Ruth is awesome and made my first pregnancy and birth experience one to be treasured forever. I found it was easy to trust her and have confidence in her guidance. She answered all of my questions and encouraged me to ask, even when I was afraid I was asking too many questions at once. She is so sweet, yet firm, and it's obvious she loves children and is passionate about what she does. She sadly had to close her practice, but I am grateful she was my first midwife and introduction into pregnancy/birth/motherhood. With the education and support she offered during my time at her practice, I feel like I was set up well for all subsequent pregnancies and for breastfeeding. Thank you, Ruth! read more

I gave birth to my first here at The Birth Center. Having Ruth, the midwife, guiding me along the pre-natal, birth, and post-partum journey was empowering and safe. She provided answers to all of my questions and concerns and the quality of care I received was top notch. With each visit, I was greeted by Ruth and entered into a calm and cozy environment. I couldn't imagine a better birth experience all thanks to my journey at TBC! read more

The Birth Center - Midwives Near Me - Sacramento, California

Nearly three years later, and I'm finally ready to share how Ruth ruined my natural birth experience. As an advocate for reproductive and very basic human rights, I'm begging you to choose another facility. What happened to me may not happen to you, but myself and many other women have suffered long after birth because of Ruth's care. The appointments I had with Ruth were extremely cold and unwelcoming. As a very well-informed young mom, I asked very little questions and only asked when needed. She was extremely judgmental and down-right rude at any point I asked a question. My visits with her were never welcoming, nor did I look forward to them. The day I went into labor I labored at home from 11pm to 5pm the following day, nearly 15 hours. I called Ruth around 4pm to let her know I was contracting close together, she brushed me off and urged me to only contact her if I was having bloody show. An hour later, when this occurred she said we were welcome to come in...at this point I had been laboring 16 hours. I was progressing beautifully. I worked on breath work, yoga, and meditation my whole pregnancy and I was finally experiencing the calmness that can be rare in birth. Upon arrival at The Birth Center, Ruth immediately said I did not look like I was in pain and that I "looked like one of those hypnobaby moms" She checked my cervix and I was 7cm heading to 8cm. Once I was checked into my room, it was nearly 7:30pm (the timeline will be useful later), my water was still intact. I spent the next few hours with my mother and partner. Ruth would come in occasionally to check on me, but would just look and me and and check baby's heartbeat. Hopping to around 1am, I had only been at the facility for 5 hours. Ruth walked in, checked me stated "You're at a 9. I have been here since 5am this morning, if you don't start progressing soon you're going to get transferred" I had transitioned from a 7-9 in a good amount of time, waters were still intact, and contractions were very close. She stated she would check me one more time in 30 minutes, and if I wasn't progressed i would be transferred. In shock, I continued to do what I was doing, even walked outside to get fresh air. I was a confused, and scared young mom. Looking for reassurance that my body was doing what it was supposed to, and got nothing. I'm putting in a trigger warning for the delivery of my beautiful son. Proceed with caution. At the 30 minute mark, it was the dreaded time of being checked again. I laid there with my family surrounding me, hoping I didn't have to be transferred. She reached in, said I was still at a 9. I nearly started to cry. She looked at me and said "you need to push", I said, "I'm not ready" and she said "I'm your medical provider and I'm telling you to push. I'm going to hold your cervix open" (her fingers were still inside of me) "and you're going to push. If you don't want my fingers in there, you need to push them out" looking back, this is borderline sexual assault and forced intervention. But, it was 1:30am. I had nowhere else to go. My mom grabbed my hand, crying, and said it would be okay and I needed to be strong. I proceeded to push, against my wishes, for two and a half hours. During this time, 2 doulas arrived (thank goodness for them). When my son finally arrived he was placed on my stomach (not my chest, Ruth said he didn't need to be there??????) and we waiting for the placenta to be delivered. About 5 minutes passed, Ruth said she was going to deliver it herself. She proceeded to yank of the umbilical cord, my placenta came out and I started to hemorrhage. They gave me a shot in my leg, and we waited until it was time for me the breastfeed for the first time (which went great by the way, little dude is a trooper!). They stated i needed to go pee before I was able to leave, so the RN helped me to the restroom. At this point I nearly passed out on the floor from blood loss, and my partner had my son in his arms on the bed. Ruth began his newborn exam while I was in the bathroom, and all I could hear was his cries. With my mother, and partner in front of her, the only thing she said while doing his exam was "well aren't you pathetic" because he was crying. Yes, Ruth, a newborn is pathetic for crying. Awful excuse for a midwife. I came out, got back in bed, and continued to breastfeed. At this point, Ruth had left. She was nowhere to be found. When I asked, the RN on sight said she had gone home and I was under her (the RNs) care from there on. I stayed until 6am until I was released, and that is the close to my story. I never returned. Any healthcare provider I've ever told this story to is appalled and disgusted by the actions Ruth Cummings took in lack of care for myself and my son. His name still sits on her page to this day, although I believe it is undeserving of being there as I'm disgusted to be associated with this place. read more

The Birth Center - Midwives Near Me - Sacramento, California

I don't even know where to begin. As a first time pregnant woman I set out with the goal of having an unmedicated birth. I've heard so many traumatic hospital stories from the poor women around me and wanted to avoid that being my situation at all costs. I see the bad reviews on here and I'd like to offer a different perspective. You have to do the work. No one can get you through an unmedicated birth but yourself. Not Ruth, not the staff, not even your partner. You have to prepare your mind, body, and soul for that experience. Stretching, meditation, breath work, knowing the stages of labor, etc... This is something that took months of preparation and getting in the correct mind set, at least for me. Now with that being said, Ruth and the staff were absolutely god sent. I see the reviews saying that Ruth is cold or unemotional. I personally do not believe that to be the case but she is a person that gets straight to the point. During my labor she left my husband and I be , would come into check on us, make suggestions, and leave us be again. I didn't need her to rub my back, whisper sweet words to me, or hold my hand...I had my husband for that. But Ruth was the constant medical reassurance in the back ground that gave me peace of mind. She was the strong voice that gave me direction when I needed it. Ruth may not be everyone's cup of tea but she was exactly what I needed, when I needed it. There was a moment during labor (sometime around 8-9cm) that I looked around the room and made eye contact with each person there- my husband, Ruth, the doula, the L/D nurse, and the nursing student. They all looked back at me with complete confidence in what I was doing. No fear, no doubt, just quiet confidence and reassurance. That was the moment I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be, that I was capable of achieving what I set out to do. Just talking talking about it makes me emotional. My daughters birth was everything I could have wished for and more. My husband and I will be forever grateful to Ruth and the staff for what they did for us. read more

