GraceFull

Our environmentally respectful birthing center is located minutes away from the closest hospitals. You don't have to birth at GraceFull to join our family.

An Accredited & Environmentally Respectful Birthing Center in Los Angeles • In Network with Blue Shield • Home Birth • Water Birth • Midwives • Childbirth Education We have 2 beautiful birthing rooms, each with their own private tub, shower and bathroom - plus chemical free drinking water for your child to be born into. Our Licensed Midwives have medical board licenses (the same as your OB) and ha

ve years of clinical experience exclusively in out-of-hospital settings that include water birth. Not only are experts at low risk childbirth, but we know the signs of high risk and will transport you before there is an issue. We are in-network with Blue Shield and have good luck getting your birth covered with HMO's and most PPOs with out in house insurance biller. We have offer Community Care, Classic Care & Enhanced Care at three different prices. We love what do and want you to have a safe, calm, loving birth experience. We have a great chiropractor, acupuncturist, childbirth education classes, breastfeeding class... and so much more to support families throughout Los Angles.

12/05/2022

“These delicate rivers.
Evidence of multiple souls in one.
Starting off with two lines, ending with plenty.
We flowed together,
Grew together.
Creating ripples and waves together
These rivers are ours.
Eternally.

✨✨

PSA it’s ok to struggle with the changes your body’s been through after growing babies

Please know that your children see them in all their glory and see you as the person who loves them and is their safety and comfort, not ever judging you for the way you look

After all, they didn’t know what you looked like before they were earthside, so this is you.

And they adore you.

Golden Hour Self Portrait circa 2020”
— Photo + Caption //

12/03/2022

“When one of my favorite midwives woke up yesterday morning in labor at 37 weeks with a planned birth center birth and a footling breech baby, things felt very unsure. But with some incredibly inspiring determination and some really impressive advocacy, she brought her first baby into the world FEET FIRST and it was the most badass thing I’ve ever seen.” — Photo + Caption //

**nalbreechbirth

11/18/2022

TENS 💫

Did you use a TENS in labour?

TENS is a safe, effective, drug free method of pain relief to help you manage the intensity of contractions during labour.

How it works:
- the electrical pulses mean that you focus on the sensation from the TENS rather than on the sensation from your contractions
- it prompts your body to produce more endorphins
- it helps you feel in control of the intensity of your labour…and this can help you feel less anxious
- because it can help reduce the sensations, it can help your muscles to relax and this can benefit your labour

What I love:
- you can use it at any point in your labour…you can use it at home, in the car, at the hospital
- it can be stopped at any time and doesn’t have any residual effects
- you are in control of the strength and the frequency of the electrical pulses
- it can be used in conjunction with other pain relieving tools like gas and air or pethidine
- it allows you to stay active during labour
- there are no side effects for you or for your baby

What isn’t so great:
- you can’t use it in the shower or bath
- you can’t use it with certain monitoring

If you used TENS during labour, what did you like and not like?
And words of wisdom to share with others?

Repost //

**nalbirth

11/10/2022

THE TREE OF LIFE 💫
Stunning Photo + Caption //

“The fascinating topography of the placenta! 🤓

Let me take you on a brief tour. This one 👆🏻 I received earlier this week for encapsulation.

During prenatal development, the umbilical cord comes from the same zygote as the fetus.

The umbilical cord in a full term baby averages 50-70cm (20 inches) long and ~2cm (0.75 inches) in diameter.

It extends from the fetal umbilicus to the fetal surface of the placenta or chorionic plates.

The cord is not directly connected to the mother’s circulatory system.

Instead it joins the placenta, which transfers materials to and from the mother’s blood without allowing direct mixing.

The umbilical cord contains one vein (the umbilical vein) and two arteries (the umbilical arteries) buried within protective Wharton’s jelly.

The umbilical vein carries oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood from the placenta to the fetus.

The 2 umbilical arteries carry deoxygenated, nutrient-depleted blood from the fetus to the placenta.

At the junction of the umbilical cord and the placenta, the umbilical arteries branch to form chorionic arteries and traverse the fetal surface of the placenta in the chorionic plate and branch further before they enter into the villi.

The chorionic arteries are easily recognised because they always cross over the chorionic veins.

About two thirds of the chorionic arteries form networks supplying the cotyledons (on maternal side of the placenta) in a pattern of disperse-type branching.

