Why a Birthing Center?

We have gotten a lot of questions about why we chose a birthing center instead of a traditional hospital so I’m going to describe the birthing center a little bit and why we chose it. 

When we found out I was pregnant we didn’t know what birthing centers were really. We had a few visions of what our ideal delivery would look like but we hadn’t done research yet and didn’t have a solid plan on where we would end up or what was right for us. I went in knowing that I wanted an unmediated birth and a communicative experience if possible but not much else. 

I started to research hospitals and called around to a lot of them. It was hard because at this time Covid was just kicking into high gear, the phones were crazy busy so getting through was hard and all tours of all places were out of the question. It was really pretty frightening to think about having a baby at a time when hospitals were filled over capacity with sick people and what that meant for the baby and I. The information that I did find about the hospitals in my area wasn’t bad, we have some of the best hospitals in California, but it just didn’t feel right to me. They are all very pro intervention, even when unnecessary, they didn’t seem very personal, had very strict guidelines for things (some good, some bad) and were just all around kind of robotic feeling. I was starting to get sad because I couldn’t find one that seemed right for us. I was questioning if my standards and expectations were too high or unrealistic. Then, I came across the San Francisco Birth Center (SFBC).

The San Francisco Birth Center popped up in my search and I honestly didn’t know exactly what to expect from it. The first thing I noticed about the website was that it was inviting and had an online tour so I could see what they offered easily. I called and asked for a consultation, via zoom of course, and chatted with one of the midwives for about an hour asking questions and learning about how it worked. We LOVED it and when the call ended Adam and I both knew this was where we wanted to have our baby. It felt so perfect and right for us. 

It is a private birthing center, so it is not connected to a hospital. There are no doctors on site, though they do share the block with UCSF hospital, it is run solely by midwives and student midwives. Communication is something that is extremely important to them. They want you to meet with all of the midwives at some point so that they all know you and you know all of them, any of them could deliver my baby depending on who is on call that day so I like that they do this. They take the time to talk with us, answer all of our questions, and get to know exactly what we want from our whole experience. They check on the baby of course, but they take a very non invasive approach and communicate a ton. I have had 2 ultrasounds, the dating one and the anatomy scan and that is all that I will have. They keep track of baby by keeping track of me, my blood pressure, how I am feeling, what I am eating, etc... They don’t have medication on site which I love because that means that my plan to go unmedicated is more likely. They have their rooms set up like bedrooms with private bathrooms, giant tubs and many other things that may help make a laboring mother more comfortable. They encourage you to roam around, eat, use any and all of the resources that they have available to you for a comfortable birthing experience. 

Now, I do want to point out that I understand anything can happen and that most births do not go completely as planned. I know that I might be put in a situation where I need medication and that is okay! The birth center has procedures in place to transfer me in labor should something happen. It is extremely safe and they are with me through the entire experience. I personally feel safer at the birth center than I think I would at a hospital in many regards and that’s a big part of why we are going there. 

A few other things that we love about SFBC is that they have one-on-one appointments but they also have group appointments. This means that we periodically meet with other parents expecting in November and have long in depth discussions about our pregnancies and what to expect. This community aspect is really nice and I find it to be pretty important as well. Also, with Covid happening, partners aren’t allowed at any appointments in a hospital at all. At SFBC they encourage Adam to come to all of my in person and virtual appointments and care about his needs and wants as much as they care about mine. They take extra precautions and we have to wear masks, social distance, check our temperatures, etc... but they realize the importance of a partners support for both baby and mother to thrive. Granted, this is a possibility because unlike hospitals, who deal with all types of patients, they are only dealing with expectant mothers. Lastly, I will note, that I like the idea of laboring at home and coming in when I am close to delivery. If all goes well I will be released 4-6 hours after delivering and they will come to my home 3 times in the first week to check on the baby and help with breastfeeding and anything else I may have questions about. This means that my baby will never leave my room and will be able to breastfeed within the first hour of being born which is so important to me. 

Overall, SFBC is right for us in every way. I like the traditional “hippie” approach that is very natural all around. We have gotten a lot of comments on our decision to go this route but it doesn’t bother us because we know it is what is best for us. If you have questions about it please feel free to reach out to us, we would love to answer them.

With love, 

Tiffany