The Birth Center - Midwives Near Me - Sacramento, California

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After two epidural deliveries I decided to try for natural with my third. Ruth accepted me a little late in my pregnancy and was very reassuring that I could do this... and I did! I specifically requested that she tell me exactly what to do as I wasn't feeling very confident. She remained calm through the entire labor process and did everything she could to ensure minimal tearing. As hysterical as I became during transition, she knew exactly what to say for me to keep moving forward and to not give up. I needed someone who wouldn't cater or walk on eggshells around me during delivery. I needed someone to be strong when I couldn't be and instead of asking me what I need to tell me what I need and that's exactly what Ruth did. My husband was my loving support and Ruth was my rock. Her assistant was incredible also! Thank you both for a life changing experience. read more

This review is a long time coming but I've had a hard time finding the words to adequately describe what Ruth and The Birth Center mean to me. As someone who has given birth twice with Ruth, I'm puzzled by these one star reviews....especially from people who have never given birth with Ruth before. That being said, I can't speak highly enough of Ruth, and the care I received at The Birth Center. You won't find a more experienced and competent Midwife in the area. One thing I absolutely love about Ruth is she doesn't sugarcoat anything, which I very much appreciate especially in the throws of labor. She is straight to the point and factual, while at the same time being an understanding, calm voice of reason. (Even at 3 in the morning when I called her thinking I was in labor only to be a false alarm. Whoops!) When I was struggling in my first labor, Ruth knew exactly what to say to snap me out of my mental block and I was then able to progress through to the next stage. When issues arose in labor she explained everything thoroughly and handled them calmly. My second birth was a breeze because I trusted Ruth wholeheartedly. When I needed help with breastfeeding I called on her expertise once again and she taught me how to get a deeper, pain free latch. Because of her guidance I was able to do extended breastfeeding with my son throughout the Covid pandemic. (3 years of breastfeeding! ) I will always be grateful to Ruth, and The Birth Center will always hold a special place in my heart. read more

I used Ruth's services because she offers a free lactation clinic. I can honestly say that it was the worst consultation I have ever had. She listened to my concerns and said rudely that she heard my story plenty of times and she didn't even need me to come to see her that day. She could have told me over the phone that my baby had a lip and/or tongue tie. As a lactation consultant (IBCLC) she didn't even bother to check my baby's latch. I was shocked. I believe it has been a long time since she has read new evidence and research. She stated that "babies with a tie often fall asleep at the breast" (huh?) So... Babies without a tie don't? Not recommended as a lactation consultant, let alone as an important role as a midwife. read more

I understand why this place has bad reviews. They are well earned. 1.) The Birth Center refuses to provide basic information regarding what is and is not included in the fee they charge. I asked them for this information many times in many different ways. I offered to pay for the initial visit to receive this information. They refused. What I would NOT do was agree to pay for everything, and then be surprised by extra fees. They simply DID NOT want to share this information. This information allows for an informed decision in order to consent to the fee contract. 2.) Also, The Birth Center requires payment of the labor and delivery fee long before there is a labor and delivery. Let me explain why this is a problem, and out of the ordinary. The majority of the fee is the labor and delivery. During pregnancy, early labor or a change in medical condition to a high risk pregnancy would prevent use of The Birth Center. Meaning you paid 100% and could not get the services you paid for. There is nothing in the paperwork to account for this situation or talk of refunds. The midwives I ended up hiring required a $1000 deposit upon hire, and payment of the balance at 36/37 weeks. If you go into labor earlier than that, miscarry, or become high risk and need a hospital, the full fee SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED. How The Birth Center has this set up is predatory. I imagine this is a great financial windfall for them, bad for the mom who is now out the money. 3.) The Birth Center provided NO INFORMATION or paper acknowledgements regarding what I did and did not consent to/want during my labor and delivery. DID NOT explain in writing what I could count on for care. Which is the exact opposite to what I got with my current midwives. My current midwives had about 6 contracts/forms that asked what I wanted, and informed me of the basics of their services: a.) like Vitamin K for the baby or not; b.) explained about hearing test for the baby; c.) explained birth certificates for a home birth; d.) explained the basics for preventing postpartum depression. Just lots of good basic information backed up by medical research to stay healthy in all ways before and after the pregnancy. Keeping moms informed, make them feel empowered and confident. These forms also informed me as to how their services worked, so I could feel comfortable knowing what to expect. The Birth Center provided NOTHING in the way for informed consent, and WOULD NOT share the basics of what their care entailed. The Birth Center failed at every level. They may call themselves midwives, but they don't act like it. Maybe because they are Nurse Practitioner Midwives, that until just recently had to be babysat by medical doctors. I think they picked up the bad habits of medical doctors. The habits of not respecting the birthing mother. Not explaining. And the god complex so many clueless doctors have when it comes to caring for human beings. I am the mother, and I get to make informed decisions about my pregnancy and child birth. I come into this pregnancy having had 3 other children. I read, I am informed. This place is no good. The only reason this place has happy customers, is because these moms have gotten use to being disregarding in their care. read more

I had amazing prenatal and postnatal care at The Birth Center. Ruth is an extremely skilled and knowledgeable midwife. She never rushed appointments and took time to provide individualized care. I cannot recommend The Birth Center enough! read more

I had 5 of my 7 children at the Birth Center. The prenatal care is personal and thorough. Ruth has a lot of experience and knowledge and has also helped me postpartum with nursing and other concerns. The nursing staff is helpful and kind. I only have good things to say about my experiences here. I have also referred friends and they have had great experiences. read more

