Bakersfield Birth Center

I just had a baby at Bakersfield Birth Center with Justine (and her assistant Bri) and had the most wonderful experience! I want to start by saying that Justine is highly gifted at what she does and puts her heart and soul into her work. It's very obvious that it's much more than work to her, midwifery is her calling and passion. Justine came highly recommended to me by many friends and acquaintances in my community who had wonderful experiences with her also. My first baby was born in a hospital and I had a less-than-ideal experience. When I got pregnant with my second baby, I knew I wanted to go a more natural route. From the moment I met Justine at my first prenatal care appointment, she was kind, professional and knowledgeable. She always answered all my questions with patience and care. Unlike my OB in my first pregnancy, Justine cared deeply about my nutrition, supplement intake, blood sugar levels, etc. My prenatal care was specialized to me. I (and my baby) wasn't just a number to her, she cared for us and our well-being throughout my pregnancy. My prenatal appointments were done in the comfort of my home and my toddler was always welcome to be there when I didn't have a babysitter. When I went into labor, I called Justine at 5am and she answered immediately. She was calm but attentive. We met at the birth center a few hours later. Her birth center is AMAZING! It is beautiful and has the most inviting atmosphere. Laboring at the birth center was such a more pleasant experience than laboring in the hospital. At the hospital with my first birth I was hooked up to an IV, fetal monitoring system, blood pressure cuff, etc. the entire time. I was restricted from moving around, eating and drinking, even without an epidural. At the birth center, I was free to move around, eat, drink, listen to music, get in and out of the shower/ tub. Justine monitored the baby intermittently as needed. My husband was comfortable and free to support me without judgement of what that looked like for us. This freedom made my contractions so much more manageable. Justine and her assistant/ student Bri were kind, helpful and patient the entire time. They are so selfless. They cleaned up after me, got me whatever I wanted/ needed, supported me through contractions, and encouraged me to listen to my body and do what my instincts led me to do. When it was time to deliver, Justine allowed me to do what felt right instead of telling me to push in a certain position at a certain time like the hospital did. My daughter had shoulder dystocia and got stuck at the shoulders (which also happened at the hospital with my first son). The doctor who delivered my son took extreme, invasive measures to get him out, which caused me extreme trauma and pain postpartum. Unlike that doctor, when Justine saw that I needed assistance getting my daughter out, she simply had me change positions and she used her experience and skill to help me deliver my baby, leaving me without even a tear. After my daughter was born, she spent 2 hours breastfeeding and doing skin to skin with me. My husband and I marveled at the gift of our new baby girl, and Justine and Bri joined in in giving their compliments of her cuteness! Then Bri performed her newborn exam while my husband and I ate some lunch. We went over postpartum care for me and the baby. Then I took a shower and we were on our way home a few hours after our daughter was born. We didn't even have to be away from our son overnight, whereas we were forced to stay in the hospital 3 days when he was born (even though he had no complications). Justine came to our house the day after the birth for my first postpartum appointment to check on me and the baby. Justine is highly skilled in what she does, but also passionate and caring about her patients. If you are considering a midwife for your birth, I highly recommend Justine and the Bakersfield Birth Center! P.S. Justine and Bri took the most beautiful, special pictures for us throughout my labor and birth.

