San Francisco Birth Center

Join us in welcoming our new staff midwives, Savanah and Devon! Savanah Washington is a Certified Nurse-Midwife. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from New York University and a master’s degree in midwifery and women’s health from Georgetown University. Devon Vandewiele is a Certified Nurse-Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner honored to continue her journey with San Francisco Birth Center.

@kerrywashington tweeted "For everything you do to "celebrate" this weekend (beach, bbq, fireworks, etc.) do at least ONE thing to fight for social justice. Make a phone call, sign a petition, register to vote. It's not Independence Day until we are all free."

#FreshBabyFriday with second time birth center client, Christina. However much we know about birth in general, we know nothing about a particular birth. We must let it unfold with its own uniqueness. Elizabeth Noble

Home visits! Breastfeeding support, baby weight checks, newborn tests, teaching, and support.... it’s all part of our midwifery care. Lise shared the following after a visit, "We wanted to thank the midwives for the postpartum visits. The visits helped us a ton and it was great to get help at home. Kelly, Devon and Ebony also took their time to go over everything with us thoroughly and that was much appreciated!"

#Didyouknow? A 2013 study of about 18,700 women in Australia found that just 5 percent of births happened on their due dates. This is why Midwife Nancy recommends a "due date date" with your partner as you (hopefully) don't have any plans. We'll be here when your baby is ready!

"A woman in birth is at once her most powerful, and most vulnerable. But any woman who has birthed unhindered understands that we are stronger than we know." Marcie Macari #FreshbabyFriday

"If having a baby puts life in perspective, having a baby during a pandemic sharpens the focus tenfold. The experience has been defined by contradictions: isolation when it takes a village, new life amid death, hope pushing down fear." Read more about the experience shared by many of us the last 15 months in this thoughtful NYT Article. http://ow.ly/SLND50Fi7jN

Your #mondaymotivation reminder.

Whether it be your first (like some of those pictured) or your 81st, we wish a Happy Father's Day to all fathers, to all the dads, step-dads, foster dads, co-parents, papas, padres, grandpas, pop-pops, and partners in our lives. <3

Summer starts tomorrow! The solstice is a chance to celebrate the sun and take a reflective mid-year pause. We’ve helped welcome 67 babies into the world so far this year and look forward to meeting all the new summer babies :) : Earth Star Studios

We honor and celebrate Juneteenth! And we encourage our community to learn about and support the organizations below working for birth justice. Black Mamas Matter Alliance ... blackmamasmatter.org The National Association to Advance Black Birth https://thenaabb.org/index.php/donate-now/ Black Women Birthing Justice blackwomenbirthingjustice.org Southern Birth Justice southernbirthjustice.org 4Kira4Moms.com California Black Women’s Health Project cabwhp.org Black Women for Wellness bwwla.org

The BABIES Act (H.R. 3337 / S. 1716) is bipartisan and bicameral legislation which seeks to promote accessible and affordable use of freestanding birth centers by Medicaid beneficiaries. Please consider filling out this brief form to encourage your legislators to support this act. http://ow.ly/8Nme50Fc7pm

We often get questions about how to start introducing sign language to babies. Our clients have had great success with Happy Baby Signs, a local resource providing sign language instruction for babies throughout the Bay Area. All their classes are currently online. Check out their website for more information: www.happybabysigns.com

Coming to the clinic for a visit? Remember your mask. As California opens up, masks continue to be required in healthcare settings, including here at SF Birth Center both in the waiting room and during appointments. This requirement is in alignment with the CDC's recommendations, California guidelines, as well as our own intentions to be good stewards of public health.

These undies for the immediate postpartum are the secret, magical underwear only new parents know about. (The Cut) Here, midwife Serena breaks down how easy to use and helpful they can be. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B1-A8zxgoxm/

Warm Holiday Wishes to all our SF Birth Center families. - Our lovely clients.

