group prenatal care
Group prenatal visits are held with groups of 4-6 birthing parents all due around the same time. Group prenatal visits always begin with questions from the group. A "topic of the month" is then discussed, and visits are finished with private one-on-one time for questions with the midwife. Group care is an excellent way for you to take your health into your own hands, as many of the tasks in group prenatal care (taking blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and weight) are performed by the client during the visit.
Group prenatal care is goal-oriented and available for families planning home or hospital births.
Group care goals include:
Group appointments are scheduled to last 80 minutes. Fees for group prenatal care are the same as private prenatal care, and include:
Group visits allow your questions to be answered in a group or private setting, and provide space for families to form lasting connections with one another throughout their care. Support people are encouraged to attend.
Additional "problem" visits are of course scheduled for Group Care clients on an as-needed basis. There is no limit to the number of prenatal or postpartum visits you can have when you are enrolled in services as a client.
Group prenatal care is goal-oriented and available for families planning home or hospital births.
Group care goals include:
- Reviewing initial history including previous pregnancies, general health, and goals for your upcoming birth.
Offer initial labwork, genetic screening, and ultrasound. - Discussing nutrition, doulas, childbirth education, and out-of-hospital birth. Offering 20-week ultrasound.
- Discussing and offering gestational diabetes screening and options for other 28-week bloodwork (including lab testing for Rh- birthing parents).
- Discussing partner and family support for labor and birth.
- Discussing and offering GBS testing and treatment options. Discussing signs of labor and when to call the midwife. Offering third-trimester bloodwork.
- Discussing signs of labor, when to call the midwife, what to do if the baby arrives before the midwife (precipitous birth), and routine labor and birth care.
- Discussing newborn procedures and breastfeeding. Visiting with babies from your group that have already been born, and hearing their birth stories!
- Discussing post-dates testing, ways to facilitate labor, and common end-of-pregnancy complaints.
Group appointments are scheduled to last 80 minutes. Fees for group prenatal care are the same as private prenatal care, and include:
- Monitoring your vital signs and your general health
- Monitoring your baby's growth, heart rate, and position
- Education on staying healthy during pregnancy
- Education on preparing yourself and your support team for your birth
- Non-urgent support during business hours via the electronic chart messaging system
- Urgent support via phone call
Group visits allow your questions to be answered in a group or private setting, and provide space for families to form lasting connections with one another throughout their care. Support people are encouraged to attend.
Additional "problem" visits are of course scheduled for Group Care clients on an as-needed basis. There is no limit to the number of prenatal or postpartum visits you can have when you are enrolled in services as a client.
Group lab care
Open-door lab days for parents and babies are held twice per month. Lab days serve as a way for your midwife to provide affordable health services to all of her clients while allowing closely supervised blood draw training and experience for student midwives.