Tiffany, Michelle and Kaitlin are amazing. Very compassionate and attentive to my wife's and I…read morecomments and concerns. Each visit at the birth center prior to the birth was casual and comforting while never being rushed whatsoever. Very different than any Dr. office someone might visit. Michelle was so kind to come to our house prior to labor to check on my wife and it really made us feel so comfortable and reassured. Labor was an amazing experience from my, as the father, perspective. We did a home birth and all although it did not go "perfect", it was perfect. It turned out to not be a quick experience but at the end of it all, we look back at some amazing moments and momma and baby were completely healthy. One thing I can personally say that is very different about a home birth with Santa Lucia Birth Center vs. a hospital birth (our first birth) is the energy in the room was ALWAYS positive. My wife was pushing for like 4 hours and never once was there a negative conversation or vibe in the room. So many stories could be told at this point but thats for a different platform. At the end, we are 100% thrilled with our experience with Santa Lucia Birth Center. Tiffany and Michelle are wonderful and Kaitlin, their intern, is incredible as well. Quick story: When our child was born, my wife needed a little extra attention because of extra bleeding. The midwives were on it and I was focused on helping however I could. During this time, Kaitlin was holding our brand new baby. There was a moment that I looked up, saw Kaitlin holding baby Abigail, and I was instantly relieved knowing Abigail was being loved and looked after by Kaitlin. I could then focus on my wife which is where I felt I needed to be. Kaitlin's compassion and spirit was perfect and I am so thankful for that. Best of luck to all you parents who deliver naturally whether at home or the birth center.

I had a really horrible experience with this midwife and her staff. I asked about labs and paying…read moreper appointment and they abruptly dismissed me from the practice. Since I had to find a new clinician, I had nowhere else to go except for the ER when I started bleeding. I then found out I had a missed miscarriage and am still paying for the ER bill to this day. I would avoid this practice at all costs and cannot recommend it.

Have had a wonderful experience with Dr. Kennard, Dr. Flores and the entire team at Harmony…read more They're guiding us through our first pregnancy and have been super thorough and patient with us in each one of our appointments (even with my MANY, incessant questions). My one piece of advice is that I would have loved a handout with the pregnancy tests and timelines that we needed to follow in the early months of our pregnancy (as certain blood tests, ultrasounds, etc. have to be done at certain times). Adding a little outline here, in case anyone else is in the same (clueless) boat that we were as first time parents: 1ST TRIMESTER SCREENING (10 weeks - 14 weeks) Includes both a blood test (you can "walk in" at Central Coast Pathology or any place that does blood work) and a nuchal translucency ultrasound, which helps determine the risk of Down Syndrome. There are very few places in SLO that are able to do the high resolution ultrasound required for the nuchal translucency, so book your appointment at Obstetrix several weeks in advance (they take all PPOs and some HMOs). (I believe the HMOs that they do not take have to travel down to Santa Maria, so definitely call in advance.) Note: Get paperwork from Creating Harmony to bring to the blood test and ultrasound. Also request that Harmony send a referral to Obstetrix (they'll need that before they can book your appt). PROGENITY GENETIC CARRIER AND PRENATAL SCREENING (10 or more weeks) This one is for high risk pregnancies, but we opted to go for it as well. It tests certain chromosomal deletions or additions that are fairly serious, so if you're the type that thirsts for more rather than less information, this one's for you. It takes the place of the old amniocentesis procedure (which was super invasive and carried risk of miscarriage), with a super easy blood draw from the arm, which they then use to separate the baby's cells from your own. Insurance will cover it if you're over a certain age or have key risk factors. For everyone else, it's $100. Note: Get paperwork from Creating Harmony for this one as well. 20-WEEK ULTRASOUND (20 weeks) This one measures your baby's brain circumference and checks for other signs of healthy development. Obstetrix is, once again, really the only show in town for this ultrasound. Again, make sure you get a referral from Creating Harmony (or better yet, have them send all the referrals at one time). Will add to this as we get farther along in our pregnancy, but hope it helps!

Thankful for a provider who listens, provides education, and includes your perspective in a…read moretreatment plan. Dr. Kromhaut and Lisa winick provided me with exceptional care. The staff is professional and gave me no issue with submitting documents in a timely manner.

There's no way I could ever begin to explain how wonderful of a midwife Sarah Kelly is! How many…read moremen can talk about how great a midwife is? Mine can! I am an anxious person when I'm pregnant and she was so compassionate and kind and treats you like a person and not a number. I have never had a provider that I looked forward to seeing and could ask even the most uncomfortable questions. From the moment she walked in the door while I was in labor I felt confident and knew I could go through the unmedicated birth I had hoped for. She rubbed my back, helped my husband be a part of the process, talked us through everything, held my hand, and encouraged me! If you're looking for a provider that is confident in her abilities and will treat you the way you should be, then you need Sarah Kelly!!!