The rest of the chorionic arteries radiate to the edge of the placenta and down to a network.

It’s this dispersing branching pattern of fetal vessels (on the fetal side of the placenta) in the chorionic plate that gives the placenta the term the Tree of Life” 🌳

🕊

11/08/2022

HANDS ON | HANDS OFF
“Did you want anyone touching you as you birth your baby?

Hands on (by care provider) has not been shown to improve perineal outcomes at birth. There is no evidence that supports care providers applying pressure to flex baby's head, nor any benefit to applying pressure or 'support' to the perineum as baby crowns. However, gently holding a warm compress in place may help reduce the incidence and severity of perineal trauma and provide mama comfort as she births. Warm compresses in a land birth can be a great source of relief to the birthing mama and can be offered if she is comfortable with being touched.

Alternatively, many mamas instinctively find themselves being 'hands on' during their own births, communicating through touch with her own body and her baby. This tactile input can help her to slow her breathing and bearing down, allowing her body to open and stretch slowly and gently. If you feel the need to reach down and touch yourself or your baby, Go For It! Some mamas feel counter pressure over the cl****al hood to be comforting, others gently cradle baby's head, or hold their l***a as they stretch and open. Whatever feels right for you.

My motto as a midwife is Hands Off the perineum, unless those hands are mama's. 🙌”

Photo //
Caption //

11/04/2022

COUNTER PRESSURE 💫🕊
“For some people counter pressure in labour can be an incredible source of pain relief. Just make sure your birth partner does some thumb warm ups ahead of time 😬🙈 Counter pressure becomes particularly helpful for people experiencing back labour from a posterior baby because by pushing against the labouring person’s sacrum it relieves some of the pressure of the baby’s head against your tailbone. When used in conjunction with labour positions like hands and knees or sitting slightly forward on a birth ball you have a perfect combination of pain relief + positioning to help your baby rotate into the optimal position for birth.”

Did your support person provide counter pressure during labor? Was it helpful for you?

Photo + Caption // .birth ☁️✨

10/18/2022

SUPPORT
We don’t always know what we need in birth or who we need- sometimes that changes moment to moment and our partners are there to flow with us. The role of our support person is something we don’t always talk about in birth prep or process and we believe sharing those experiences can help our community know how/when to support or step in during and after birth. 💫

Photo //

One of the keys to having an efficient birth is being able to have the right support in the room with you. Even if you want “just the two of you” at the birth, there are lots of other people who come in and out of the room. How might those people affect your birth experience? What is the role of the mother? The partner? How will interruptions affect your birth? How do you become fully present at your birth?

Welcome to History, Hats, and Hormones. This fun, an interactive ONLINE class is for anyone in our community, no matter where you are birthing because a “graceful” birth can happen anywhere – home, birthing center, or hospital. This unique class has been created from years of experience and extensive pre- and peri-natal psychology and trauma training. The cornerstone of GraceFull’s philosophy is the heart of this one-of-kind class.

Click the link in our bio or today’s story for more info + to reserve your spot for lifetime access to the course! 🕊

10/14/2022

Birth happened here // .birth 💫
🕊

10/12/2022

“I want to raise men who see breastfeeding as normal as the sky is blue...I don’t take it for granted that I have three sons. That and I are raising 3 boys who will one day be men. My hope is our kids always possess this level of awe...regarding the female body as nothing short of magic.”
— 🕊

Photo //

10/08/2022

“As my 38 week appointment vastly approached. I was still torn on if I felt comfortable having a C-section due to baby being Breech. In my heart I knew what my body was capable of birthing.” —.nicole 💫

Photos // 🕊

…

Are you considering having a midwife at your birth? Curious about what birthing with could look like?

Join us on Mondays for one of our weekly virtual infosessions where Midwife + GraceFull Founder, Elizabeth Bachner answers any questions you may have about our care at GraceFull!

Whether you decide to birth with us or not, our goal is for you to leave confident, informed, and with everything you need to make your important decision.

Visit GraceFull.com/events or click the link in our story to reserve your spot and join us Monday! 🕊

**nalbreechbirth

10/05/2022

“Why so quiet my love?

That silence that felt like forever

But she knew
Mama knew

Inhaling the air

Exhaling slowly,
in his face

and….
the sound of life!

It’s a fact that you can help the baby’s breathing by blowing air on their chest or into their face.
It help with the reflex to take a breath and I’ve seen it work so many times!

