Birth Center Services

Our vision and goal at the Bakersfield Birth Center is to provide women and their families the opportunity to experience pregnancy, birth and the post-natal period in a safe, loving and mother-baby friendly environment. Midwives understand that a woman’s overall health –physical and emotional – forms the foundation of her ability to enjoy a safe, healthy pregnancy and birthing journey. For that reason, our services begin with well-woman care on an annual basis and continue throughout all aspects of your prenatal and postnatal needs.

Complete Prenatal Care

From the moment you become pregnant, your body begins a miraculous journey, working hard to create a healthy baby and to prepare your body for the special work ahead. Your body is the source of all your baby’s nourishing life energy and nutrients from the moment he or she is conceived and well into his or her infancy via breastfeeding. Thus prenatal care is a top priority.

Justine will meet with you once a month from the beginning of your pregnancy through 32-weeks. At 32 weeks we meet every two weeks, then at 36 weeks we meet once a week. At prenatal checkups midwives provide support, and monitor the changes occurring for you and baby. We educate you about your pregnancy, prenatal nutrition and everything else you need or want to know about your changing body and your rapidly growing baby. We also provide standard prenatal testing (lab fees and ultrasound are not included in our midwifery fees), as well as routine newborn screening.

photo by Jen Kennedy

Throughout your pregnancy and the first six weeks postpartum, you will have 24/7 access to a midwife. When labor commences, she will assist you at the birth place of your choice: our beautiful birthing center, in your home for a home birth and /or in the birthing tub to enjoy a water birth experience.

Home Birth

If you are a healthy, low-risk woman, you may be a candidate for home birth. The home birth experience allows you to labor in the comfort of your home, which can decrease the stressors involved with birthing in a hospital, unfamiliar healthcare professionals coming in and out of your room, and the typical medical protocols that often prevent women from laboring and birthing in the positions that are most comfortable and healthy for their bodies and their babies.

In fact, clinical studies show that planned home birth for low risk women in North America, using Certified Professional Midwives, are associated with lower rates of medical intervention when compared with low risk hospital births in the United States. Should you opt to have a home birth, Justine will come to your home and stay with you throughout your labor and birth, facilitating positions, and additional birthing techniques that yield the most safe, comfortable and mother-baby friendly birth possible.

photo by Lauryn Marette

Contact the Bakersfield Birth Center to speak with Justine and to learn more about the home birth experience.

Lactation Support & Assistance

Whether you’ve worked with us throughout your pregnancy or contacting us for the first time with your baby already in your arms, our Board Certified Lactation Consultant can provide support and assistance. There is absolutely no doubt that breastfeeding is the healthiest choice for both mothers and babies. Colostrum and breastmilk provide the “just right” combination of nutrients your baby needs to grow and develop. It assists in postpartum reproductive health, helping to re-shape and tone the uterus and is an amazing way to bond with your newborn baby, infant and even your toddler. Despite breastfeeding being the most natural thing in the world it can sometimes be a challenge.

photo by Lauryn Marette

Justine has been a certified Lactation Consultant since 2010 and will work closely with you and your baby to facilitate a healthy and positive breastfeeding relationship.

Doula Services & Hospital Support

A Doula can serve as a pregnant and laboring mother’s best form of support, education and encouragement when midwifery care isn’t an option. This support can reduce a mother’s need for medical interventions during labor, which simultaneously reduces her risk of having a cesarean section and/or sustained complications with breastfeeding. This type of personalized labor support has been proven to increase the chances of having a natural, vaginal birth as well as a vaginal birth after a C-Section (VBAC), while decreasing your chances of complications.

Our doula services provide you with two prenatal visits and devoted attention and support throughout your labor and delivery. In addition to being a compassionate and knowledgeable labor support, your doula can serve as a liaison between you, your birthing partner and the medical staff. This allows you the space and necessary support to focus on your needs during labor.

Once your baby is born, your doula will stay by your side to provide breastfeeding support.

photo by Lauryn Marette

Contact the birth center to learn more about our doula services and hospital labor support.

Annual Well-Woman Care

A healthy body and nourishing lifestyle are the cornerstones of a healthy pregnancy and birth. Therefore, the Bakersfield Birth Center encourages women to be proactive about their reproductive and holistic health.

We can provide information regarding diet, exercise and lifestyle choices so you can live well on a day-to-day basis, pro-actively prioritizing your physical, mental and emotional well-being. We do our part to facilitate your health by offering annual well-woman care visits for every stage of your reproductive journey – from the time you become sexually active, through menopause.

Our well-woman care visits include:

Pap Smear Tests & Corresponding Lab Work
A Pelvic Exam
Routine Breast Exam (as well as instructions for how to perform them on your own)
A caring, compassionate and confidential environment in which you can have your questions and concerns addressed by a Certified Professional Midwife.

Photo by Loving Touch Photography

Are you interested in experiencing well-woman, pregnancy and post-partum care that empowers you to make informed
and intuitive decisions for yourself and your baby? Contact the Bakersfield Birth Center to schedule your
free consultation or to speak with a Certified Professional Midwife.