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Our Services

The midwives at San Francisco Birth Center care for families during pregnancy, birth, and beyond. We offer private prenatal care, group prenatal care, labor and birth, water birth, postpartum home visits and newborn care.

Prenatal Care

Comprehensive prenatal care is delivered by Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs). Our prenatal care model begins with private sessions focused on in-depth discussions of early pregnancy milestones, which are tailored to the individual needs of each family. These sessions are followed by eight group prenatal care visits. Private visits resume at 36 weeks and continue weekly until the birth of your baby.

Group Prenatal Care

Group prenatal care is a core benefit of San Francisco Birth Center’s program. Prenatal groups offer a rich opportunity to share experiences and resources, to learn from one another, and to create a long-lasting community of support. Prenatal groups meet monthly in the second trimester and bimonthly in the third trimester. Each client checks in privately with the midwife, followed by an hour and a half facilitated discussion on a variety of topics relevant to the stage of pregnancy. Often, guest speakers will be included to contribute expertise from the community.

Labor and Birth

We support birth as a normal, natural process. While in labor you are free to eat, drink, and move around, choosing the positions most comfortable for you. If you choose to hire your own professional doula, we welcome them as part of your birth team. A midwife will be present throughout labor to monitor safety and offer support. A licensed birth assistant will arrive for the birth and remain through the immediate postpartum period.

Water Birth

Submersion in water during labor has many proven benefits for mothers. Water promotes relaxation and facilitates movement. The pressure of water on the body stimulates touch and temperature nerves of the skin, blocking pain impulses to the brain. In addition, research shows that water birth is as safe for babies as birth on dry land. SF Birth Center provides spacious tubs in each birth room for hydrotherapy and water birth.

Postpartum Care

Our postpartum care centers around family well-being and early transitions in the home environment. We want our new families to stay at home and enjoy the first few weeks uninterrupted. Our visits will include well baby and well mother assessment as well as extensive lactation support. Home visits for postpartum care are done two to three times in the first week, followed by office visits at two weeks and 5-6 weeks.

Newborn Care

An initial newborn assessment will be completed before leaving the birth center. Newborn check-ups will also be done at each postpartum visit during the first month. These check-ups do not take the place of regular pediatric care. We will collaborate with your chosen pediatrician and will refer you with any concerns.

Lactation Support

Lactation support begins with abundant education during group prenatal visits. Midwives continue to offer lactation support immediately after birth and at every postpartum visit. We work with lactation specialists and provide referrals to trusted partners as needed.

Well Woman Care

The midwives at SF Birth Center provide basic gynecologic services including contraception, pre-conception counseling, and annual screening.

2300 Sutter St. Suite 301

San Francisco, CA 94115