Hello and welcome back everyone! Today on the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) Birth Center blog, we’re diving into the topic of gestational diabetes. It’s a common concern during pregnancy, but fear not – we’re here to shed some light on the matter and help you make informed decisions about your health and your baby’s well being. What is gestational diabetes and how does it develop? Gestational diabetes occurs when the mother’s body becomes insulin resistant during pregnancy. To understand this, we need to know how food breaks down into sugar and how insulin plays a vital role in regulating blood s ..read more

Hey there, expectant parents! Welcome back to our blog here at the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) Birth Center, SCV’s premier birth center. If you’re embarking on the exciting journey of becoming first-time parents or even if you’re seasoned pros in need of a refresher, childbirth education is a topic that comes up quite a bit. With so many options out there, it’s essential to figure out what kind of class suits you best and what information you want to gather. Let’s dive into the world of childbirth education and explore why it can make a world of difference in your birthing experience. The impor ..read more

Welcome back to our blog here at the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) Birth Center, SCV’s premier birth center. Today, we have an exciting topic to discuss: water birth! Water birth is a fascinating world within the natural birth realm and it is something that piques the curiosity of many expectant parents. They wonder, “Is it safe? How does it work? Can the baby breathe underwater?” These are all valid questions, and today we’re going to dive in headfirst (pun intended) to unravel the magic of water birth. The Aquatic Journey Within Alright, let’s get to the basics. Picture this: you have a beautif ..read more

Hey everyone! Welcome back to the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) Birth Center blog. Today, I wanted to take a moment to discuss a topic that’s been on my mind lately: hyperemesis gravidarum, more commonly just “hyperemesis”. It’s a condition that affects some pregnant women and can be quite challenging to manage. We recently had a client who was experiencing hyperemesis and it reminded me just how important it is to understand the difference between hyperemesis and morning sickness. So let’s dive in! What is hyperemesis, and is it the same as morning sickness? Let’s start by clarifying the distinc ..read more

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) Birth Center blog. Today, we are discussing ultrasounds when they should and maybe should not be used in pregnancy. Let’s jump in! Ultrasound at 30 weeks Over the weekend, someone reached out to me on Facebook asking about an ultrasound that was done on their family member who was 30 weeks pregnant. The doctor mentioned that the baby was measuring a bit small, but the weight was exactly as expected. Keep in mind, this was a late-term ultrasound, which is anything after 24 weeks for a low-risk, normal singleton (meaning only one ch ..read more

Welcome back to the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) Birth Center blog. Today, we’re talking about lactation support, so let’s dive in! Yes, breastfeeding challenges are normal Today, we’re joined by my lovely friend, Mary and we are diving into the importance of having a lactation consultant. And who better to discuss this topic with than Mary, who has had some challenges with breastfeeding previous babies, and is currently working through some similar challenges with her current baby. He’s looking great, but he has just been a little bit slow to gain weight in the first few weeks postpartum. Mary ..read more

Hello! Today, we’re going to explore an often-overlooked topic: the experience of dads in the postpartum period. In a culture where the spotlight primarily shines on the mother and her birth experience, the emotional journey of partners and immediate family members often goes unaddressed. Yet, they too play an integral role in this transformative event and can experience their own unique challenges and traumas. There is so much to cover on this topic, there is no way we could cover everything. So our aim with today’s post is to scratch the surface and shed some light on the profound impact of ..read more

Disclaimer: To protect the privacy of our clients, the names and identifying details of some individuals may have been changed. Hello, everyone! We hope you’re having a fantastic day so far, wherever you’re joining us from. Today, we’re back with another birth story at the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) Birth Center, SCV’s premier birth center. We’re excited to share the incredible journey of Eve, a first-time mom who chose to give birth at the birth center. Join us as we dive into her experience, the ups and downs, and everything in between. Using data to choose a birth center Eve: Hey, everyone ..read more

Disclaimer: To protect the privacy of our clients, the names and identifying details of some individuals may have been changed. To be or not to be in-hospital? Giving birth is one of the most important events in a woman’s life. As such, many expectant mothers spend a lot of time planning for it. They write down birth plans and birth wishes, dream about how they want to bring their baby into the world, and choose between in-hospital and out-of-hospital birth, among other options. However, sometimes things don’t go according to plan, as Susie discovered. Susie had planned to have an out-of-hospi ..read more