Bay Area Homebirth Collective

Childbirth Classes

Jane Austin
jane@bayareahomebirth.org

Kristen Graser
510-704-1685
kristen@bayareahomebirth.org
More info

Midwives

LINKS
  • Winter 2009-2010 Newsletter, “A New Jane Austin Classic” - (back issues here)
  • Pictures from the 2007 Eco-Picnic
  • Jane Austin's Prenatal Yoga Schedule
  • Largest prospective study of homebirth safety and outcomes just published
  • Information on immunization

  • UPCOMING EVENTS
  • Birth Stories at Rites of Passage Offices
    Saturday, January 14, 11am - 1:30 pm
    62 Hattie Street in San Francisco's Castro

  • East Bay New Parents Group
    Wednesdays, 3:30 pm - 5 pm
    Birthways: 1600 Shattuck Ave, Ste 122 (off Cedar between Barneys and the Cleaners)

  • Weekly New Parents Group
    Wednesdays, 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
    Natural Resources, 1367 Valancia St. (at 25th St.), San Francisco
    (No fee, Drop in group for new parents and their children)

  • Monthly Labyrinth walk
    3rd Thursday, 11:45 am
    Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

  • Meet the Midwives
    2nd Saturday, 4-6 pm
    Natural Resources: 1367 Valencia St. (at 25th St.), San Francisco

  • Join the Bay Area Home Birth Collective Families online group by sending an e-mail to bahcfamilies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please include a brief comment about why you want to join, your connection to the BAHC if any, and where you live.

    BAY AREA HOMEBIRTH COLLECTIVE

    The Bay Area Homebirth Collective is a group of midwives, labor assistants, and childbirth educators dedicated to empowering women and families through homebirth.

    We believe that pregnancy and childbirth are normal, healthy physiological processes and see ourselves as caregivers in normal pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.It is the pregnant woman who is the decision-maker and it is her right to fully understand, choose, and take responsibility for the kinds of procedures used during her birth. The principles of informed choice, continuity of care, woman-as-decision-maker, appropriate technology, integrated education and counseling, and choice of birthplace provide the basis for our philosophy of care.We feel that these prinicples are the foundation for a trusting relationship between client and caregiver. Safety is promoted through the use of skillful midwifery, risk-screening and appropriate medical referrals.

    With BAHC, families choose a midwife who provides their prenatal care and works with them through the birth and postpartum.Other midwives and alternative health practitioners are available for consultation and referral.

    Our collective also offers:

    The Homebirth Education series
    Pregnancy support groups
    Postpartum support groups
    Community Information Seminars

    BAHC comprehensive prenatal care includes:

    Physical assessment of well-being and risk screening
    Emotional support, validation, and counseling
    Appropriate lab work
    Nutritional and herbal counseling
    Support for family involvement in the birth process

    BAHC encourages well-pregnancy self-care through:

    Inner exploration
    Positive body image
    Healthy diet and excercise
    Stress reduction

    BAHC midwifery embraces:

    Respect for the birth process
    Recognition of the spiritual elements of birth
    Birth as a path of personal growth and empowerment
    Continuity of care between client and provider
    Informed choice and personal responsibility for health

      "The essence of midwifery is a commitment to human connection-- to childbirth as an active form of intimate self-expression at home, rather than a homogenized experience bound by a single set of medical standards in an unfamiliar hospital."
      --Susan Perry
    For more information,
    please email us at info@bayareahomebirth.org