I am deeply disappointed with my experience with Justine and would not recommend her. I hired Justine after a traumatic hospital birth in 2021, as a VBAC patient. I was excited at first.I was expecting my experience to be more natural/holistic, but she still very much follows a medical model/ very "fear-based". She thought my baby had growth restriction and thought my baby was breech, but she was fine both times. When I told her about my traumatic birth, which involved the hospital staff pressuring me, being very fear based, and strongly suggesting a C-section, she would defend/justify their dismissive behavior. The worst part of my experience was my birth.I reached my due date (Jan 10th) and my baby still wasn't coming. I wanted to go into labor naturally. My understanding was that I had until 42 weeks (until Jan. 24, 2024) for her to be able to attend the birth, and AFTER that, she would need to transfer me to a hospital. I told her I would take castor oil to induce labor if needed.I had my last prenatal app with Justine on Jan. 22nd. She texted me the night before she was going to break another mom's waters that morning- basically suggesting for me to not take the castor oil yet. My last app was so uncomfortable. It almost felt like she was already saying "bye". I still had 2 days to go into labor and was doing everything I could to induce- acupuncture, chiropractor, miles circuit, walking, etc. On Jan. 23rd, she called me in the evening to suggest taking the castor oil. I had been having on and off contractions so I decided to take on Jan. 24th in the morning. She texted me that morning to see if I took it and I told her I took it this morning because of my contractions. She called me and told me she had to transfer care to the hospital because I was supposed to go into labor the night before by midnight. I was completely taken aback as this was NEVER explained to me, not at any point during prenatal care or during the phone call the night prior. If she had told me over the phone- you have until midnight to go into active labor, I would swallowed a castor oil bottle! She never told me I was supposed to be in labor by the end of 41 weeks and 6 days. My understanding was 42 weeks, which would have been Jan. 24th, and AFTER 42 weeks, she would need to transfer me. I confirmed this with her multiple times throughout my pregnancy. She told me that she would come to my house to check me and said that if I wasn't 6 centimeters dilated, she would need to transfer. I had to tell my husband what she told me and he was also completely shocked. She got to my house checked me, and I was only 2 cm. She checked the baby and everything was fine. She saw me having contractions but said she would need to transfer me ASAP. Me and my husband were left, abandoned. My biggest fear was going to a hospital because I knew they would be very aggressive with me since I was VBAC patient and was past my due date. I decided to labor at home as long as I could. We ended up needing to call the ambulance and taken to the hospital. I was able to have my baby and even the doctors there were upset/confused that she abandoned me.I believe if Justine would have given me that last day on the 24th, I would have had my home birth because I dilated extremely fast. But, it seemed like she wanted to "wash her hands" of me and not take any responsibility. Justine NEVER contacted me after she came to my home on Jan 24. She didn't attend my birth or provide any postpartum visits. She didn't text/call to see what happened with birth or my baby and that's what breaks my heart the most.We have emailed her twice sharing our concerns and she couldn't even show us the respect of emailing us back. I didn't want to write a negative review, but I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I would have NEVER treated a patient like this. Another traumatic birth experience. I thought midwifery care was about connection and I thought I had one with Justine. But her lack of follow up to see if I was even alive after my birth, made me realize there wasn't.

What can I say but thank you! Our birth experience here was nothing short of incredible Justine and Bree are second to none. We had our first child on the hospital and our second at Bakersfield Birth Center and what an absolute night and day difference. The care that my wife and baby received was incredible. From office visits to birth everything was exactly what we wanted. If you are on the fence about going to Justine, I can make it easy; Do it! You will not have a single regret. Justine and Bree we view now as family and are so thankful that we found them. I literally cannot say enough! Thank you ladies you are so special to us!!!

Two healthy, safe births with Justine & her wonderful team and I honestly wouldn't have had it any other way! From my very first appointment with Justine I always felt heard, educated on any questions/concern & well taken care of. I am so thankful that I was referred to Justine with my first baby & blessed to be able to have my second with her as well. I absolutely love Justine & her team. I felt safe & could ask absolutely anything without being judged. I knew that my babies and I were always being taken care of whether it was her recommending the best supplements for a healthy pregnancy/postpartum, Listening with a Doppler for more than a couple seconds to make sure baby had a good heartbeat, checking my ankles for swelling, or guiding me with exercise and diet. I would go to doctor visits in the beginning of both pregnancies and was always rushed, judged for choices and just unhappy. I left BBC happy, prepared & all questions answered. That was huge for my husband and I. The delivery rooms are beautiful, comfortable and always clean. I 1000% recommend BBC!They are extremely knowledgeable & stay on top of education!