2 years later and im ready to share my experience. I am a young and new mom who is low income so I was extremely excited to find a home birthing center that accepted insurance. When I first went in to check out the place I met Ruth, our first interaction was very awkward. Well I wanted a home birth so I made the necessary changes to my insurance so I could be seen by her. Fast forward to our appointments, we didn't have many due to me being far along already. Our appointments did not consist of too much, I am a very quiet person so I will not put that on her. I had a few uncomfortable conversations with her where she made me feel almost dumb for asking the questions I was concerned about but once again it was a whole new experience for me. I will not drag on about those things. I understand that I went in very uneducated and could have done more on my part. Looking back now I just wished she would have let me go since she wasn't confident in me giving birth there. I mean I wasn't too confident in myself but I was willing to give it my best. Now the morning my water broke it was around 3 am I had called her. She sounded almost annoyed that I had called her, but I understand it's not fun being woken up out of your sleep. She asked me what my name was, I told her it's Kaitlyn, she was like Kaitlyn who? This woman didn't even remember me by my first name and she is the only person I have ever seen in that building. A shame. I told her my water broke and she told me to call back when my contractions were around 5 minutes apart. This happened very quickly and by 8 or 9 am I was in so much pain and my contractions were 5 minutes apart. I called her and our conversation lasted literally 5 minutes. Somehow within that time I did not have a contraction but I was tracking them and every 5 minutes on the dot, no exaggeration, I was contracting. I would not lie to her about this. There was no reason to. THANKFULLY I had my own doula who came over and was witnessing this herself, she gave Ruth a call because I was in a ton of pain and Ruth gave her so much attitude about my situation as if it were not true and she would only speak to me. But my doula just wanted to let her know she believed I need to be seen. At this point I was surrounded by my doula and many women in my family that have given birth multiple times, and they knew it was time for me to go. I made the decision to just go to the hospital and not deal with the drama, even though that was not what I truly wanted. My water was completely gone when I got to the hospital and I was 7cm dilated. I was under so much stress and came to find out my cord was wrapped around my daughter's body and I needed to get an emergency c section. My experience at the hospital was scary but honestly the doctors were so reassuring and nice to me I will NEVER forget it. I'm honestly forever grateful I made the decision to go to the hospital and so thankful Ruth was an absolute pain that morning. Now I see I am not the only one with a story like this. This woman faced a lawsuit years ago and its beyond me that she is still in business. I see that she has a large amount of good births but you can't ignore the bad that has come along with it. I don't feel it is worth the risk, unless you yourself have your own experience and knowledge of home births, I wouldn't blindly trust this woman alone. I haven't spoken to her since I was at home having dry painful contractions just minutes apart. It was a very traumatizing day I hate revisiting. But this is me moving on. To Ruth, I pray you stop accepting more than you can handle, maybe even allow someone else to take some of the load off of you. You can not do it all and that is okay! You have hurt a handful of mothers, and I know you are just doing what you can. But please reevaluate what you are doing. You are one of the only birthing centers in Sacramento! Do better. read more

Ruth was very informative from moment we meet very knowledgeable about natural births and breastfeeding. Although I had my baby very fast and did not get to experience the laboring part of the center, her prenatal care was great. Lactation care was amazing, breastfeeding mom of 4 and she knew exactly what I was feeling and going through when she checked in with me day after birth. My first born had a tongue and lip tie that was not addressed from Kaiser so as soon as I started to have problems with baby I knew this was the issue and didn't have to even tell Ruth she was so informative and comforting at our 2 day visit, she corrected the lip and tongue tie and within 30 mins my baby was latched with no issues and now is thriving! It was so comforting to have Ruth and her knowledge after going through this once with no solution I will say such a relief! Thanks so much Ruth your truly a gift! The work your doing is amazing allowing women the space and informative to have natural births is something special. read more

Ruth emotionally abused me from the second I arrived at the birthing center in labor until the second I left. When I arrived the room looked completely different than when I toured it. It no longer had blankets and pillows on it, it had one cheap polyester fitted sheet and puppy pads. It was the middle of January and I was freezing. I asked for a blanket and she brought in a thin 4 x 4 blanket and a tiny space heater. The building has central heat so not sure why the building wasn't being heated. She mocked me and scolded me and the doula, she said no baby was ever born with the mom's legs closed over and over again as I was bent over in a contraction. The doula was so sweet and offered me the birthing tub to labor in and Ruth yelled at her and I said I couldn't have that. I eventually went in the shower to labor and Ruth came in my shower multiple times to check how dilated I was in the middle of contractions!! I kindly asked her to wait until my contraction was over but she never listened and crossed so many boundaries inserting her fingers inside me to check. After about 6 hours of labor and abuse from Ruth she said my labor had stalled and I wasn't progressing fast enough for her. At this point she was just tired and wanted to go home. She said I was being transferred to mercy San Juan and I said no I wasn't. I live an hour away from the birth center and I wanted to go to the hospital near my home and I explained to Ruth if my labor stalled why can't I have my partner drive me back to my hometown and birth near my family and at a hospital I'm familiar with. She went off!!! Against her wishes we drove back to our hometown arrived at the hospital and 10 minutes later my water broke and I was delivering. I had a beautiful birth at the hospital and no complications like Ruth said I would have. Moral of the story my daughter didn't want to be born in that terror and as soon as I was relaxed at the hospital she came so beautifully and smoothly. Ruth is far from a natural midwife, she is a birth nazi in my mind and I'm so blessed I left there and didn't get fully robbed of my birth experience. read more

My wife has had two births at The Birth Center and I wouldn't trust anyone else to deliver our babies. Ruth is the epitome of competent, professional care. Her background as a registered nurse - in addition to her certification/accreditation as a nurse midwife - inspires confidence which is reinforced every time we go to her with prenatal/birth/lactation questions. On top of everything else, Ruth is one of the most inexpensive birth centers in the area. If you're looking for an alternative to a hospital birth, I can't recommend The Birth Center enough. read more

I can't stress enough how wonderful my experience with Ruth was. I highly recommend her!

