The Birth Center is the first freestanding Birth Center. It is a primary healthcare facility that offers women evidence-based and holistic care so as to give birth naturally within a safe environment, experiencing birth as they wish.
Our story
My name is Erietta Kourkoulou-Latsi and I have nothing to do with midwifery (I don’t have a midwifery background). However, Katerina Georgakoula, co-founder and independent midwife, has supported hundreds of women before, during and after labour. The Birth Center was born from our shared dream: the creation of the first freestanding Birth Center in Greece. Three years later, with the help of people who believed in this vision, we managed to make it happen.
Even though I don’t have the knowledge to actively participate in the everyday function of The Birth Center, we decided that I would share our story here, on the screen. The idea started when I decided, in the 5th month of my first pregnancy, to give birth in a different way, rather than “by default” as if every birth was the same. Because no birth is the same and no woman is the same.
I didn’t expect to find such an option in Greece. Nevertheless, I found it almost at once in the Midwifery Center “Irois”, where I met Katerina. Through her care, kindness and calmness I gained the trust and confidence that I needed.
Katerina did not have any strict approach to how birth “should” be. She was only interested in offering women the support they need to experience birth as they wished, within a system that often ignores their needs. Over time, I realised that Katerina’s goal was women’s empowerment.
When the day of my labour came, the preparation that we had made and the presence of Katerina at the clinic helped me a lot. All the interventions that were done were my own choices and this experience gave me strength and a feeling of control.
After labour, when everyday life found its flow again my thoughts went back to Katerina. Thanks to her, my transition to motherhood was magical. I knew that birth can be traumatic for many women. I felt that this could and should change. On the 16th of April 2022, in one of our discussions with Katerina, we decided to found the first freestanding Birth Center in Greece.
The Birth Center was created from our need to change the way in which we collectively approach birth. Katerina and I come from different backgrounds, but we both share the courage to ask questions and challenge the deep-rooted practices that don’t serve women’s needs. For us, labour is a simple process; it’s a deep experience that stays with you for a lifetime, affecting you emotionally and shaping the relationship between mother and child. Through the founding of The Birth Center we hope to empower as many women as possible, in order for them to stand up for the birth experience they deserve.