It’s gentle and effective.

If that doesn’t help rubbing the baby’s back, massaging under their feet, changing position can help.
If the baby still struggle they’ll need to resuscitate. But to do that they often cut the cord to early. There’s a resuscitate table called Life start that can help the baby without having to cut the umbilical cord until it’s empty for blood.
I hope that will become a new normal on all hospitals.
But first… use your your body’s tools, your intuition like Kristin did, make the transformation as gently as possible.”

Photo + Caption //

10/02/2022

NUCHAL CORDS 💫

“Did you know that 20-30% of babies are born with cords wrapped around their necks and this is not typically cause for alarm? In fact, your baby may even have had a cord around their neck at birth without you realizing it. This is because midwives and OBs unlooping cords over heads as babies emerge is so commonplace that they probably wouldn’t think to even mention it to you.

New parents sometimes have fears about their babies being ‘strangled’ by their cords. In reality, babies receive oxygen through the umbilical cord itself rather than breathing through their nose or mouth. It is not until after birth, when they are stimulated by the air, that they take their first breath. This is the same reason babies don’t drown during water births.”

Photo + Caption // 🤍

09/23/2022

TANDEM NURSING 💫
Photo //

“We know that breast milk changes in nutrients based on how milk is removed from the breast.

Colostrum is a high protein, laxative first milk that is designed to help newborn p**p. It’s thick, sticky and a small volume to help baby practice learning how to swallow before the tap gets turned on full blast.

Transitional milk occurs after colostrum for about 2 weeks. Transitional milk includes high levels of fat, lactose, and water-soluble vitamins. It contains more calories than colostrum.

Mature milk starts around 2-3 weeks after birth. 90% of it is water, which is necessary to keep your infant hydrated. The other 10% is comprised of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats which are necessary for both growth and energy.

Toddler breast milk (those who breastfeed past the first birthday) contains significantly higher concentrations of total protein, fat lactoferrin, lysozyme and Immunoglobulin A, than milk samples of babies under 1. It also has significantly lower concentrations of zinc, calcium, iron and oligosaccharides. Your body assumes your toddler is getting other nutrients that it used to contain through a well rounded, solid food diet.

So what happens when you’re tandem feeding different aged kids? New research (Tandem Breastfeeding: A Descriptive Analysis of the Nutritional Value of Milk When Feeding a Younger and Older Child, Sinkiewicz-Darol, 2021) found that there was a higher fat content, energy value and total protein concentration in tandem breastfeeding milk, than in milk after the same parent had weaned the older child. The carbohydrate content remained stable. The composition of breastmilk, in terms of macronutrients, changed after weaning, taking into account the nutritional requirements of the younger child. These findings suggest that your milk actually adapts to the nutrient requirements of BOTH the newborn and older child. Your body knows exactly what your babies need.

Trust your body. Trust your bab(ies).”

— IBCLC + SLP, Julie Matheney //

Check out Julie’s ‘Breastfeeding Basics’ Course available at GraceFull.com/online-classes

09/12/2022

TONIGHT— VIRTUAL GROUP INFOSESSION 💫
Are you considering having a midwife at your birth? Curious about what birthing with could look like?

Join us tonight for one of our weekly virtual infosessions where Midwife + GraceFull Founder, Elizabeth Bachner answers any questions you may have about our care at GraceFull!

Whether you decide to birth with us or not, our goal is for you to leave confident, informed, and with everything you need to make your important decision.

Visit GraceFull.com/events or click the link in our story to reserve your spot and join us tonight! 🕊