I cannot possibly recommend this enough! After a hospital birth riddled with unnecessary monitoring, interventions, and manipulations, we decided to have our second baby at a birth center. Feeling strapped for choices due to insurance coverage, I was still initially worried that I would have to compromise by choosing based on what we could afford. Boy, was I wrong! There could not have been a better place for our little baby boy to enter this world. Ruth is knowledgeable, experienced, and a peaceful and calming presence. The facility is clean and well equipped while keeping a wonderful natural and comforting feel to it, like I'm in a home. Not at all clinical and yet such a safe place to be while in labour. Ruth answered every question I had and ticked every box you could ask for in a midwife. I also credit her with setting me up for complete success in my breastfeeding journey, exceptional support I never ever received in the hospital system with my first. If we ever have another baby, we will be knocking on the Birth Center's door for sure! read more

This place single-handedly ruined my birth experience. This was my second birth, with my first being in a hospital with a waterfall of interventions that I didn't want the second time around. My labor was moving a little slow but once I started really having contractions, I contacted her as instructed and was brushed off for hours. I'd been practicing my breathing, doing yoga, etc to prepare and once I felt that I couldn't talk through my contractions anymore, we went to TBC. I was fine in between contractions and able to walk and talk. When we walked in, I had just had a contraction in the car so I knew I was okay to walk in. She made a comment about how I was there too early if I look this happy. I was dilated to a 5 and wanted to continue to labor there since they had the nurses to help me through my labor and I could labor in the tub as well. After about 4 hours, I was at a 6 and that's when the fear mongering started because she seemed tired and impatient with me at that point. Ruth told me that if I didn't start progressing faster that I was going to be transferred to the hospital. I was confused because our vitals were fine and I didn't realize my birth was going to be so rushed. She kept pushing me to leave but "leaving it up to me". At that point I just felt uncomfortable and unwelcome and at that point I needed support more than ever. My contractions were coming fast and painful and I wasn't hardly getting any kind of break in between. She still pushed for the transfer and at this point my husband had packed everything up and drove me to the hospital. My waters broke and I had my baby a few hours later no problem. I felt completely robbed after this experience, considering I had paid her thousands of dollars for what felt like nothing. I still had a fat hospital bill but I at least felt welcomed there postpartum. This was the most terrible experience for my family and I and I hope anyone considering having their baby here strongly reconsiders. I don't mind blunt people who tell me how it is straight up, but Ruth is not that. She lacks compassion and basic decency. I wasn't planning on writing a review at all but after getting pregnant with #3 and searching for midwives and doulas in another state, I'm truly starting to see how terrible my care was. I truly hope Ruth retires soon. No one deserves what myself and many others have experienced here. read more

The birth center deserves way more stars than what is reflected here. These reviewers are rating based off of a brief tour or a phone call. Yes, Ruth doesn't sugar coat things. But she KNOWS HER STUFF. She takes her time to talk to you and provide a truly safe and healthy pregnancy. No unecessary internal exams. She answered my questions honestly and unbiased. She may come off brash but she warms up once you get to know her. Maybe she is sick of people who don't take initiative on educating themselves? It would help business I'm sure if she was a bit warmer initially lol BUT I didn't hire her for small talk and truthfully nothing she did was unprofessional. She just wasn't overly warm and fuzzy which I suppose some people require. I birthed my 9lb baby boy here and I couldn't be happier. I didn't meet the doulas until my birth and they were freakin awesome. Super sweet and helpful. I would reccomend this place time and time again. read more

The Birth Center - Bonding with baby before exams and measurements. 9lbs of perfection birthed happily and safely. - Midwives Near Me - Sacramento, California

I haven't even walked in the place in person and I already don't think it deserves a single star let me tell you I just got off the phone with the head midwife there at the birth center and I was asking regular questions to get started and she came off VERY RUDE didn't seem to care at all and had a very snobby attitude! Wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy. read more

I'm not sure why there's negative reviews about Ruth's first impression, but me and my fiancé found her very pleasant. She was extremely upfront and caring and answered all of our questions in depth. We had actual discussions and it wasn't just a cold clinical approach. She even printed out a bunch of resources for us before we left. We decided not to go with her because I personally want a hands off midwife. But if you want someone more involved, she's your lady. The facility was extremely clean which is great during this covid situation. She also takes women up to 32 weeks pregnant, which is a plus for late comers. read more

while publishing our birth story this morning I was asked why I chose the Birth Center for both my births and I can whole heartedly say this right here..."It is my duty as a parent to research and question everything for the sake of my children. Never just blindly trust. Doctors are not the authority, teachers are not the authority and the government is not the authority over my child, I am." My first Dr. at Sutter treated me like I knew nothing about my body or my pregnancy and if I didn't follow his instructions/rules I was putting my child in harms way. Just an example of something so small that stuck with me is that he said by not getting the flu shot (2011) which I have never had in my life, I was putting my baby in harms way the same as putting him in a car without a car seat and getting in a crash...I felt the scare tactics start to set in and red flags were rising for me... thinking if this is how he is about the flu shot how will he be during my birth when I needed him to be my team member the most... Yikes, I needed to do better by my child and I did. I found a place that empowered me as a person in charge of my own body/pregnancy and a mother wanting to do what is best for her child! I was lucky enough to be able to experience birth as a right of passage and not a disability or medical procedure. Ruth and her team are beyond educated, they are well rounded with decades of experience in handling births and birthing naturally themselves. I never felt forced in any direction but instead Ruth took the time to help me to see both sides and encouraged me to educate myself on what was best for my situation. She never sugar coated or bluffed but managed to lead with the strength of wisdom, love and understanding. She will always be part of our family's birth stories! Thank you for everything you have done for all of us! read more

When it comes to pregnancy, labor, and delivery, it can feel like you have to advocate for the best interests of your baby and yourself. You are often just another patient out of hundreds, or another way for a provider to make money. The Birth Center is not like this. Ruth is not there to make money; she is doing what she does to empower, inform, and swim upstream against a birthing culture that seems to laugh at skilled midwifery. She is one of only two birthing centers that accept Medi-cal patients (cuz surprise, surprise, they don't make you much money!), and as a temporary MCAP patient myself, I NEVER felt like there was a reduction in care or attention. If you want to be coddled, or have your hand held all the way (I'll admit, I tend to prefer this style of care, haha), that's not who Ruth is. However, she knows what she is doing, is the most experienced midwife in our area, and she will advocate for your best interests. There were issues with labs not getting results in time, appointments taking forever to be scheduled, and Ruth would always follow up and make sure that we got what we needed. Some of the mixed reviews gave me pause before coming here, but I'm so glad I stuck it out and gave Ruth a chance to REALLY show me who she is, and her style of care. I received all my care here, and towards the end I was overdue, exhausted, desperate, and Ruth was so kind, caring, and empathetic in my overdue period. She encouraged me, told me I was doing everything I could to help my baby come, and really made me feel empowered as I ended up having to go in for an induction at the end of 42 weeks. She continued all of our follow up care after my baby was born, and felt like a friend that I got to process through everything with. We hope to have another baby (or two!), and I can't wait to receive care from Ruth again, and hopefully get to experience giving birth there next time. read more

