The birth center was founded in 1991 by Rosanne Gephart on the east side of Santa Rosa. Moving into two buildings that were formerly a girl scout office, the WHBC used the front building for receptions, examination rooms, and offices; the back building was remodeled into two birth rooms and a large bathroom. The large fireplace from the girl scout "lodge" was preserved in the family room of the birth center. In the beginning, Rosanne was the only midwife, with one nurse and one receptionist to provide birthing services and breastfeeding support. We now have three midwives, five nurses, a large office staff, and many contracting professionals [e.g. dietician, childbirth educators, counselors] serving our clients.

The birth center began when the malpractice crisis reached a peak and no certified nurse midwife could attend a home birth and be covered by her insurance. At the same time the licensed midwives did not have hospital privileges. Many families had to choose between two very different locations and providers. What the families wanted was a certified nurse midwife, with full medical backup, in an environment of home, but , close to the hospital and with midwives who would be able to transport to and provide care within the hospital setting. Numerous studies have now been done to support this concept as not only safe but cost effective as well. The birth center opened doing 1-2 birth center births and 4-5 hospital births. Now , after 11 years, we are attending 60% of our births at the center and 40% at the hospital. The majority of the hospital births are families that choose hospital birth or have a complication during pregnancy that requires hospital birth. The birth center has expanded services to include doula education and services, lactation education for professionals and lactation services for all families , regardless of where their baby was born.

Although the birth center has grown from three employees to 17, the mission, to develop a supportive environment that families need and want in order to be able to birth and breastfeed , has not changed.

583 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 - (707) 539-1544