A visit to South Coast Midwifery makes it easy to see why women might choose to have their babies here instead of the hospital. At South Coast Midwifery, which this year became only the third birthing center in California to be accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Birth Centers, it's okay to dim the lights, wander around at your leisure in your own pajamas, slip in or out of a bathtub, and play music in a private, cushy room that looks more like a bed-and-breakfast suite than a birthing suite. The nurse-midwives and doulas at South Coast make it a point to let women take their time—something that's becoming increasingly rare at hospitals throughout California, especially in Orange County, where the opposition to nurse-midwifery-led deliveries, which often focuses on natural, generally slower birthing, is relentless. This cozy little center has been doing its thing quietly and successfully for almost 15 years.