How did we get to the point where a third of all babies in the country are born via cesarean section? Most first-time mothers who reach their 40th week of pregnancy are given the option to go to the hospital to induce labor and, because of hospital policies, over 32% of all births are through cesarean section. The truth is, many of these cesareans are unnecessary. We tamper with the ability of a woman’s body to naturally deliver a healthy child. And the more we tamper, the more likely a birth ends in surgery. Thankfully, hospital births are no longer your only option.
Midwives at the Santa Clarita Valley Birth Center are experts in natural childbirth and believe in a woman’s ability to give birth naturally. Statistically, the safest place for a low-risk birth is at home or in an accredited birth center, with a trained, licensed midwife. When working with a licensed midwife, a woman can eat, drink, and move around freely as she knows what her and her baby needs. She will have personal continuity of care throughout her pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum experience. She is more likely to be individually treated and her progress evaluated holistically, rather than being sacrificed to protocols or statistical averages. She is much less likely to need pain medications and the risk of cesarean section is greatly reduced. She will not be subjected to routine procedures, such as continuous electronic monitoring or routine use of IV fluids, and will see a decrease in postpartum depression. At the SCV Birth Center, we practice intermittent fetal monitoring in accordance with the standards set by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
The SCV Birth Center is well-equipped to handle the very rare, unforeseen emergency. Our midwives carry emergency medications and equipment. We are also certified in Neonatal Resuscitation, Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support and Obstetrics (ALSO), and Advanced Fetal Monitoring.
Despite best efforts, complications do rarely arise. In these sparse cases, an individualized transfer-of-care plan is established during a patient’s prenatal care. This plan designates a specific, collaborating physician and hospital that will warmly accept Mom in the event a transport to a hospital is necessary. Although at that point your midwife is no longer the primary care provider, they will remain with you and function as in-hospital labor support. When these complications do arise, they’re not “911” emergencies; they simply put Mom in the car and drive to the hospital that she has previously designated.
Santa Clarita Valley Birth Center is SCV’s first free-standing birth center. We empower women to use their natural ability to birth without a dependence on arbitrary hospital policies. Through home birth and waterbirth, babies are welcomed to the world safely and naturally.
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