Birth Roots Women’s Health & Maternity Center

Let me start off by saying that when my gf told me she wanted to deliver with a midwife at a birth center I was like OMG my gf is the biggest hippie ever!!! Then we went to visit the center and I was blown away.
First off I can’t say enough good things about Darynee and her midwife staff. They are so knowledgable, so thoughtful, so kind, so considerate. They literally think of everything. I swear it’s part Nostradamus and part midwife bc they literally think of the stuff that you were gonna think to ask in 4 months.
The center is well equipped with everything to make a family comfortable while prepping for birth. There is a large room with an amazingly comfortable bed, bathtub, and all the amenities you need for a birth that will far exceed anything you have in he hospital.
I would highly recommend this for anyone considering an out of hospital birth. I leave the center each week wanting to invite the midwives over for dinner. They’re like family!

Trust the reviews. During my pregnancy all the wonderful women there became family. I moved to San Diego halfway through my pregnancy and had never thought of a birthing center till watching «Business of Being Born» then I googled what was near. After my first meeting with them and the welcoming environment I knew I was going to have my son there.
I was a little over 41 weeks and there was no pressure from them to try anything, «the baby will come when he is ready «and I loved that. When he did it was in the middle of the night and I labored until about midnight till arriving at the birthing center. They spoke softly, lights dimmed, held my hand, and joked with me. Which I needed.
Wonderful women, wonderful business, I would recommend them to anyone.

I gave birth at Birth Roots Center in November 2012. It was an amazing experience. The prenatal care was excellent. I received so much support for all the various symptoms of pregnancy. I loved the mini-​library that you could check out. I read a lot of the books! I had to pay out of pocket for this experience as Kaiser does not cover birth centers. At Kaiser my doctor was not supportive of an out of hospital experience and tried to make me feel like I was being reckless for choosing this path. I am so glad I did go natural though, I received such great personal care.
Darynee and Gabriela were the midwives I had the most appointments with and they were the ones that delivered my baby girl. This was my first child and therefore I expected to have a longer delivery. NOT the case. At 9pm, my water broke while doing some squatting exercises. By 11:00ish my doula, Mykael Richards, arrived because the contractions were happening so fast. She had us out the door within 15 minutes or so… It took me several contractions to get to the car as my body was already pushing! We get to Birth Roots about midnight. My baby girl was born at 2am. Despite having a super-​fast labor, the midwives were prepared. After the birth they examined me to see if I needed stitches. Our doula went to Denny’s and got us breakfast and after that I took a shower. It was so nice to go home and feel ‘ready’ to take care of my little girl.
They also checked out the baby to make sure everything was tip-​top. It took a while for the baby to get its temperature up, but they made sure we didn’t go home until both her and I were well. We got home by 9am… and never once had to fuss with ‘waiting on a doctor’.
For my birth experience, I also interviewed Sunshine Crispeels. Ultimately, a home birth was more than I wanted to spend on this experience. I found Birth Roots through Unilocal and then met Darynee at the Natural Baby Fair. I visited the center and it had a great homey feel. I never visited Best Start because their website felt a bit impersonal. Seemed like there was a possibility that I would get a midwive delivering my baby that I hadn’t met before.

I’d trust these women with my life, and I mean it. I transferred to Birth Roots in my third trimester after losing insurance coverage and having a bad experience with UCSD Hillcrest. I toured Best Start, but didn’t feel comfortable giving birth with them. The level of care you will receive at Birth Roots can’t be matched. You won’t be just a patient, you will be a friend. I felt like I had my sisters with me during my homebirth. The wonderful midwives at Birth Roots will support you both physically and emotionally through your pregnancy, birth, and many of the challenges motherhood brings. The birthing center is very accommodating. I have brought my children with me on numerous occasions and they love coming. They offer a weekly parenting group as well. It’s a nice way to keep visiting them without getting pregnant!

I have had the pleasure of working with the ladies of Birth Roots for three of my pregnancies and deliveries. I was blessed to have two wonderful homebirths with the support and knowledge of these wonderful women. With one of my pregnancies, I ended up being admitted to the hospital and put on bedrest at 30 weeks due to premature rupture of membranes. They came with me to the hospital and stayed with me until everything was settled and we were sure my little one was staying put. Throughout my 4 week stay they checked on me frequently and when it came time for my son to be born they came and supported me in the hospital through my labor. They even came to visit my son in the NICU. Their knowledge and support helped me get through my breastfeeding struggles and low supply. When I e-​mailed them throughout my pregnancies and post-​partum with questions they also responded quickly and gave me lots of good info and advice. Their birth center is very welcoming and roomy. Appointments feel like you are sitting and chatting with friends, you don’t feel rushed. They have toys for the kids and an area for them to play. I just cannot say enough about these ladies, they are a great group of midwives who truly care about their patients. I recommend them to everyone I know!

I love the ladies at Birth Roots! I initially chose them because they had pricing options and I liked that they were smaller/​less busy than Best Start. They do home births as well. I had my son at the birth center and if we have another child, I would have a home birth. They have a nice big birth tub and the facility is only a mile away from a hospital (in the rare event of emergency). It was so nice to only wait 5min for my prenatal appointments and then spend 30−45min with the midwives, instead of the other way around at Kaiser (wait forever then have a super fast appointment.) My three-​year-​old son was always welcome at my appointments which was great.