An Inside Look…

Featuring Stories of PFF REcipients and PFF Sustainers

Lupita Medrano

2022 PFF RECIPIENT

Please state your name & when you gave birth at PFMC

My name is Lupita Noemi Medrano - Hernandez and I gave birth at PFMC May 19, 2022.

How did you find out about the PFF program? What drew you to apply?

I initially learned of the PFF program during a virtual tour/ orientation given by the wonderful Cindy Haag, midwife and PFMC co-founder. I applied to the PFF program because at the time I was experiencing a lot of instability and change in my life. I was 8 months pregnant, a full-time medical student, and returning to my hometown of Oakland after having lived out-of-state for a year due to schooling. All of the last minute changes in my birth plan were unexpected but was what I felt in my heart completely necessary for a positive and safe birth outcome. Financially, it would not have been possible for me to bring my baby earthside at PFMC, close to home and loved ones, without the support of the PFF.

Was this your first birth or your first birth at a birth center? Why is midwifery care important to you and your family?

This was my first birth. Prior to selecting Pacifica, I had established care at a large hospital and then a small private birth center - both of which were not a match. Being supported by midwifery care that aligned with my culture, beliefs, identity, and vision was tremendously important not only for my happiness but for my safety. Although I am educated, I am also Latina, brown, young, heavily tattooed, and from a disadvantaged socioeconomic background. Those identifiers unfortunately led to mistreatment and physical harm at the two prior locations I had attempted to receive care from during pregnancy prior to establishing care at Pacifica. A person’s identifiers should never dictate the quality of care they receive from their medical team, which is why I changed direction. I sought out midwifery care that was intentional in their goal to serve “all families regardless of ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, financial barriers, or physical ability,” as stated in the PFMC mission. All of the midwives at Pacifica treated my husband and I with respect, compassion, and the utmost care. I felt seen, safe, and supported.

If you could only choose one special or intimate memory from your birth at PFMC, what would it be? 

If I could only choose one special/ intimate memory from my birth at PFMC, it would be my experience birthing in water. I remember my pain drastically subsiding the moment my body submerged into the perfectly temperature water. Very shortly after entering the tub, my son was born and my husband was guided on how to catch him (something we mentioned we were open to doing). My husband caught our son and brought him to my chest. It is incredible to know that my son was embraced by his parents, the two people who love him the most, from the moment he entered this world. I relive that moment in my head often, especially during late night feedings with my baby. If I could do it all over again exactly how it happened, I would in a heartbeat.

 Did you experience anything transformative in birthing at PFMC? Either physical, mental, spiritual, etc. 

In my opinion, although birth is physical, I believe it is so much more mental and spiritual. My experience birthing at PFMC reaffirmed how mentally strong I am and how intune I am with my spirituality. Despite providers at the two previous locations attempting to instill doubt in me, I proved to myself that I ultimately was capable of a fully unmedicated birth and that everything I had done leading up to that point did in fact properly prepare me. 

What is your send off or advice to anyone interested in midwifery care? 

My advice to anyone interested in midwifery care is to listen to your gut and not settle when it comes to finding your midwifery care team. If something feels off, leave. Trust me, there is a perfect match for you out there; a team that supports you and makes you feel safe and loved. Do not stop until you find that for yourself and your baby. For me, that was the Pacifica Family Maternity Center.