Hi!
Just want to give a shout out to the Cambridge Birthing Center attached to the Cambridge Hospital between Harvard and Inman Squares. The birthing center is literally a beautiful house right across the driveway from the hospital. There are three huge beautiful rooms with queen sized beds and huge tubs for birthing. Aside from the tubs, there are all sorts of balls, stools, etc for labor, there is a kitchen for any food you would like to bring, and there is a lounge for families to hang out. The midwives are extra friendly and their philosophy is to provide maximum freedom and support for birthing. I just toured it this past weekend, and am certainly going to go there. They really look at everything in the most natural and encouraging way. If there are any last minute complications, you can always be rushed across the driveway to the actual hospital. While Mt. Auburn seems great, this place really just takes it to the next level.