So this was the first place that I visited after finding out I was pregnant and once was enough. I wanted to do all the "right" things for a natural birth with as little intervention as possible. I also was a total newbie and had very little information I was going off of. So during my only visit, I was not given a warm fuzzy feeling in anyway. I was treated like I should l know all answers to the questions that I was asking. Not a fun way to start off pregnancy... 8 months later. I felt compelled to write a review saying... EVERYWHERE else I have been since has been great, especially compared to here. Don't be fooled by the nice looking pictures or by the fact that they happen to be one of the few birth centers around. Check out Santa Rosa, Sutter Davis (although a hospital) has all a birth center could ask for and more. good luck and hope this was helpful. Do not tolerate anyone who does not help you feel comfortable with the entire process. I'm glad I didn't!! read more

I have to leave a review for Ruth and The Birth Center. I had the best experience because of Ruth! If you are looking for a Birth Center I would highly recommend this Birth Center. You will not regret it! I always knew I wanted to go the natural direction if I ever got pregnant. Well here I was 36 and pregnant for the first time. I have Sutter insurance so everything I do has to be with Sutter, just like how Kaiser is structed. Even though I had insurance that made me only go through their system, I knew I wanted to go through a Birth Center. Sutter has one in Davis, but with the research I did, it wasn't going to be much different than a hospital environment in my opinion and really not a true birth center. So I started my research and came across a couple birth centers that were not in a hospital. I emailed them all, one didn't get back to me, the other one in midtown was fully booked and had really high fees and mandatory classes you had to pay for which you would think would be part of the process, and then there was The Birth Center. Ruth emailed me back and scheduled me and my boyfriend in for a tour. We didn't know what to except but were so pleasantly surprised about how knowledgeable Ruth was and how patience she was in answering all my questions and trust me I had a lot! Ruth is an experienced RN and Midwife and honestly one of the best you will ever meet. She has worked with so many doctors and hospital systems that she has seen and experienced it all. My boyfriend loved that I would be giving birth in a room that had a full bathroom, the option of a tub to relax in and a queen size bed where he could be right there lying next to me, not an uncomfortable hospital bed. I work in the healthcare industry so it was nice to learn all that she knew and that I would be in safe and experienced hands. She has a great team and each appointment I had with her was wonderful. We were never rushed, she would go over anything we wanted to talk about and provide guidance to us. In any hospital setting you will be in and out in quickly and as a first time mom will feel left wondering and wanting to google everything, but not at The Birth Center. Even though they take insurance, my insurance wouldn't work outside of Sutter, so Ruth was nice enough to let us know they have a private pay/cash option and that we could make payments if we wanted to which was really nice to have that option. Ruth was also able to submit my orders for lab work or ultrasounds so I would still go to Sutter for those matters and it was covered under my insurance and she would get the results and review them with me. We had her email address, and she gave us her cell number so we could communicate with her directly. You won't find that anywhere else! It was nice to know that if she ever saw a concern or if something needed urgent care, she could send us to the hospital and The Birth Center is within a couple minutes of a hospital that handles everything including trauma, so they have the staff if ever needed to be sent out to the hospital. She gave me great instructions on how to ensure I don't go over 42 weeks and have to be induced as I did not want that. It was great to have someone reassure you that fear is really what gets in the way of things during birth and pregnancy, and we really don't need to be afraid. She can do it all from lactation consultation, tongue or lip tie issues, so it was really nice to be able to know the person I spent months with at each appointment getting to know me was the person who was going to be there during the pregnancy too. I really had a great experience giving birth to our baby girl and if we end up having another baby, there is no doubt I will be going to The Birth Center again. Thank you to Ruth, Amy and the entire team for everything! read more

I had a wonderful experience at the birth center. Ruth is fantastic. I am pretty laid back and my pregnancy was straightforward. No medical issues. I felt listened to by Ruth and they helped me through the birthing process. Without their words of guidance I would have struggled so much more. I look forward to having my next baby with them in the future. read more

Absolutely wonderful experience having our second baby at The Birth Center. Ruth provides honest & wise information from the first appointment until catching your baby! If you view birth as a natural, woman empowering process & want to respect your primal ability to deliver a tiny human I strongly urge you to have the baby here! Ruth provides intimate care that you will not receive anywhere else. We are beyond grateful to have been able to deliver our little girl in this type of "home based" setting. The doula Andrea (who I met night of delivery) was also a wonderful, calming support as well. Cannot recommend this place enough! read more

I will come back and share my full story when I can stomach it. It's been four years since my son's birth and I still can't think about my experience here without extreme anxiety and sadness! The absolute worst experience with this entire birth center. read more

