Santa Cruz Midwives

09/09/2025

This mama coped beautifully with the surges of labor and she credits her tens machine for supporting her through the intensity of labor up until the very end. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) uses mild electrical impulses to stimulate the nerves and block pain signals from reaching the brain. This non-invasive pain relief method is easy to use: simply place the pads on your lower back, adjust the settings to your comfort, and feel the soothing sensations during contractions. Many women find that it helps reduce anxiety and enhances their sense of control over the birthing process as well as take the “edge off” the intensity of contractions. 💕

04/30/2025

Join us this weekend. We’d love to see all of our past and current clients and your growing families! 🌸

04/22/2025

🌼 This Infertility Awareness Week, let’s unite our voices to shed light on the journey of hope, resilience, and support. Whether you’re navigating the challenges of infertility, seeking answers, or standing with a loved one, remember: you are not alone. Together, we can break the silence and foster understanding around this delicate topic. 💛

04/17/2025

🌟 Spring has brought new beginnings at our practice! We’re excited to welcome four wonderful Pisces babies and three energetic Aries babies into our family! Four baby boys and two baby girls 🙏🏻

💫 Pisces (February 19 - March 20) are known for their compassionate and intuitive nature. These water signs are imaginative dreamers who often have a deep connection with their emotions and the world around them. With their gentle spirit and empathy, Pisces babies help remind us of the beauty of kindness and creativity.

🔥 Aries (March 21 - April 19), on the other hand, are born leaders! This fire sign is characterized by their adventurous and assertive spirit. Aries babies are full of energy, enthusiasm, and a pioneering attitude, ready to take on the world. Their courage and determination will inspire those around them to chase their dreams!

02/20/2025

🌟 Welcoming four beautiful Aquarius babies into our practice this month, each with names starting with the letter M! 💗✨ These little ones are sure to embody the innovative and independent spirit of their zodiac sign. Here’s to creativity, compassion, and a touch of rebellion! 🌌💫

01/15/2025

While the last postpartum visit is really bittersweet, sometimes we get pleasantly surprised how quickly we get to see you again. This family had three babies born with Santa Cruz and Sacred Cycles midwifery in under 4 years. 🎉We love staying in touch with our families and it’s so special when we get to continue our journey of care again and again in this mamas case. We are also always available for well women and fertility care as well as midwifery care. Whether that’s in between, before or after your child bearing journey has ended, we love supporting women in all capacities. Cheers to a new year full of love, blessings and many new babies to come! 💕

10/15/2024

🌼✨ On Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, we honor the journeys of families everywhere. Let’s come together to support one another, share our stories, and remember the little ones who hold a special place in our hearts. 💖 ”

09/25/2024

Delayed cord clamping is prioritized at our practice. - a practice that involves waiting for a period of time after birth before cutting the umbilical cord. This allows the baby to receive additional blood from the placenta, which can provide important health benefits. Some of the potential benefits of delayed cord clamping include:

1. Increased iron levels: The additional blood received during delayed cord clamping can help boost the baby’s iron stores, which is important for healthy development.

2. Improved circulation: Allowing the baby to receive more blood from the placenta can help improve circulation and oxygen levels, which may benefit overall health.

3. Better brain development: The increased blood flow to the baby during delayed cord clamping has been associated with improved brain development and cognitive function.

4. Reduced risk of anemia: By increasing the baby’s iron levels, delayed cord clamping can help reduce the risk of anemia in the early months of life.

5. Smooth transition to breathing: The extra blood received during delayed cord clamping can help the baby make a smooth transition to breathing on their own.

Overall, delayed cord clamping is a simple and beneficial practice that can support the health and well-being of newborns. Beautiful birth photography by

07/30/2024

One of the questions we get asked a lot is what are our stats? Even though both Serena & Sharon have been practicing for over 25 years individually, we have only been in practice together for about 2 years. We are excited to announce that we have 50 births under our joint practice and can now calculate our average statistics. Here they are-
Our overall labor transfer rate is 10%
for folks having their second or more child it’s 2%
for first time labors it’s 8%
We had a 100% success rate for at home VBAC (6% of our client load)
Our c-section rate is 2%

These numbers are well below the national average and we are proud to share them 💗 Birth photography by

07/22/2024

🐾♥️How sweet are these doggy’s? Animals are extremely intuitive and we often find they make awesome furry doulas providing love and support during your Homebirth journey. just another amazing reason to birth at home. A warm congrats to this beautiful family who rocked their Homebirth.

07/08/2024

Have you ever seen a baby being born feet first? 🦶

A baby in this position is referred to as a ‘beech baby’ or ‘baby in breech position’. The means their bottom (or sometimes their feet or knees) is in the lower portion of the uterus as the ‘presenting part’, rather than the head.

Only around 3-4% of babies are breech at full term - so if your baby is breech earlier in pregnancy, try not to be concerned. They do move around quite a bit!

If your baby is in a breech a position at 36 weeks, your midwife and obstetrician will discuss your options with you. You’ll usually be offered an external cephalic version (ECV). This is where a doctor will try to manually turn your baby by applying pressure to your abdomen. Around 50% of breech babies can be turned using ECV.

It is always your choice whether or not you accept the offer of an ECV or not. Same goes for any procedure.

You then have the choice of giving birth vaginally or abdominally. If you opt for a cesarean birth you can choose whether you want to agree to a date / time in advance, or wait for labour to begin spontaneously and have a planned but unscheduled cesarean.

You won’t always be offered these options straight up so it’s important to know what your options are and that it is always your choice. Your body, your baby, your birth, your choice.

We encourage people to use their BRAIN - an acronym standing for Benefits Risks Alternatives Instinct and Nothing. These are questions you can ask and things to consider when making a decision. The final one - nothing - buys you some time. How long do I have to make this decision? Can I sleep on it and come back tomorrow? Can we discuss in next week’s routine appointment? Can I have 5 minutes now to discuss with my partner? Etc.

We’d also recommend visiting for more info and resources on how to encourage your baby to turn at home. It might also be worth exploring other options eg Acupuncture and Moxibustion, which some NHS trusts offer.

📸 ~ & Mama ~ .nicole

06/05/2024