Birth your way: Low-intervention, unmedicated option for moms

SANDY — For Alisha Doran, holding her baby boy, Hudson, was the reward after a birth experience she describes as both challenging and empowering.

“If you would’ve asked me within 24 hours if I would ever do it again, I would’ve said no,” she laughed. “But now looking back, it’s something that I’m really proud of myself for doing.”

Doran delivered through Intermountain Health’s Simply Birth, a program designed for women with low-risk pregnancies who want a more natural birth experience. She was supported throughout her labor by Hollie Wharton, a certified nurse midwife.

“What we try to do is avoid unnecessary interventions and get back to letting the body do what it usually knows what to do,” Wharton said.

To prepare, Doran and her husband attended childbirth education classes, learning