There’s a new way to have a baby at Great River Health. We
haven’t changed the biological process, but women have a choice
of paths for traveling the 40-week journey to motherhood.
CenteringPregnancy is a group prenatal care program that brings together
eight to 12 women who are due around the same time (and their partners).
The two-hour meetings follow the prenatal checkup schedule, and women
have individual private time at each session for belly checks and questions
with one of the program’s two facilitators.
Each meeting begins with women weighing themselves, checking their blood
pressure and recording the results.
“Today, people want to be part of their health care and know all
the details,” said Dawn Rohrer, nurse midwife, Great River Women’s
Health. She and nurse practitioner Laura Martin facilitate the classes.
CenteringPregnancy is a program of the Centering Healthcare Institute.
It based on the proven principle that when people are actively engaged
and involved in a discussion with their peers, they will have greater
understanding and self-confidence, and be more likely to change behaviors.
“It puts education in the hands of patients,” Rohrer said.
“The institute provides ideas for topics based on trimesters of
pregnancy, but information at each meeting depends on individual and class
needs. This encourages others to speak up. It’s the facilitators’
job to keep the conversation going and ensure our patients receive accurate
information.”
Studies show group prenatal care leads to better birth outcomes. Women
who participate in CenteringPregnancy are better-prepared for labor, delivery
and caring for their infants. They are more likely to breastfeed and attend
prenatal care appointments, and they are less likely to have gestational
diabetes, preterm births and postpartum depression.
“Centering Pregnancy provides education that’s not always addressed
in 10-minute prenatal appointments,” said Desiree Martin, director,
Women and Family Services. “It’s patient-centered and patient-driven.
Topics extend beyond pregnancy and childbirth, such as choosing birth
control after pregnancy.”
In Rohrer’s 11 years as a labor and delivery nurse in Great River
Women and Family Center, she helped mothers in labor who received little
prenatal education.
“They were scared and intimidated,” she said. “Without
information, it’s difficult to make decisions, such as having an
epidural or choosing feeding options for their babies.”
CenteringPregnancy is not a replacement for Great River Health’
prenatal education classes:
- Big Brother, Big Sister
- Childbirth Prep
- Noncertified CPR for Infants and children
- Prenatal Breastfeeding
“These programs work together to provide comprehensive education,”
Rohrer said. “It’s for people who desire to have a complete
package.”