Our Experience with Spokane River Midwives
My partner and I…read morewere so excited to welcome our first baby and chose Spokane River Midwives because of their many positive reviews. We hoped for a more personal midwifery experience and a strong connection with our care team. We are sure many families have had wonderful experiences here, but after seven months of care, we unfortunately never developed the connection we had hoped for. Appointments often felt routine and clinical, and on the occasions when we did have questions, we sometimes left feeling as though they were silly or unnecessary.
Our biggest concern was the doula requirement. At our initial consultation, we understood that a doula was highly recommended for first-time mothers. To the best of our recollection, we were not told it was a requirement until around six months into my pregnancy, and we were never given anything in writing about it that we could find. It is possible we simply missed it, and I hope they normally make this clear during consultations because it is a significant consideration to be forced to pay for a 3rd party service and have a person at your birth that you were not planning for. We did not want a doula at our birth. We could have afforded one, but that wasn't the point--we wanted to take childbirth classes, support each other, and choose who would be present for our birth. When we asked why it was required, we were told doulas could help determine when it was time to come in during labor so we didn't come in to early, teach birthing positions, and advocate for our autonomy if a hospital transfer became necessary. We even asked if a friend or family member could fill that role because we would have been more comfortable with someone we knew and were told, "We don't like that." This was difficult for us because autonomy and freedom of choice are such a strong part of how the practice presents its philosophy. At my seven-month appointment, I discussed the financial concern with the second midwife, whom I was meeting for the first time. Doulas can cost $1,000-$2,500 or more, my insurance does not cover them, and the cost could have exceeded our entire expected out-of-pocket cost for the birth. I was told that I wasn't paying that much for my birth anyway and could make a baby-shower fund and perhaps have someone in my family pay for the entire doula expense. I found that dismissive, and very assuming, especially because our concern wasn't simply the cost--we didn't want the service in the first place.
That same seven-month appointment was ultimately the turning point for us. I asked about routine newborn care, including vitamin K, erythromycin eye ointment, and hepatitis B vaccination. When I asked about hepatitis B vaccination practices of the office, I was met with a laugh and the response, "I've never had a patient with hepatitis B." Neither my partner nor I have hepatitis B, and that wasn't what I was asking. We both found the comment uncomfortable and insulting and felt it was dismissive of a reasonable question about our baby's care. My question wasn't answered, and I was told we could discuss newborn procedures at a later appointment. After several months of experiences like these, we decided to transfer our care to another practice. I'm sharing this because I don't want another first-time mother to find herself six or seven months into pregnancy feeling like she has to choose between paying for a 3rd party service we never wanted or potentially changing providers late in pregnancy, not to mention a few of these comments making us feel uncomfortable. That was an incredibly stressful position to be in with our first baby. I hope this encourages prospective patients to specifically ask about any additional 3rd party financial requirements, expectations about people expected to be at your birth, so that large decisions like these can be clearly communicated and considered before choosing your provider. I know many women have had positive experiences here; this is simply ours, and I hope it helps another family make an informed decision.
