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In many of the discussions about an aging population, the topic of youth retention comes up. One young person who was raised in Todd County and has chosen to stay here is offering care services to both ends of the age spectrum: adult foster care and a birthing center.

Amy Claseman is no stranger to human care needs. She and her husband, Dion, have operated Claseman Adult Foster Care, offering residential senior care in their home, for the past five years. While continuing to offer care for older folks, Amy has undertaken an effort to establish a service for the opposite end of human experience: a birthing center.

Working with midwife Ruth Wingeier-King, doula Angela Martins and many others who support the idea of a rural birthing center, Amy has undertaken the renovation of a house 12 miles from Long Prairie. The home, owned by Amy's sister Anna Oliver, is at the intersection of County Road 38 and County Road 1 South in Burleene Township. It's now known as Alisha's Care Center in honor of the two women's sister, who died in a car accident six years ago. Following the Ohio model used by Amish and Mennonite communities, the facility is officially called a care center rather than a birthing center.

"Butterflies on the walls of the birthing rooms are in memory of Alisha," says Amy. The rooms will be named after the daughters of midwives, strengthening the tradition and connection of woman to woman care. Not that fathers or other family members will be left out of the birthing experience. Birthing centers are designed to be as home-like as possible, emphasizing that birth is a natural process that when managed properly can usually produce a healthy baby without medical intervention.

Expectant mothers will have normal prenatal exams with midwives Terry Gjerseth and Rebecca Taylor who will staff the center. A small building adjacent to the house will be used for those appointments. "Birthing centers aren't medical facilities," says Amy who is seeking accreditation, though Minnesota has no licensing requirements. She and Ruth traveled to North Carolina in May to learn about that state's requirements since it's a leader in the birthing center trend. Alisha's Care Center will follow a standard of care to fulfill any future licensing requirements that might arise.

Midwives and doulas (labor coaches) will assist normal deliveries. Any high risk expectant mothers or identified fetal distress will be referred to physicians. With a hospital twelve miles away, transfer to a medical facility can be arranged quickly should the need arise during labor.

Midwives have attended births in Todd County for more than 30 years. Home births have been an option, too, but with changes in hospital philosophies, medical support of home birthing is declining at the same time many families want to have their babies in a non-medical facility with less potential for exposure to pathogens and unwanted interventions. The Center for Health Statistics of the Minnesota Department of Health reports that cesarean deliveries rose from 17.7 percent of births to Minnesota residents in 1998 to 24.6 percent in 2004.  Some sources report that number has risen to 1 in 3. A home-centered birth experience, while ensuring the health and safety of both mother and baby, are of primary concern for those who plan to use Alisha's Care Center.

"Alisha's Care Center will be a for-profit venture governed by a board of directors," says Amy, who wants the community involvement. When she hosted the first meeting of interested families back in February, "The house was packed with people," she says.

Many volunteer hours have been put in in the last seven months to ready the center for its grand opening Sept. 18. A birthing tub has been installed in the main floor bathroom and a portable one will be used on the second floor. One birthing room is on the main floor, along with a kitchen and living room, with two on the second floor. Families can bring their own food and comfort items for the stay, which may be from two to twenty-four hours after delivery. The center is nearing completion and the staff is excited about its first anticipated delivery, sometime in mid-October.

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Amy Claseman is about to open a birthing center near Long Prairie, Minn.

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