Justine is heaven sent and my husband and I are so blessed to have had the opportunity for her to assist with our little girl! Throughout the pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum, she provided us with a wealth of information and guidance, always looking out for the health and safety of both mom and baby. She is constantly staying up to date with the newest evidenced based care. Additionally, whenever we had any questions or concerns, she was very responsive and knowledgeable. Her daughter, Bri, is equally as caring and supportive, just like her mother. After such a wonderful experience, there is no way we would do this again any other way. Thank you so much for the incredible experience you allowed us to have. We look forward to sharing it with our daughter someday!

Justine and Bri at Bakersfield Birth Center ...AMAZING PEOPLE AND EXPERIENCE! Justine is so knowledgeable and very passionate about midwifery and it really shines through, just by talking to her you can feel it. Open to questions when I felt uncertain about what to do. Would hands down do it all over again if I knew I had this team by my side.

Our experience with Justine was nothing short of disappointing and frustrating. Despite our hopes for a personalized and empowering birth experience, we were met with confusion, stress, and ultimately abandonment.Throughout the pregnancy, Justine provided inconsistent and alarming information, leading to unnecessary anxiety. Despite our low-risk pregnancy, her remarks about our baby's growth and position only served to heighten our concerns.The biggest letdown came during labor when Justine failed to communicate clearly on how she would not attend the birth of we went past 41 weeks and 6 days, leaving us stranded without support. Her abrupt departure not only left us emotionally abandoned but also resulted in unnecessary medical interventions and hefty hospital bills.Despite charging a substantial fee for full prenatal, birth, and postpartum care,Justine failed to fulfill her obligations, providing only a fraction of the promised services. Her lack of follow-up after the birth further underscored her disregard for her patients' well-being.In summary, our experience with Justine was characterized by incompetence, poor communication, and abandonment. We wrote her an email and tried contacting her but she has failed to reply nor try to solve this issue. We strongly advise others to seek alternative care providers who prioritize their patients' needs and well-being.

What an absolutely amazing experience I had with Justine. She helped me to have a safe and special home birth experience. I am truly, from the bottom of my heart thankful for everything she did for my family and I throughout the entire process leading up to and after the birth. I cant express in words how much I appreciated having her with me on my journey. She genuinely loves her clients and the beautiful babies she helps bring into this world. I am Greatful for the bond and TRUST we formed. Thank you for helping me have the experience I've always really wanted after 4 other kids. #5 was definitely a special birth thanks to her.

I had both my a beautiful babies with Justine . She is the best physician I have ever had! She is caring and knowledgeable and always available for any questions about your pregnancy . She is an amazing coach during labor and just an all around wonderful woman! If you choose to go with her as your midwife it will absolutely bring going good things to your pregnancy! With my 1st baby , my daughter was not budging. I made it all the way to 42 weeks and 6 days . I was extremely stressed about not going into labor on time and having to be transferred because I have heard horror stories about hospitals. Justine and I discussed it a lot because it was a concern of mine and she made it extremely clear that I have to go into labor at or before midnight on the 6th day of week 42 because when I became 43 week I would need to be transferred to the hospital, at 42 weeks I did everything from acupuncture, walking , bouncing, cervix scratching and she told me all the info about caster oil . I did my research and took caster oil at 5 pm on the 42 weeks and 6 days.I called Justine at 10 pm and I got to the birth center she broke my water and gave birth about 6am . Luckily I was in active labor before midnight. My 2nd baby was much easier I gave birth at 41 weeks .Justine was definitely the best midwife for both of my pregnancies and I would definitely recommend her.

The team at Bakersfield Birth Center is amazing! They were competent, friendly, honest, firm (when needed), and truly cared about both the mom and the baby. This was our first baby and the thought of delivering our first baby at home could be stressful at times; however, Justine and Bri helped calm our fears and affirmed our research, our calling, and our trust in them as an experienced, competent midwifery team. We were so blessed to have such wonderful people and skilled professionals be part of our biggest blessing, the birth of our son! We hope to use their services again soon:)