Breathtaking photo of born babe + mama ✨

09/09/2022

“We are told we need to rest in the postpartum, but so many birthing people arent told WHY. And sometimes it's the WHY that makes the difference between deep rest and deep regret. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
The average diameter of a placenta is 22cm/8.6 inches. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
You could say that it's the size of a side dinner plate, an average watermelon🍉 paper plate or a soccer ball ⚽️ for reference. It's also the size of the average placenta that we have just grown for 9 months. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
After we birth the placenta, we are left with a wound inside of our uterus where the placenta was attached. If we had this wound on the outside, say on our back or chest, EVERYONE would be telling us to rest and they would help us! Also, the placenta is an organ, that we just expelled from our body, if we had lost a kidney or an appendix, 40 days of recovering would be pretty minimal and probably unheard of. Our doctors and family would expect us to rest longer.... ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
The wound site from the placenta is one of the main reasons for postpartum bleeding/lochia 🩸We lose about 1/10 of our blood supply from this open wound! So whether you had a c-section birth or va**nal, everyone has this bleeding wound. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
It takes on average 6 weeks for this wound to heal. And this is just an average, because it depends on how much we rest, the nourishment we receive from food and support. So mothers who receive less may take longer, and mothers who prepare and set themselves up may heal quicker. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
The longer the wound site is left open, the higher risk we have for infection and hemorrhage, even if you had a safe va**nal delivery or zero complications from birth. But because this is an internal aka hidden healing part of the postpartum recovery we don't always take it seriously. And neither does our community. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
After birth we are hormonal, exhausted, emotionally vulnerable, learning to feed our baby AND our body is working hard to heal this huge wound. It's a lot. Do yourself a favor and REST and ask for help!
⁠⁠
If you are a partner or friend or family member, take this information in, SUPPORT is what they need ✌🏻”

Repost // 🕊
Photo // 💫

08/21/2022

Stages of Labor (A Quick Overview)

Western medicine has taken the rhythm & dance of a pregnant person in labor and created a structured form and language to help care providers and the families they serve a way to communicate this vast unknown.
During the 1rst stage of labor your body is (literally) opening up! The hips are moving and opening to let the baby descend down through the pelvis (known as station) the cervix is getting thinned out (know as effacement) and the cervix opens up (know as dilation). The 1rst stage has been divided into 4 parts: Pre-Labor, Early Labor, Active Labor & Transitional Labor.
The 2nd stage of labor is when the baby is navigate the birth canal: down and under the p***c bone, through the soft tissue of the va**na, stretching your perineum (so it doesn’t tear) and out past your l***a and into this this world! Traditionally this is called: Pushing.

The 3rd stage happens after the cord stops pulsing (about 5-60 minutes) and the placenta has been born, traditionally called: Afterbirth

The 4th stage is all about these three points: the pregnant person (who is no longer pregnant), the child and then the person /child relationship, which includes the feeding of the baby, bonding, cutting of the cord and making sure the pregnant persons and baby’s vitals are stable. Traditionally this is called: Recovery. - Midwife + Founder, Elizabeth

Beautiful image by //

08/03/2022

“Two weeks with Reya Sol ☀️ FYI don’t scroll to the last picture if you get queasy easily. Birthing this little girl was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Watching me birth her was the hardest thing Shawn’s ever done lol He absolutely hated seeing me in pain. I’m mind blown that women do this on the reg and we don’t talk about it more. Or give them medals or some kind of award 😄 But wow. There’s no love greater than this. I try to be honest on here so I have to admit that the first two weeks have been hard. Sleep deprivation really takes a toll on you. And my body is still recovering so Reya isn’t the only one in the house in diapers lol BUT I wouldn’t change it. I literally miss this girl when I’m in the next room 😄 I feel so grateful.” —

at our Los Angeles birth center 💫🕊

07/14/2022

Birth is sacred 💫 Photo by of 🕊

Address

2815 W Sunset Boulevard, Ste 105
Los Angeles, CA
90026

Website

http://www.gracefull.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when GraceFull posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to GraceFull:

Shortcuts

Our Story

At GraceFull our birthing philosophy of minimal interference with maximum support is an extension of our believe that birth is a normal physiological process. Since 2006 we have been honoring the body’s wisdom while providing advanced-level clinical care. As Midwives we have Medical Board Licenses that allow us to practice safely while we as women trust your body and baby to know exactly what to do. If we need to transport to the hospital to get the next level of support, you will be with one of our many experienced doctors who will working kindly and safely. Plus, our birthing rooms have the choice of Nitrous Oxide for pain relief and extra large birthing tubs, birthing swings & birthing chairs; providing a nurturing space for your family to be born. In our loft styled classrooms our teachers offer a rich selection of classes, workshops and support groups that expand on our philosophy of simplicity and connection. Anyone in the community can attend these events no matter where you birth or how you parent. We love our midwives who practice natural birthing methods and specialize in water birth. Our naturally minded practitioners will work with women, men and children to help with anything that ails you; from a common cold to back pain and anything in between. Everyone who works at GraceFull walks the talk. We don’t just have “jobs” but are supporting you as an extension of our natural and environmentally respectful lifestyle.