Where do I even begin?!?? My experience with Kinship midwifery was truly remarkable. Going thru the…read moreexperience of birthing my first baby, during a pandemic at that, you want a medical professional by your side who cares about the comfort and safety of you and your baby. From my prenatal appointments to post I felt so completely heard and informed on what my experience would be like. And if ever I needed anything outside her scope Alia has some great referrals to people in the birthing community. Making my pregnancy/breastfeeding journey that much more comfortable. Even with the early arrival of my daughter Alia was there with so much support and care. I was able to have the people I cared about most with me during my birthing time including my mother and husband, I can't imagine going thru it limiting who I want surrounding me. That was my biggest takeaway, my birth was completely focused on my needs, comfort and letting my body run it's natural course of bringing my daughter into this world, into our world, in the comfort of our own home. I loved absolutely everything about my birth!! Postpartum care under Alia's watch was also a dream, it was comfortable and informative. Postpartum body especially you want someone who pays attention to the details, keeping you informed of what to expect. Both my mother and I were so impressed by her wealth of knowledge, even my mother, a mother of 5 learned so much from her. Alia truly had my best interest at heart throughout the entire experience and in a time when you are completely vulnerable and about to enter a whole new journey of life you want someone like her on your side. I am so extremely grateful for her practice and I would highly recommend to any family member or friend!!!

Alia cared for me during my whole pregnancy and she is an educated professional as well as a…read morenurturing caretaker. She helped me get through what I thought was a miscarriage early on in my pregnancy and always had the perfect things to say from then on. She was always punctual, accommodating, full of resources and kind to my entire family and me. Having my children at home is the most empowering experience of my life and Alia helped facilitate this by encouraging me emotionally and physically. Delivery time came and together we welcomed my 9.2 lb. baby boy into the world, gently in the safety of my home. My husband and I highly recommend Alia to anyone who thinks a home birth is right for them.

Finally coming around to writing a review. Andrea helped me and my baby have a successful nursing…read morejourney. My baby was born early and needed feeding intervention and a hospital stay. It took a while, but Andrea was able to help me get him latched and transferring milk. She was incredibly helpful and I learned a ton. She also saved me from needing to continue to pump 8 to 10 times a day which I will be forever grateful for.

Andrea Herron is somewhat of a local lactation legend. All the health providers know her and…read morelovingly refer to her as "the guru." And it is clear why: Andrea combines knowledge of nursing with much needed emotional support to get you through your lactation woes. Andrea has a wonderful bedside manner. She's warm and kind but focused and efficient with her sessions. Andrea has helped calm my anxiety about breastfeeding issues my newborn. I credit Andrea for helping me stay on track. Her staff, Trisha and Robin, are knowledgeable and kind as well. After 6 weeks of agonizing pain and every possible thing you can think of going wrong, we finally had a breakthrough. I was so close to quitting and I spent weeks pumping and bottle feeding. I am so happy to report that as my baby approaches 2 months, he is now fully breastfed. If you are struggling, please get help. Stay strong and believe in yourself because most problems resolved with time.

I highly recommend Lisa. We worked with Lisa when she worked at Advanced Ob in San Luis Obispo in…read more2002/2003. She is very talented, extremely knowledgeable, and very caring and compassionate. Even though we were attending a traditional office we never felt rushed by her, she always had time to answer our questions and adress our concerns. At the time Advanced Ob could not guarantee who would actually attend your birth so you would see each of their CNMs on a rotating bases during the course of your pregnancy. My husband and I both felt very comfortable with Lisa and hoped she would be attending our birth. We met Lisa during our first pregnancy, that tragically ended in miscarriage at 17 weeks. She was very supportive during that difficult time. We went back to Advanced Ob because of Lisa, when we got pregnant again the following year. Lisa is kind, down to earth, easy to talk to and knowledgeable about hospital births, home births and natural birth remedies and practices. We were thrilled when Lisa was able to attend the birth of our daughter Sequoia. My birth process turned out to be very long. As it turned out my daughter was posterior and had a nuchal hand, it was up against her head. Thus she did not engage properly and my labor was more difficult.Lisa was amazing and brave and supportive of my natural birth. I am grateful for her skill and strength of character. She knew exactly what to do, when she realized the baby's hand was in a difficult position, to help ensure a safe delivery and minimize any injury to me during the birth. I really believe that Lisa helped me to avoid a c-section and injury and helped me to deliver my healthy beautiful baby girl. In lesser skilled hands I don't know if the outcome would have been the same. I also have to say that she was very patient with me. I can be a difficult patient. I want things my way. She worked beautifully with me and seemed to want to have things my way too.:) Lisa is also supportive of water birth. Unfortunately the hospital choices were limited when we were in SLO and French only allowed me to labor in the tub. My daughter took a bath with Daddy after she was born which was wonderful. Things may have changed since we were there. If you are looking for more birth choices, a provider who will support your wishes, someone who is caring and compassionate and will make time for you I advise you to contact Lisa. I believe she currently works at Creating Harmony Women's Healthcare in San Luis Obispo. http://www.creatingharmonyobgyn.com I have moved north since giving birth to my daughter so I no longer have a professional relationship with Lisa. However, my husband and I have good memories of working with her and we are so grateful for her expertise and compassion. Lisa has the skill and compassion needed to provide the very best quality of care to her clients. She is empowering, supportive, inspiring, and encouraging all things that new Moms and Dads really need.

