Santa Barbara

Birth Center

Contact Us

painting by Jeremy Harper

About Us

For more than four decades, Santa Barbara Midwifery has been woven into the life of this community. Since 1978, we have had the privilege of accompanying families through one of the most meaningful transitions of their lives, birth, guided by respect, presence, and clinical excellence.

We view pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period as a profound and formative passage—one that is both physiologically normal and deeply significant. When supported with care, trust, and skill, this experience can be a source of strength, confidence, and lasting transformation for the birthing person, their family, and the wider community.

Midwifery care is not something we provide; it is something we practice alongside you. Each journey is unique, and we take the time to listen deeply, to understand your values, your needs, and your hopes for this experience. Our role is to walk with you—steadily, skillfully, and with care—every step of the way.

We welcome all people seeking midwifery care, regardless of gender identity, race, socioeconomic background, religion, family structure, nationality, or sexual orientation. Our commitment is to create a space where every person is met with dignity, safety, and respect.

Here, you are not rushed. You are heard. You are supported—through pregnancy, birth, and beyond—by a team that honours both the science of midwifery and the humanity of those we serve.

Our Offerings

Meet the Team

  • Laurel Phillips LM

    MIDWIFE OWNER & DIRECTOR

    With nearly three decades of experience in midwifery, Laurel trained through an extensive apprenticeship, attended hundreds of births, became a licensed midwife in 2011, and now focuses on leadership, program development, and guiding families as they explore their options for care.

  • Aubrei Ackerman, LM, CPM

    MIDWIFE

    Guided by a deep commitment to service and shaped by diverse clinical and community experiences, Aubrei has supported the birth of over 400 babies, offering grounded, attentive care rooted in trust, presence, and continuity.

  • Alissa Herbert, LM, CPM

    MIDWIFE

    Inspired by her own journey into motherhood, Alissa has been accompanying families since 2010. She offers care rooted in knowledge, presence, and deep respect for the transformative passage into parenthood.

  • Zoe Quinn, LM, CPM

    MIDWIFE

    Called to midwifery through the profound experience of her own homebirth, Zoe offers care grounded in reverence for birth, with a deep commitment to creating joyful, supported experiences for families and reimagining postpartum care as a time of true nourishment and community.

  • Beth Lang, CNM,

    NURSE MIDWIFE

    Trained as a Certified Nurse-Midwife at Columbia University and shaped by years in public health at Bellevue Hospital, Beth offers deeply respectful, choice-centered care, honoring birth as a profound and sacred passage for every family.

  • Judi Cearnal

    MIDWIFE ASSISTANT

    Inspired by her own homebirths and the generational impact of midwifery care, Judi brings grounded, heart-centred support to families, accompanying them through birth and the postpartum period with deep trust in the physiology and the lifelong resonance of these experiences.

  • Christiannah Williams-Ehrman

    MIDWIFE ASSISTANT

    Rooted in traditional postpartum care and shaped by her own experience of motherhood during the pandemic, Christiannah offers attentive, culturally grounded support that centers the mother, enabling her to fully nurture her baby and family.

  • Simone Duffet

    MIDWIFE ASSISTANT

    Weaving together birth and postpartum care, movement, and plant-based wisdom, Simone offers a warm, grounded presence rooted in connection, nourishment, and a deep commitment to community and reproductive justice.

  • Kari Arcuri

    MIDWIFE ASSISTANT

    Drawing on her own birth experiences and over a decade spent supporting families as a doula, educator, and lactation counsellor, Kari brings a thoughtful, steady presence to both client care and the birth center's daily operations.

  • Jen Gibian, MA, IBCLC,

    MIDWIFE ASSISTANT

    Since 2006, Jen has supported families across the full spectrum of the perinatal journey, offering integrative, compassionate care that honours the profound transformation of becoming and nurturing new life.

Read More About our Team

Testimonies

  • Our experience at the Santa Barbara Birth Center was incredibly worthwhile and I feel it was so beneficial to my health and the health of our son. The prenatal care that we received from the midwives is unlike anything else available. Being a part of the Birth Center also offers the opportunity to build a community before your baby is born as well as access to various community resources to support pregnancy and delivery. We also attended the birth class, which gave me the tools for a labor and delivery where I felt empowered, strong, alert, and supported. We did not qualify for coverage under our insurance plan; however, we were able to receive a scholarship for part of our fees. We paid the rest out of pocket and my husband and I both feel that the care and support we received each step of the way was worth every single penny. We would do it again in a heartbeat. We are incredibly grateful to the team at the Santa Barbara Birth Center and feel so lucky to have them in our community.