The Birth Center. What to say? I was interested in this place because I am expecting my first child next year and I wanted to explore my options in natural birth. Had decided that a home birth wasn't a good idea in the rental I live in now, and when I discovered this place, touted as sort of a 'home-away-from-home' birth experience I was very intrigued. The website is nice, seemed to say all the right things, compelling testimonials and pictures. So I had my husband schedule a tour and consult to check it all out. I had read the handful of reviews here on Yelp, and I was hoping that that one person from back in March had written was just a bad experience. Unfortunately, I would be having a sort of deja vu with my 'tour' -- it was almost exactly like her experience. The place is nice, it's clean. It has a bit of that hippie/earthy atmosphere you'd expect from a place that practices midwifery. As this was a group tour and consult, there were a couple of other expectant mothers there with me. The tour was brief and done by the assistant. No real problem there. Then she sat us down in a cramped little sitting room and we waited for the midwife to come and do Q&A, and tell us a little more about the place... Haha right. This is where they lost me. Ruth, the midwife who runs the place, comes in and sits down in a huff. She says she is tired (I'm guessing from a birth the night before?), and proceeds to stare at us. She the flippantly urges us to "come on with the questions, you always have the same ones. Come on, come on." Needless to say, all three families in the room were taken aback. My husband and I exchanged glances, for a moment not sure if this was for real. As an aside, here, this was my impression: this is a business, and we all were potential customers, revenue if you will. I would expect some sort of normal 'spiel' that the owner would give about the place, who she is, and what kind of care we should expect from her and why we should choose The Birth Center as our place to pop out a baby. Yeah, none of that. When we proved to be too shocked and uncomfortable to ask her questions without any preamble, she proceeds to read the questionnaires that we all filled out before the tour. Not only at this point does she make fun of my husband for filling out a part of the questionnaire wrong, but IMMEDIATELY jumps on us for having HMO insurance, making sure we knew damned good and well that those evil HMOs won't pay for her services, and pretty much implying that we should leave. My husband informed her that we had been made aware of this when we made the appointment but wanted to come and check the place out anyway (implying that we would pay real money if we liked her enough). She left it at that -- nothing about payment plan arrangements as mentioned on their website, no other encouragement whatsoever. And, when she finally did bully me into asking her a question, which was, "What is the difference between the care I would receive from her vs the hospital?" she proceeded to mince words with how I stated my question ("Well, you don't receive care from the HOSPITAL, it's from your OB and their MEDICAL GROUP.") and expound on how the medical groups and the hospital are all in it for the money, and the OBs have their 'hand on the door' during your measly 15 minute appointments... blah blah blah. Another aside: this woman is STILL technically in the medical industry and a medical professional. Something that shows a real professional is not completely talking crap about your 'colleagues' even if you don't agree with everything they do. In the end, she didn't answer my question well. She seemed to have really scared the single mother on my left, and had decided that she liked the hippie old couple to my right who were more in her age group and smelled like cash. When she decided to wrap up our miserable Q&A session, the husband and I looked at each other again and made for the door faster than you can say "Evil HMOs". So. After our experience with Ruth and our unfortunate impression of her, we were wondering, like I said before, how can one run a business with a sales pitch like that? Perhaps she was having a bad day? (But apparently she was having the SAME bad day for that other yelper...) Or, maybe... maybe this is a super secret screening process to make sure that she only has the real TRUE midwifery believers in her care, and if you can make it through the scary Wizard of Oz-like facade, there's a wonderful, kind, caring midwife behind the curtain, ready to help you bring that baby into the world. In that case, I suppose we are not true believers because I just couldn't subject myself to the grouchy persona that we were met with. My loss, in that case. My advice in the end: it all comes down to firsthand experience, but based on how they presented themselves to me, I would never place my prenatal and birthing care in the hands of such a grouchy, pushy person. read more

I see a lot of people doubting the poor reviews for this place. You should not. While it seems as though people either have an excellent experience or a very, very negative experience, if anything my original review downplays the head midwife's unprofessional behavior in our visit. Please trust me -- she absolutely has the potential to be that bad. I say that as someone whose child needed major surgery twice within the first year of her birth; who stayed for a week in the hospital with said child and experienced wildly different levels of care and professionalism from countless doctors and nurses; and who continues to take said child to regular doctor's visits. The Birth Center's head midwife is up there with the worst providers we have encountered. It's wonderful that she's sometimes more professional and caring with other people. However, from my experience and from my perspective, I wouldn't want to take 50-50 odds that my midwife is going to traumatize my family. read more

The Birth Center may not be for everyone, but it is an option everyone should consider. When I found out I was pregnant I initially went the OBGYN/Hospital route and very quickly was unhappy. I was told right away that when it was time to deliver I would have whatever doctor was on staff, not someone who knew me or knew my pregnancy. I also went to every appointment and they where all the same (pee in cup, see the doctor just long enough for him to reach elbow deep inside me and then on my way). Then I went to the Birth Center, initially because I was against the idea of having to give birth on my back (can anyone say pushing a boulder up a hill?!). Ruth (the midwife) was initially very straight forward and no nonsense. She is not there to sell you on a Birth Center experience because if she has to sell you on it, it probably isn't for you. I saw Ruth more in my first appointment than I had seen my doctor in all prior visits. She talked to me, prepared me and really cared about the progression of my pregnancy. Unfortunately my pregnancy ran to 42 weeks which meant I needed to transfer to the hospital, which Ruth facilitated wonderfully. She still managed my post-pregnancy care and provided breastfeeding support. The quality of care ALONE makes the Birth Center leaps and bounds a blessed option over the hospital (assuming you have a low risk and uneventful pregnancy). I also have to say how amazing Jenn (Birth Assistant) and Janet (Registered Nurse) where and just really emphasize the amount of love and support I received from these women. I came out of my first post-pregnancy appointment from the hospital in tears over how I was treated because I was having trouble breast feeding. My husband immediately took me to the Birth Center and the woman there sat with me, my baby and my husband and really worked with us with patience and I had an amazing bonding breast feeding session with my little girl. I just couldn't thank them enough for my entire experience even though I was not able to deliver here. You can bet I will be back when we are expecting again. If you are lucky enough to have the Birth Center as an option, do your research and go to the tour. These ladies will do more for you mentally/physically/emotionally during and after your pregnancy than any hospital or doctor. read more

I had such a wonderful experience here. I was here as a photographer for a client to photograph their birth. Coming as an outsider, I wasn't completely sure what to expect but after meeting Ruth and Jen I felt completely at ease about being in a situation in which I've never been. The entire staff is both professional and caring, I would recommend them to anyone that would consider a natural birth read more

Let me begin by saying I can understand how some people may be put off by the Birth Center tour. However, as other reviewers have explained, the Q&A does serve a purpose. If you have a high-risk pregnancy, you really should probably receive your prenatal care through an OB/GYN. If you have a low- or no-risk pregnancy, then you should really consider birthing here! I had all of my prenatal care done by Ruth and an excellent team present for my son's birth. Ruth is very straightforward and is great about answering all questions during visits. Her staff is fantastic and I always felt welcomed. Ruth really emphasizes the importance of diet and exercise throughout the pregnancy. At the time of the birth, I felt safe and knew that I was in good hands. I also appreciated Janet (the RN), Jen (the doula), and Christa (a midwife in training) being present during the labor. Long story short, we had a good labor and were home 4 hours after my son's birth. Janet and Christa also came to my home a couple days later to check on my baby and me. I'm a first-time mom and I had no doubts that this was where I wanted my baby to be born. If we ever have any more children, there's no question that we will be back here. In fact, I've decided to continue coming here for all of my well woman checkups, as that is a service they also provide. I really love and appreciate this staff and highly recommend them for their amazing skills and compassion. read more

