residents are sporting larger bellies these days, and it isn't just a case of too much pumpkin pie and eggnog. Valley births are on the rise.

It's no secret that the Valley is one of the fastest growing areas of the state, with more and more people moving in from Anchorage and other areas and new businesses cropping up each year. The U.S. Census Bureau cites a 49.5 percent increase in the Valley's population between 1990 and 2000 (compared to 14 percent for the state overall).

In fact, according to 2001 population estimates, nearly one in 10 Alaskans lives in the Valley (Census Bureau estimates put the Mat-Su Borough population at 62,426 and the total state population at 634,892). But residents are doing their share to promote "growth," as well.

"More and more young families are living here," says Pat Smith, who heads Valley Hospital's Family Birthing Center. "And of course, many of those young couples are having babies."

The hospital has seen a slow but steady rise in the number of babies being delivered there, Smith said, from 368 deliveries in 1998 to a total of 460 last year. Smith attributes the increases both to the growing population and to recent changes at Valley Hospital that she believes make locals want to remain in the Valley to have their babies, rather than delivering at Anchorage hospitals.

Valley Hospital expanded and renovated their obstetrics ward in 2000, increasing the number of patients that could be served and at the same time incorporating more state-of-the-art services like Labor-Delivery-Recovery-Postpartum rooms, where delivering moms remain in the same room throughout the birth and afterward. Each room boasts whirlpool tubs, large double-head showers and other amenities geared toward creating a more "home-like" and relaxing environment.

Smith said the hospital does get a lot of "return customers," but not all mothers have the option of remaining in the Valley for care. Mothers with high-risk pregnancies still have to visit perinatologists and other specialists that can usually only be found in the municipality. Still, Smith said, Valley Hospital tries to be prepared even for worst-case scenarios. "I never know what's going to walk through my door here," she said.

As an aside, she cites the 8-10 women per year who do their best to give birth at the hospital, but don't quite make it. "There was one lady who was actually coming in from Anchorage to have her baby here [at Valley Hospital]," she said. "She ended up giving birth about five miles outside of Palmer, in her car."

And then there was the lady who recently was on her way in from Point MacKenzie, but didn't make it in time, and delivered her baby -- with help from family members and emergency medical personnel -- on the side of the road. "I like to call those extremely efficient deliveries," Smith says with a chuckle. "Very, very speedy."

The numbers can be somewhat deceiving. In 2000, according to Census data, Valley residents gave birth to 862 babies. Not all of those were born in the Valley, though. A total of 555 babies were born within Mat-Su Borough boundaries, however Phillip Mitchell with the state's Dept. of Vital Statistics is quick to point out that any number of those could have been born to non-Valley residents, possibly from Anchorage or from remote areas.

Still, Mitchell said, those numbers do show that a significant number of Valley babies are being delivered in Anchorage and elsewhere. And furthermore, not all Valley babies born here are born at Valley Hospital. Increasing numbers of women are choosing alternatives like the Mat-Su Midwifery and other birthing centers. Melissa Mayo, CDM, CPM (Certified Direct-entry Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife) has helped deliver babies there since 1994, and says, "We're just getting busier and busier."

When the midwifery opened, she said, there were two full-time midwives and one part-time person. Today, the group employs seven full-time midwives, two apprentices and two office staff persons.

"It's been proven that the Valley's growing very fast," said Mayo, who definitely believes there are more babies being born in the Valley than ever before. And more women are opting for the cozy, relaxed atmosphere that places like the midwifery offer.

Each of the three birthing rooms at their center seems more like a favorite bed and breakfast than a medical facility, with homey-looking quilts, huge tiled Jacuzzi tubs (that accommodate the mother and an assistant or two for water births), separate walk-in showers, and items like birthing stools and rocking chairs that break apart to become birthing chairs. "The idea is for a woman to give birth in the position she's comfortable in," Mayo said.

The midwives also offer a wide range of services, from complete care throughout the pregnancy to "shadowed care," in which a midwife can supplement a regular doctor's attention by providing nutritional information or other help, to serving as a doula, a kind of labor coach/partner/massage therapist or even "mom."

Sometimes the midwives even make house calls. A small but growing number of women are choosing to have their babies at home. Mayo says about 20 percent of the births attended by the midwives are in homes; Census Bureau statistics show that in 2000 (most recent data available), 13 women gave birth at homes within the Mat-Su Borough - about 1.5 percent.

Natalie Dittbrender of Wasilla gave birth to her son, Gabriel, at home, and "loved every minute of it," she said. "I was born at home, and my younger brother and sister were both born at home. My mother had such a good experience that I knew that was what I wanted to do."

Dittbrender was assisted by two midwives from Mat-Su Midwifery (a third arrived later on to provide assistance and relief when one of the other two needed a break). "They checked me and did all the regular things they would do in the hospital," Dittbrender said, adding that she always knew she could simply leave for the hospital if ever anything went wrong.

"I really liked not having to drive to the hospital, and I just really liked being able to have my baby in my own bed, in my own home," Dittbrender said, echoing many women who say they opt to have their births at home simply because of the familiarity, comfort and privacy of the surroundings.

"I know it's not for everybody," Dittbrender adds. "But it is how people have done it for thousands of years. It just seemed perfectly natural."

This wide range of choices for Valley families is something just about everyone sees as positive, especially those in the baby-delivering profession. Both Smith and Mayo stated that as the Valley grows, so do local options for Mat-Su women. "I hear a lot of good things," said Mayo, "both about [the midwifery's birthing center] and the hospital. I think there is more consumer trust."

"There is a really high patient satisfaction rate," Smith added. "And as more and more babies are born here [in the Valley], I think that will just keep growing."