A message from Midwife Nancy: It is Christmas Eve, and many of us celebrate tonight by remembering the birth of a baby. Through the filter history, religion and culture we may all see this event in different ways. But at its core, the story is one that touches us personally. As midwives we can imagine Mary, heavy with child, enduring the trip to Bethlehem. We can imagine the concerns she had when faced with giving birth without her mother at her side. And we hope that her la...bor was gentle and straight forward and that she was able rest after, be cared for by Joseph, and be warmed by the animals around her. We hope that she found joy in snuggling with her new baby and that he took easily to the breast. We give thanks to the shepherds that came and hope they offered up nourishing foods to the new family. And we truly hope that a kind midwife was found to be her guide though the transformational journey of birth. Best wishes to you and your babies and may the holidays you celebrate bring you great joy.

Rafaela López Juárez was determined that if she ever had another child, she would try to give birth at home with a trusted midwife, surrounded by family. Her first birth at a hospital had been a traumatic ordeal, and her perspective changed drastically afterward, when she trained to become a professional midwife. What women want is a birth experience centered on respect and dignity.

We’re missing all the adorable costumes from New Parent’s Group this year. ( 2019) Tag us (or post below) your kiddos costume photos to spread a little Halloween joy!

This is a great reminder when navigating the journey of nursing and feeding your baby!

Happy Halloween from SF Birth Center. 10cm is not a trick! You're in for such a treat when you see your new babe.

Thankfully; just like that, this year will be over soon.

All we want for Christmas is...an Electronic Fetal Monitor!!! We are so excited that we will be able to offer non-stress tests at the birth center. This is another way we are helping people stay out of the hospital. Yay!!!

TENS Units are a great option for non-pharmaceutical comfort in labor. TENS unit is a handheld machine, connected by wires to electrodes that stick to the skin on your back. TENS works by sending electrical nerve stimulation through these electrodes. They work by helping you refocus on these sensations instead of your surges. They can be a terrific, low-risk option for you and your birth. http://ow.ly/wwmL50C5EBB

Baby snuggles are one of the best parts of being new parents, and they help your babe adjust to their new world.

#motivationmonday #birthaffirmations

At SF Birth Center, we skip the baby bath. The shared scent of birthing person and baby are key to their bonding and connection. "Newborns who don’t get baths right away may be more likely to be exclusively breastfed than infants who get whisked away to be washed soon after delivery, a U.S. study suggests." http://ow.ly/lwjd50C05a8

Peanut Balls sound like a delicious dessert, but really they're a great tool for labor. A peanut ball is like an exercise ball, but is shaped like a peanut. The most common use for using a peanut ball during labor is to help open up the pelvis when used in-between the legs while lying down in a side-lying position. Check out EBB's helpful article for more. http://ow.ly/19cc50BZdJh

Ok, not ACTUALLY twins, but these two delicious looking kiddos were born on the same day. How fun is that!!! Happy three weeks birthday.

Remember: Pregnancy bumps come in all shapes and sizes. Even our midwives can't tell how far along someone is just from looking. Nancy says, "I've been a midwife for 18 years, and I can't tell by looking at someone on the street how far along they are, every body is different." . . . #birthcenter #birthcenterbirth #naturalbirth #naturalbirthing #waterbirth #midwife #naturalbirthcenter #informedbirth #educatedbirth #birthisbeautiful #midwiferycare #birthwithoutfear #lifeofamidwife #newmom #newbaby #sanfrancisco #sanfranciscobirthcenter #bayareababy #sfbaby #sfmidwife

Racism is a proven risk for Black women in birth. Coronavirus makes it even riskier to give birth in hospitals. Local midwives, including our own Anjali Sardeshmukh, offer another safe option for BIPOC pregnancy. What an amazing option! http://ow.ly/dfnN50BUPY1

Can you even find prouder parents? When babies are this cute and juicy, you have plenty to be proud of! #SFBCBabies

Today, on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness day, we hold space and honor grief. Please join us in lighting a candle at 7 p.m. to create a wave of light around the world in memory of babies lost. To those of you who, like us, have lost: we see you, we know you, we support you.

Michigan Senator Gary Peters shared the story of a "gut-wrenching and complicated" decision made when his wife, Heidi's water broke at only four months into a wanted pregnancy that put her life in danger. "It’s important for folks to understand that these things happen to folks every day, he said.