Table 5.

Illustrative comments on the impact of CenteringPregnancy on birth experience

Knowledge of pain management techniques	P: When I got to 9 [cm dilation], they said, “You still need 1.5 more” so I did exercises. I sat on the ball, I sat on the bed, I went to the bathroom.
	I: Did you do anything that you learned in Centering?
	P: Yes, I got into the tub, sitting and relaxing. Sometimes I felt so frustrated that I wanted to be alone but that helped. I would get into the tub and poured water on myself and that relaxed me a lot.
Known Centering provider as birth attendant	Yes, it was very good, really. I was very happy that it was her since I already knew her…And she helped me a lot….She said to push when the contraction came. But since I had the epidural, I felt pain but at the same time, I wasn’t sure if it was the contraction or the pain I was feeling up front…And I liked that it was [known Centering midwife] because she didn’t try to rush me but rather she gave me advice. And she would touch me in certain places and say, “Push from here” because they say that many times people push incorrectly. They don’t put the pressure where they need to and she would say, “From here. And now relax, don’t strain yourself.”
Advocating for oneself
Body positioning	But now when I’m pushing all the way trying to get the baby out…plus the contractions and then the midwife trying to talk to you plus everything going on all around you it’s just a whole experience all in itself, and then I was just like I have to black everybody out and concentrate on pushing and pressing my bottom down, trying to lie like ‘cause I know she had showed us in the Centering group when we’re on our back with our legs up the baby’s head is actually hitting on the bottom of our bone and not going straight like that.
Requesting an interpreter	I requested an interpreter and that they speak in Spanish and so thank god, the whole time I had someone who could explain to me in Spanish….Because in the group they tell us that if you speak in English, they can give you someone who speaks English but I always ask for an interpreter. I don’t speak English and I won’t understand.