Extremely impressed. The rooms are beautiful and cozy. I'm the husband writing this review too - my wife loves it and I'm glad to go through the birth (3rd one now) in a place less intrusive than the hospitals (they're always coming in flicking the lights on and won't leave you alone). Here they're very non-intrusive regarding what you want to give your child after he/she's born vs the hospitals, which are typically very intrusive and belittle you when you don't want what they suggest. Highly recommend! read more

I would absolutely recommend Ruth and her staff. If you need pampering, perhaps she's not your cup of tea. More importantly, Ruth knows her stuff, and cares about her patients. Especially as you get more familiar, you'll recognize this. One note...I just read that the facilities were dirty. I NEVER experienced this. The environment was always clean. My baby was breach so I wasn't able to birth here, but I came for all my prior regular check-ups. Ruth answered all my many questions and treated me with respect. I also spoke with a gal who birthed both of her babies here, and she was very pleased with the experience. If a natural birth is what you want, this is where you want to go. read more

It took me a few moments to determine what rating to give the Birth Center, because frankly my experience was very mixed. I had my first baby at the Birth Center (TBC). The facilities themselves are excellent. Immaculate, beautiful and comfortable. No complaints there. I enjoyed laboring in the shower, the tub and bed were great. I love that there was a comfortable waiting room for my father, siblings and in-laws to wait in. I am so glad I gave birth at TBC and not in a hospital!!! Ruth is a very trustworthy and knowledgeable individual. She excels at the medical side of things, but lacks bedside manner/people skills..... I felt 100% at ease trusting her with my birth medically-wise, I just had to find my emotional support elsewhere (husband, friends, family). She is very professional and very focused on her job at hand - doesn't waste time, not interested in small talk. She can come across as rude at times. TBC was our best choice at the time since we were not in a position to have a homebirth but wanted to avoid a hospital birth. If you are also in this situation, I highly recommend the Birth Center to you, as long as you understand that Ruth is there simply to see to your medical needs and not as a friend like some other midwives can be....Again, the facilities are great and she is very knowledgeable- just not exactly the warmest person. If you can afford and are comfortable with a home birth, I would recommend having a home birth rather than the birth center. TBC was the closest thing I could get to a homebirth for my first baby, One positive thing about the birth center was that it gave us the confidence to spring for a home birth with #2 with a different midwife. read more

Checking in after having my baby here. I can't say enough great things about Ruth and the Birth Center. Ruth is like having a skilled ob/gyn, lactation consultant and pediatrician all wrapped up into one. She had a doula there to help and she was really nice and helpful with me and my family. The birthing tub was fantastic, it literally cuts down the pain by 50%. I had an all natural water birth just like I had envisioned it 9 months ago. Ruth is very professional and I love it. She is someone who is very skilled, knowledgable, experienced and focused. I can say I totally have all my trust in her and I feel like she is the best midwife, by far, in the area. She is warm and genuine, and definitely cares for you as a woman through-out the entire pregnancy, birth and post-Partum. The birthing room and attached bathroom were extremely clean and my family felt very comfortable. Let Ruth give you the 411 on breastfeeding, even if you'Ve done it many times before..when you just have a birth your mind is like mush. She is the Guru of breastfeeding without being condescending or irritating like most lactation consultants I have dealt with. All in all a perfect experience and I really hope more ladies utilize this place as it is a one of a kind. read more

EDITED TO ADD: I had another baby here in March 2015. It was still amazing and, even though I didn't think it was possible, I love them even more now. Ruth is so calm, and smart, and above all else, so incredibly safe and calculated. Jen is loving, kind, and amazing. She's so good when I'm in labor. Water, encouraging words, and so much support. And Janet. Janet drove an hour to my house to check on the baby the next day. She's hysterical and so wonderful and will ease any newborn anxiety your hormones may work up. I am so sad that I won't ever have another baby with these three ladies. April 2013 I was incredibly lucky to have my second son at The Birth Center in the care of Ruth, Jen, and Janet. It is probably one of the best choices I have ever made. To say the experience was great is a vast understatement. I just can't figure out a word big enough to describe how pleased I am with The Birth Center from start to finish. I did not have a horrible experience with the birth of my first child, but just desired something different with little medical intervention. I started seeing Ruth around my 20 week mark, I believe. It was such an incredibly personal experience. All three ladies knew my entire family by name and I felt like so much more than just another patient to them. They cared about my well being and really wanted me to have this birth experience - I wasn't just another pregnant lady in a mass production of speedy births that I felt like I was with my first son The team at The Birth Center is bulletproof. Then yin and yang of everyone's personality seem to make the entire experience more wonderful. Jen will ALWAYS greet you with a smile and she knew my first name (this blew me away at first because my prior OB's office never knew my name...even after 2 years). Jen is warm, kind, intelligent, and funny among other things. She is a wonderful face to The Birth Center. I can say the same things for Janet as well - she is awesome, will come to your house after the birth and check on you (for reals) and cares a lot about you and your new addition. Ruth is amazing. She is always available to answer any question for you regardless of how big or small and night or day. I love Ruth - she maintains an unparalleled professionalism while still creating a friendly atmosphere. One of my most favorite things about Ruth, though, is that she is intelligent and incredibly passionate about what she does. Those two characteristics together are an unbeatable combination. She knows so much about what she does and she believes in it wholeheartedly. I wouldn't feel comfortable with anyone delivering my child who didn't maintain both of those traits simultaneousy and she does it flawlessly. I believe Ruth's practicality and directness may get confused with being unfriendly. I didn't see her being unfriendly at all. Just honest and direct. She is not the type of midwife who will paint your belly and dance naked under the Summer solstice with you though (thankfully, because that is super weird) - she's practical and smart. She is doing a pretty serious job and she takes it serious, understandably so. I found her to be anything but cold. I wouldn't want anyone delivering my child who wouldn't or couldn't speak to me directly and honestly. It was not her job to make me feel warm and fuzzy in her responses, it is her job to answer intelligently and she did the hell out of that. Now that I've written the longest review EVER, please check out The Birth Center if you are considering it. Just do it. You will never look back. These three ladies will empower you and make you feel secure the entire way through your pregnancy and birth. Giving birth to my second son was the coolest experience ever - mellow, relaxed, and easy, which I am sure is in large part to these wonderful ladies helping me through it. I understand the magnitude of the choice you feel like you are making and I understand the fear that you might have by being outside of a hospital, but just try it. Having a baby is a normal, natural thing and none of these women would put you anywhere near harms way. If you have your baby with Ruth, Jen, and Janet, you will never look back. I TELL YA. NEVER. Oh, and postnatal care frigging rocks too. JUST DO IT. I would give this a bajillion stars if I could. read more

