December 5, 2008
New, innovative approach to prenatal care offered at FamilyCare Doctors
FamilyCare Doctors, a service of Marquette General Health System, is teaming up with the Marquette Family Medicine Residency Program to offer CenteringPregnancy - an innovative approach to health care for pregnant women.
Pregnant women opting to enroll in CenteringPregnancy will participate in group prenatal care instead of going to individual prenatal appointments throughout their pregnancy.
CenteringPregnancy is designed to bring together groups of 8 -12 women, all with similar due dates. Women first meet when they’re 12-16 weeks pregnant, continue group once a month for the first four months, then twice a month until birth, and once more for a reunion postpartum to meet the “group babies.”
Women choosing group prenatal care will get to know a team of providers: a midwife, nurse, two family medicine residents and a residency faculty physician.
“It is so much fun to be part of CenteringPregnancy groups,” said Amy Doughty, CNM, certified nurse-midwife and CenteringPregnancy coordinator for FamilyCare Doctors. “Pregnancy is naturally a time women seek out other women to share stories, questions and experiences. Women in Centering groups help each other become more supported, informed and confident. Centering strengthens families and empowers women – Centering babies are lucky!”
At the start of each group session, women have time alone with either Amy or a family medicine resident for a “belly check” to monitor their baby’s growth and heart rate. While women are getting their individual checks, the others are involved in their own self-care - taking their own blood pressure, weighing in and writing the results on their own charts. This heightened level of involvement in their prenatal care validates women by boosting their pride, responsibility and sense of partnership in their care.
Once exams are done, women circle-up for group time to discuss different topics and concerns. The midwife and family medicine resident facilitate discussions about nutrition, exercise, childbirth, infant care and feeding, and much more. Each group session lasts two hours, includes a healthy snack break and promptly starts/ends on time.
CenteringPregnancy incurs no additional cost since it’s billed to insurance companies as equivalent to the traditional model of individual prenatal visits with a physician or midwife.
CenteringPregnancy is open to any pregnant woman, whether they have a low- or high-risk pregnancy. For women without complications, CenteringPregnancy covers all prenatal needs. If women have certain existing medical conditions, or develop complications in their pregnancy, they may need additional follow-up exams scheduled separate from their CenteringPregnancy group sessions.
According to a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology that included more than 1,000 pregnant women, CenteringPregnancy has led to a significant decrease in low birth weight and premature babies. Other research on CenteringPregnancy shows links to higher breastfeeding rates and increased satisfaction with prenatal care.
CenteringPregnancy was conceived by a nurse-midwife in 1993, and now there are sites in almost all 50 states and some foreign countries. More information on the model can be found at www.centeringpregnancy.org
The first CenteringPregnancy group at FamilyCare Doctors will begin in January 2009 with an opportunity to enroll monthly thereafter. For questions regarding CenteringPregnancy please call FamilyCare Doctors at (906) 225-3864.
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