Professional Staff

Ellen Marie Franklin CNM

Ellen has always had a huge fascination and love for moms, babies and the whole process of child birth. As a young child when people would ask her what she was going to be when she grew up, she would respond “I am going to live on a farm, raise horses and dogs, have 10 children and deliver babies”.

Ellen was born in St. Paul, MN, grew up primarily in Grand Forks, ND, where she attended the University of ND and received her bachelor’s degree in nursing. She had been out of nursing school for a year and had landed a job over the phone in Labor and Delivery at Maricopa Medical Center; she was thrilled they had one of the highest birth rates of the Phoenix valley hospitals at that time. So, in 1988, even though she had never been to Phoenix, she sold almost everything, packed up 5 kids and 2 dogs drove across country (almost 2000 miles) and moved to Phoenix. Almost 20 years and five more kids, later, she is living in Glendale with 6 of her children, a dog (Sookie) and a significant other of 13 years. Three of her adult children live in the Phoenix area and have given her 9 grandchildren with number ten on the way. Ellen loves to cook, cross stitch, cut and lay ceramic tile, lay on the beaches of Belize and/or San Diego and, of course, she loves to catch babies!

Ellen recently graduated as a nurse-midwife in December, 2006. She attended the Midwifery Institute of Philadelphia University through an on-line distance program. Congruently with her certificate in midwifery she also received a Master’s degree in Midwifery. Before completing midwifery school, Ellen worked in the Phoenix Valley as a registered nurse for 19 years with a primary focus in labor and delivery. Ellen felt it was good to be a well rounded nurse; so, she also worked in the adult intensive care units, ER, telemetry, postpartum, nursery, out-patient surgery and some other areas. As a labor and delivery nurse of 20 years, Ellen has probably assisted and cared for thousands of women delivering their babies and as new CNM she has already caught over 100 babies!

C. Steven Plimpton - M.D./P.C.

Dr. Steve Plimpton has been in practice for over fifteen years and assisted more than ten thousand women with the delivery of their children, yet rather than developing a routine attitude toward the miracle of childbirth, he holds each and every birth as amazing as his first. He takes great pride in caring for each of his patients as someone who may need his expertise, but he also realizes that each patient is unique and very much in control of their own pregnancy and outcome. For these reasons he develops a very open relationship with his patients and strives to educate and guide them through a healthy pregnancy.

Dr. Plimpton has been in Phoenix for most of his life. While he was born in the Midwest and likes to believe that he carries the bedside manner of a small town country doctor, he also prides himself on being on the cutting edge of research and technology for his specialty. He graduated from the University of Arizona School of Medicine and received his specialty training here in Phoenix. He is Nationally recognized as one of the top Obstetrician and Gynecologists in the United States and has been named a Top Doc by the Phoenix Magazine multiple times. He has also been awarded recognition as a top educator in his specialty by his peers.

While his many accomplishments have humbled Dr. Plimpton, he holds no greater pride in his finest achievement; his wife of over twenty years and his four children. It is his devotion to his family that reinforces his determination to help others create their own families. For this reason, he takes great pains to personally be a part of his patients’ care and to make every effort to be there for their special moment. Dr. Plimpton will never let his office become a clinic for the impersonal treatment of patients. His offices will always be a place for the personal and professional care of women who seek to better themselves.

It is this philosophy that has made his relationship with Ellen Franklin such a perfect match. He recognizes that Ellen maintains a very close and guarded relationship with her patients. While she makes the outcome for her patients a very personal issue, she is outstanding at making sure that Dr. Plimpton is ready and able to assist her in the very rare event that his expertise is needed. Thus Ellen’s patients have the added advantage of not only having the premier midwife in Phoenix as their caregiver, but also have the added protection of Dr. Plimpton’s training available at a moment’s notice.

For those who seek to take part in their care and enjoy a very comprehensive and compassionate relationship with their caregiver, the practice of Dr. Steve Plimpton and Ellen Franklin, midwife, could not be a better fit. Please give their offices a call when you are ready to take an active role in what will likely be one of the most amazing journeys you will ever enjoy.