San Diego Birth Network is a group of dedicated professionals that supports birthing people, babies, and families during the prenatal, birth and postpartum period. Our mission is to create a place that allows families the confidence that the professionals listed believe in the natural process of birth. Each of our Providers strive to uphold and abide by the principles listed below.

Principles

Normalcy of the Birthing Process

• Birth is a normal, natural, and healthy process.
• Birthing people and babies have the inherent wisdom necessary for birth.
• Babies are aware, sensitive human beings at the time of birth, and should be acknowledged and treated as such.
• Breastfeeding provides the optimum nourishment for newborns and infants.
• Birth can safely take place in hospitals, birth centers, and homes.

Empowerment

• A person's confidence and ability to give birth to and to care for their baby are enhanced or diminished by every person who gives them care, and by the environment in which they give birth.
• A birthing person and baby are distinct yet interdependent during pregnancy, birth, and infancy. Their interconnectedness is vital and must be respected.
• Pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period are milestone events in the continuum of life. These experiences profoundly affect parents, babies, and families, and have important and long-lasting effects on society.

Autonomy

Every person should have the opportunity to:

• Have a healthy and joyous birth experience for themselves and their family, regardless of their age or circumstances;
• Give birth as they wish in an environment in which they feel nurtured and secure, and their emotional well-being, privacy, and personal preferences are respected;
• Have access to the full range of options for pregnancy, birth, and nurturing their baby, and to accurate information on all available birthing sites, caregivers, and practices;
• Receive accurate and up-to-date information about the benefits and risks of all procedures, drugs, and tests suggested for use during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period, with the rights to informed consent and informed refusal;
• Receive support for making informed choices about what is best for them and their baby based on their individual values and beliefs.

Do No Harm

• Interventions should not be applied routinely during pregnancy, birth, or the postpartum period. Many standard medical tests, procedures, technologies, and drugs carry risks to both the birthing person and their baby and should be avoided in the absence of specific scientific indications for their use.
• If complications arise during pregnancy, birth, or the postpartum period, medical treatments should be evidence-based.

Responsibility

• Each caregiver is responsible for the quality of care they provide.
• Prenatal and postpartum care practice should be based not on the needs of the caregiver or provider, but solely on the needs of the birthing person and child.
• Each hospital and birth center is responsible for the periodic review and evaluation, according to current scientific evidence, of the effectiveness, risks, and rates of use of its medical procedures for birthing people and babies.
• Society, through both its government and the public health establishment, is responsible for ensuring access to prenatal and postpartum services for all birthing people, and for monitoring the quality of those services.
• Individuals are ultimately responsible for making informed choices about the health care they and their babies receive.