Wild Rose Women's Clinic

The Wild Rose Womens Clinic
is a private midwifery practice in the Columbia Basin.    Fran Wilson, CNM, opened the clinic in April of 1995 with the goal of increasing childbirth alternatives to families in this area. The clinic offers maternity care with birth in the home (in certain situations, other birth settings may be available).   Doulas fluent in English, Russian and Spanish are available to provide labor support.  On site translation is usually available for clinic visits.  We accept many insurance plans, and are happy to work with you to develop payment plans.  There is a discount of 20% of our usual fee for clients who pay cash in full prior to the birth.

We are there for you

The most common reason that women choose midwifery care is the close relationship that often develops between the midwife and her clients. At Wild Rose Clinic, we believe that childbirth is a pivotal event in the lives of women and families and encourage your full participation. We try to help you obtain the information you will need to make childbirth decisions based on informed choice. We do this by offering an extensive lending library of current books and videos, ample time at your appointments to discuss any questions or concerns that arise, and options for childbirth classes. Your visits are from 30 to 60 minutes long, and almost always with your primary midwife. You have access to your midwife 24/7 by cellphone or pager.  The clinic also serves as a primary site for Hypnobirthing and other health related classes.

Once a relationship has developed with your primary doctor or midwife, it can be a shock to find the he or she is not on call when you go into labor. In practices that routinely share labor call, you have a good chance of having your baby delivered by someone you have met briefly or not at all. While the midwife or physician on call may be wonderful, it can be difficult to share one of the most intimate moments in your life with a relative stranger. In this practice, your midwife will generally be with you from the time active labor begins. Occasionally, another midwife takes call for Wild Rose Clinic, but over 98% of the births are attended by the primary midwife.

Choosing a Birthplace

The choice of a birthplace is also important.  Hospitals and nurses in this area often have their own agendas and may not be open to yours.  Their protocols may include unnecessary procedures, espcially for the newborn.  You do have a right to refuse any recommended procedures, but during labor and immediate postpartum period can be a tough time to have to defend your choices to health care professionals that don't support your philosophy.  The only way to ensure that your wishes are followed is to choose to have your baby outside of the hospital.  We encourage natural pain relief.  Birth in the water is not available in any area hospital, but it is definitely an option for home births.  If you are curious about home or water birth, we have many books and videos to help you decide. There are very good statistics that support the safety of home birth, and we can share these studies with you. We also have families who have chosen these options and are willing to share their experiences with you.  To see a list of research articles supporting the safety of homebirth, please go to:http://www.changesurfer.com/Hlth/homebirth.html or http://www.gentlebirth.org/. 

What if I need a doctor?

Sometimes your specific situation makes homebirth an unsuitable option.  There are also some situations that arise during pregnancy and birth that need the evaluation and treatment of a medical specialist.  We maintain relationships with excellent obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, and pediatricians in the area for assistance with challenging situations. Many women whose pregnancies were high risk in the past do not have problems in subsequent pregnancies. If you would like to discuss your specific situation, you are welcome to schedule an introductory visit at no charge.  If you do need a physician for a hospital birth, please consider hiring a labor doula (see the "doula" page), develop a simple birthplan, and discuss your needs and desires with your doctor prior to labor.  If they are not receptive to your wishes, and can't provide you with a satisfactory explanation about why interventions are necessary, there is nothing at all wrong with looking for another provider.  Our local hospitals also vary in whether or not they will insist on an intravenous line or a needle in your arm, continuous fetal monitoring, or routine newborn procedures that require the baby to be separated from the mother (taken off the moms chest) within the first hour of birth.  In most routine births, these interventions are not necessary.  Your doctor should be able to explain why they are necessary in your case.

In order to protect the option of non-interventive midwifery in the Columbia Basin, I would like to recommend that your support for midwifery and birthplace options be communicated to your state and federal representatives, hospital administration and board of directors, and letters to the editor of your local newspaper.  Some of these options are listed on the 'Making A Difference' section in the "related websites" page.