When we found out we were pregnant for the third time, I did two things: jumped for joy and started researching alternative birthing options. After the birth of my first two children I knew one thing for certain: No more hospitals! But what did that mean? Where do I go? Who can I contact? After some careful research and a couple interviews, I found and fell in love with The Birth Center of Sacramento. Ruth, the Certified Nurse Midwife, was straight forward, understanding, and fostered a "your body was made for this" kind of attitude. She was everything I needed to lead my birth support team. This pregnancy was a dream. I was active, glowing, and I never felt more than a teensy bit nauseous. Granted I did have acute appendicitis when I was 18 weeks along and my little guy was breech and posterior toward the end - but we we took it in stride. No biggie. Given the history of my pregnancy timelines - my daughter was born 3 weeks earlier than her estimated due date, and my son two weeks early - it was only reasonable to expect that this little man would arrive a little early as well. Right? So wrong. I was as big as could be! Seriously, my belly stuck straight out and I felt like there were three in there! My estimated due date came and went. The final days ticked by ever so slowly as I constantly reminded myself that my baby boy would come on his own terms - and that's what I wanted. Ten very long days after my estimated due date and weeks after I began telling people "any day now" my baby was ready to come meet us! The morning of the big day I woke up to hugs and kisses and "Happy Birthday Mommy" - that's right; my baby boy would decide to make his grand entrance on my birthday! After I shuttled the kids to preschool I went with my mom to Target just to get out of the house. I waddled around a bit and around noon I went to the bathroom in Target and heard a distinguishing 'pop' and felt a gush of fluid. I was ecstatic! Woohoo! My waters just broke (on their own) and my baby boy would be here soon! On our way to The Birth Center (about a 30 minute drive) I stopped at the house to grab my husband's swim trunks (a water birth was in the plans) and a snack. What can I say? I was hungry. My husband beat me to The Birth Center and was waiting for me. We went in, settled into our beautiful birth room, and let my body do its thing. The contractions were strong, purposeful, and empowering. I walked around, swayed back and forth, sat on the birth ball, and sat in the rocking chair - whatever felt right at the time. My birth support team consisted of my wonderfully supportive husband, my mom who had been at the birth of all my babies, my midwife Ruth, her staff Janet and Jen, and our photographer. Everyone was fantastic. Ruth, Janet, and Jen somehow managed to always be there when I needed something while still allowing me this time to birth my way, with as much privacy and respect as I wanted and deserved. Just a couple hours after my waters broke in Target I was fully dilated. My cervix was a bit stiff on the right and my baby boy was still posterior. We used Pulsatilla, a homeopathic medicine derived from the Windflower, to help my baby turn and Ruth had me lay down on the bed on my right side to soften up that cervix. I stared at the clock - my focal point - as the next couple contractions came and went. I heard my husband tell Ruth that it was almost "time" - he knows me well. The next contraction came and was definitely the strongest yet! I thought to myself: "I'll let everyone know I want to move to the birthing tub as soon as this contraction is over". But the contraction never ended - it dimmed ever so slightly and got stronger again. I managed to mutter an "uh oh" and we all knew it was go time! My husband and Janet helped me move from the bed to the birthing tub - at that moment I knew for sure that I wanted to birth this baby in the water! It was all happening very quickly and very forcefully - I was actually almost frozen as my body's natural instincts took over. Ruth calmly but authoritatively guided me into a comfortable position. My husband got in the water with me, and supported my back while I bore down. This baby was coming! My 9lb 14 oz, 22 inch long son was born into a warm pool of water at 2:54pm on my birthday, January 26th. Immediately, I brought him to my chest and the world around me faded away as I admired my perfect, healthy, beautiful baby boy. This was how birth was supposed to happen. This is what I wanted. This is what God intended. This was perfection. We waited to cut the cord until it had completely stopped pulsing and we saved my baby's placenta for encapsulation. I drank water, had a snack, and posed for pictures. I felt wonderful and was elated. We brought our baby home just three hours later, introduced him to his siblings, and ate the first of many, "mommy and son" birthday cakes. read more

Wow what a wonderful experience! We had our first baby at The Birth Center (TBC) last month. The birth was natural and complication-free thanks to the helpful and hardworking staff at TBC. The facility was clean and attractive, and every worry we had was gradually laid to rest. Here's a quick rundown on the staff: Ruth is professional and no-nonsense. If you're looking for a friend, go buy a puppy; if you want a seasoned and dependable midwife...go with Ruth! She took plenty of time with us during each prenatal appointment and answered every question we had to calm our worries. When things got heated during labor, Ruth kept her cool and calmly got the job done. Jen is friendly and full of empathy. She provided just the right amount of coaching during labor. Janet did a home visit to help us two days after the birth to help with nursing and check on mom's physical health. After we had the baby we were nursing every hour to keep baby from screaming; Janet's home visit (and Ruth's in-office followup) completely resolved our lactation issues. This is a small, but very professional operation for natural births. We plan to have the rest of our children here. If you want a natural birth, we HIGHLY recommend The Birth Center! read more

When I first met Ruth and her staff I was looking for help in developing my professional career as a nurse practitioner. She was kind enough to allow me to precept under her until the pandemic started and my program was limiting clinical hours. Little did I know that she would soon become an integral part of our lives and help bring our son into this world. I can only say great things about her professionally and as a patient of hers as well. She is a great clinician when I worked with her seeing patients and also treated me with care and compassion when we found out we were pregnant. I always felt so reassured as a first-time mom leaving my appointments and she was always just a call or text away if we needed anything. We were able to have my ideal birth during this pandemic at the birth center. When there are so many uncertainties right now surrounding the hospitals and visitors etc it was nice to know that we wouldn't have to deal with that stress on top of labor. Our son was greeted into this world with a calm and supportive staff in her practice. It was exactly what I was hoping for. This is how women are supposed to feel and how babies should be brought into this world. My husband had a hospital birth with our stepson and he says our experience with Ruth was life-changing for him to experience. We can't wait to share our next pregnancy with Ruth and her staff in the future. We will truly miss her and our visits! read more