Had 2 babies and came back for my third with him. Excellent surgeon so performed really precise…read morestitches (natural tearing occurred) that had me recovering very quickly. I firmly believe that his guidance allowed me to have my larger babies without having to have a c section. He was also preferring that I not have a c section (although he does them as needed) because he wants the process to be as few interventions as possible. Pro- his son (Dr Zachary Spalding) has now joined the practice as an OB and dare I say is even better? His beside manner is great and he is really thoroughly in explaining what is happening to you. I've recommended to every expecting mom or woman looking for an OB/GYN.

My pap was thrown away last year. I had to have another one. Neither doctor staff were…read moresympathetic. Now my pap this year is 14 days late for the reading. No one said they would contact the lab !! I have informed them it was very important to get the read because MRI is pending. Way too casual. I'm not going back to this doctor. I'm retired from Sutter medical group. This area sucks in patient care. I have a concierge doctor due to my concerns overall. Be careful. !!

They don't care about anyone's time they will schedule cancel you while your in the office waiting…read morethey will make you show up 15 mins early to an appt or they won't see you but will absolutely have you waiting for more than 2 hours to get seen literally go to a dumpster diver an you'd get better birth medical help I hate dignity health an I refuse to give birth with a company who doesn't care about there patients

Wow. What a great hospital. There's no wonder why it's in the top 100!…read more When first being admitted to do paperwork for the hospital, my husband and I were a bit iffy about choosing French. Yes, it was nice visually but the staff doing our paperwork wasn't too friendly. We opted out of the birthing tour due to his busy schedule (if you do have the time, please do it!), so our last impression was her. But choosing French Hospital has been honestly the best! I had my son on January 9th, 2018 at 5:17am. Admitted at around 4:10am, I was having consistently strong contractions that only got closer in duration. The moment I was admitted, 4-5 nurses were consistently helping to take care of me and baby boy- getting vitals, asking if I needed anything, asking me if I wanted certain options (epidural, cord blood, skin-to-skin, etc.) and never forcing me into anything I didn't want, and just helping me to breathe and calm down. One stood by my side letting me hold her hand through the pain and continually coaching me to breathe (she was awesome!). By the time the doctor came in (around 5:10am), the nurses had taken care of me that all he had to do was break my water and "catch" the baby. Once having my son, the doctor had left and would visit later that day but the nurses continually checked in, running tests and making sure I was well accommodated (helping me to the bathroom, getting anything I needed, helping me with pain and recovery, giving me meds, etc.). They were the BEST! In addition to the pediatrician and my OB-GYN doing rounds to check in, there was a French Hospital breastfeeding consultant who recommended the breastfeeding clinic (which is AMAZING and I would totally recommend!). The only con I can think of was we did not receive a complimentary dinner of choice (as Sierra and Twin Cities have this), but this wasn't a big deal at all. Besides this, my husband and I had the most amazing experience- from the new renovated rooms to the friendliness and care of ALL of the staff. We also miraculously were discharged the next day as requested, as we wanted to get home as soon as possible. After getting home, they assign a nurse to call and check up on you and baby, and if wanted, to visit your home to check up in person. My nurse, Pat, called me and said she was unable to visit in person (since she was sick) but would gladly answer any questions or concerns I had. From breastfeeding to jaundice and everything in between, she answered everything and helped me through my concerns. What really stuck with me though was that in this time of need and going through new things with my son (breastfeeding issues, sleeplessness, etc.), she made me feel that I was doing my best as a mom and that I was NOT ALONE. A mom goes through so much in the first week of having a baby, from physical recovery to exhaustion from care and so on, it's important to know that there is help out there and someone cares/ has been in your position. So, thank you Pat- you've made a difference to my life even through a phone call. If we ever do plan on having another baby, we would not hesitate to go with French Hospital. Thank you everyone at the Birthing Center! You are the BEST.

I remember finding out I was pregnant in December 2021 I knew I wanted a midwife and I wanted to do…read morea natural birth. I did my searching around until I found Erin's location in Arroyo Grande. I remember meeting her for the first time and it was an instant click! Sadly heading into January 2022 I ended up having miscarriage.... couple months had passed by since the miscarriage and we found out we were pregnant again with our rainbow baby! I called Erin right away I was so nervous we were going to loose this baby as well, I did everything I could to hold this little bean close. Erin was right there every step reassuring me and helping me out on what I can do to help my body carry this baby to term! Well it happened and now I have one kick ass birth story to tell! We welcomed our baby girl into this world January 24,2023! Erin you are one amazing person and I am so glad I have met someone like you! You made me feel more like myself but also a mother I was meant to be, I feel as if I was reborn with our daughter and I thank you so much for being there every step of the way with us.

From the owner: Birth center in AGread more