As a patient at Cooley Dickinson's Center for Midwifery Care, all went according to plan for Nunia Mafi during her first pregnancy. That is, until June 1, three days after her due date, when she woke up in labor, and a routine internal exam didn't feel to Midwife Judie Brock the way it had just a week before.

Nunia and her husband, Josh Silver, of Florence were asked to have another ultrasound with Kristen Isler at Cooley Dickinson, and that procedure showed their baby was in a breech position. Back at the Midwifery Center, the couple met with Judie, Midwife Pamela Drexler-Lopez and Dr. Tucker Kueny, OB-GYN. They were concerned about the breech position and low amniotic fluid volume and recommended that Nunia have a Cesarean section that same day.

Nunia Mafi and Josh Silver in the delivery room with Malia"Everyone was so nice. They knew I was visibly upset," says Nunia, who was with her husband, Josh Silver. "We did the birthing classes, but I didn't pay attention to the Cesarean stuff. I wasn't prepared for this."

Luckily, Judie, Pam and "Dr. Tucker" – as Nunia and Josh refer to him – were prepared.

They saw to it that Nunia and Josh were settled into Cooley Dickinson's Childbirth Center, and they scheduled a C-section for later in the evening. "They were just so kind and loving," says Nunia. "They took the time to give us the space to wrap our heads around this new plan."

The plan, at that point, was flexible, and Nunia and Josh were thrilled that even though a surgical procedure was planned, midwifery care was still available. Dr. Kueny went off to an obedience class with his puppy, and Pam – who was the midwife on call – left for a short time as well. But soon afterwards, Nunia's water broke, and both providers were called back to the Childbirth Center for the C-section.

"They were looking out for me," says Nunia, who remembers that Pam took charge of making sure that photographs were taken so they have a great record of the birth.

While the procedure was taking place, Nunia says Pam was whispering in her ear: "I know this is not what you imagined, but what you need to do is send your baby lots of love.

"She was saying all the right things," says Nunia. "It was a frightening situation."

But it was also beautiful. When Dr. Kueny told Josh it was time to look at his baby, it took him a minute to register if it was a boy or girl. Then, Josh says, he told Nunia they had a baby girl. He teared up, and she was sobbing.

The providers left Nunia, Josh and baby Malia Silver in the recovery room to be alone together. "They knew what our birth plan was, and they tried to stick as close to that as possible," Nunia says. "They really honored the fact that we wanted to hold her."

Nunia and Josh both say the care in the Cooley Dickinson Childbirth Center was excellent as well. Nurses were respectful of how they wanted to spend their first days with Malia. "They respected our opinions, and they were very accommodating," says Josh.

Josh describes the Childbirth Center as "friendly and social and warm." And he notes that the childbirth classes offered through Cooley Dickinson, and the hospital's staff members as well, provided key resources for new parents. "They teach you how to advocate for yourself, and they are your advocates, and they're with you all the time," he says.

Nunia and Josh say they loved Kristen in ultrasound and were very grateful that she took pains to conceal the sex of their baby as they didn't want to know until birth.

They also appreciated the skills of the nurses on the Childbirth Center, in particular Grace Ferrante, Mary Jo Krason, Ann Barstow and Kerri Errico. "We got to know them all at a personal level," says Nunia. "We shared stories with them. They were always just so nice."

Nunia and Josh were so pleased with the Center for Midwifery Care and the Childbirth Center that they plan to use the services again. And Josh – who is in his early 40s – notes that that occasion may not be that far away as the couple is already thinking about Child Number Two.