    - Brina Carey

  • In seeking a natural pregnancy and birth, we were thrilled to have the option of the Santa Barbara Birth Center as an alternative to the hospital environment. The birth center provided a cozy, homey and safe setting with all the tools necessary to have a successful natural labor. The prenatal care we received from the midwives was comprehensive, personal, supportive and prepared us well to have the labor and delivery we hoped for. Their holistic and family-centered approach made it possible for my husband to be involved in every aspect of prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum recovery. The level and quality of care from the midwives, birth assistants, and doulas was extended to both me and my husband (and eventually our beautiful baby boy) throughout this entire process. We hope to have the opportunity to work with the midwives again in the future.

    - The Abdou Family

  • I had the unique experience of receiving all of my prenatal care with the midwives at the birth center, while ending up giving birth at the hospital. At 34 weeks I developed some odd symptoms that led to a diagnosis of obstetric cholestasis, which required me to be induced in a hospital setting at 36 weeks for the safety of my baby. I'm forever grateful for the personal attentiveness the midwives gave me, the emails returned in the middle of the night, and the follow-up they've graced me with following my unplanned hospital birth. I can't imagine going through pregnancy without their knowledge and love!

    - Maddie, David + Levi

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Most of our families are ready to go home between four and six hours after delivery; depending on what time the birth has happened. We make sure both mother and baby are recovered and stable before sending you home. We then come to see you in your home within 24-36 hours after the birth, and again on day 3, to be sure all is going well and to evaluate breastfeeding. Then you have a two week and six week post-partum visit at the birth center. If you are having any difficulties with breastfeeding or any aspect of your recovery we are available for visits and phone consultation.

  • Because we spend such a lot of time with our clients ( about 30 hours total per client), we do not contract with insurance, since their set rates do not come close to covering our costs of providing such extensive care. However, our clients with a PPO can get significant reimbursement afterwards with the help an insurance biller whom we recommend.

    Consider: Compared to a birth in the hospital where costs can soar, our care is extremely cost-effective. Our fee is our fee no matter how long your birth takes or how many supplies are used.

    Hospital births without insurance can cost 21,000 just for a vaginal delivery to 38,300 for a c-section . We cost far less and decrease your chance of a c-section significantly.

    Insurance will probably cover much of a hospital birth-but in the case of a PPO, when you consider the amount of your deductible and the cost of your co -insurance and co-pay, it may still cost you more than out-of-pocket midwifery care- and often does..

    We are happy to discuss our fee in a one-on-one consultation. There is so much included that it warrants an individual conversation. We are open to discussing custom financial plans for those who may need financial assistance. We have a subsidy fund to help cover the cost of the Birth Center fee for those who qualify.

  • At every prenatal visit our clients are assessed for their suitability to birth at the birth center. If for any reason it is not appropriate, usually due to medical conditions, for a client to birth at the birth center, their care is transferred to a physician, or transferred to a hospital. Midwives adhere to the same standards of care as physicians, so the clinical care you receive is the same, just with a more personal approach, and a stronger emphasis on nutrition, exercise, and complimentary therapies such as chiropractic and acupuncture. Midwives are limited to caring for people with low-risk pregnancies (age does not risk you out of midwifery care or a birth center birth). That means that the pregnant person is healthy, and has only one healthy baby coming head first. If you and baby come into labor healthy, the odds are stacked in your favor that you will deliver safely.

  • Yes, we offer the chance for a person who has had a previous cesarean birth to have a trial of labor with the hope of a vaginal birth. We have had about an 80% vaginal birth rate for those attempting VBAC.

You want to know more about the midwifery model or how birth practices shape our world?

Join our director, Laurel Phillips, and Stacy Pulice to hear about the philosophy that guides the Santa Barbara Birth Center. They explore the crucial role of birth centers in transforming maternal care, the systemic barriers that continue to sideline traditional birthing practices, and the remarkable health benefits of midwifery-led care, including dramatically lower C-section rates and improved postpartum support.

Contact Us

If you are interested in our services or would like to schedule a free consultation and birth center tour, please use this contact form or email us at admin@SBBirthCenter.org and we will get back to you soon!

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