Building Your Pregnancy Team
It’s an exciting time, and things are changing for you all the time! Want some good advice? Actually, you’re probably getting more free advice than you want, but who do you trust? If you don’t have a doctor you trust already, now is the time to find one!Picking a Team Captain
For the best information and care, you can choose an obstetrician/gynecologist or OB/GYN - they specialize in women’s healthcare and childbirth – your family practitioner – if he/she specializes in obstetrical care, or a certified nurse-midwife. Of course, there are mid-wives who are not certified nurse mid-wives you can go to, but you may be missing out on the latest modern medicine has to offer if you go this route.
Whoever you choose, this will be your “go-to” person. Someone you can go to with questions (there are no stupid ones), call when you feel something is not quite right for advice, and check in with regularly to make sure things are going just right! They should be informative, interested in you, and make you feel well cared for. Having confidence in your team captain early on will make trust that much easier should you have any difficult decisions to make later.
Training Schedule
If you’re healthy and are not a “high risk” pregnancy, expect to see your doctor or nurse:
- Every 4 weeks until the 28th week of pregnancy
These visits will include regular checks of your blood pressure, weight, listening to baby’s heartbeat, palpating (feeling) your belly to ascertain the baby’s position and size, blood and urine tests to track your progress and determine any actions that need to be taken to protect you and your baby during pregnancy and delivery.
- Every 2 weeks until the 36th week
- Then once a week until delivery
The frequency of visits increases as you near your due date to better track your quickly developing baby, and your own health at this time. Between the 28th week and birth, your child will go from a pound and a half to nearly 7 pounds! These are incredible changes for baby, and for baby’s effect on you, so you’ll be happy to have someone to check in with regularly at this time!
Extra Coaching
Another good idea is prenatal classes. Not only will you learn about what’s happening to your body, and strategies for facing the birthing process, you will be surrounded by many other women or couples in a similar situation to yours, with whom you can exchange experiences, and build friendships that will last throughout the child-rearing years!
Some widely known childbirth methods are:
Lamaze
This method focuses on the “normal, natural and healthy” nature of childbirth, and emphasizes giving women the tools to feel confident about the process, and allowing them to make informed decisions regarding the use of medical interventions during childbirth. Typically, it does not represent a hard line against medical intervention, just an informed stance against using them in a routine manner.
The Bradley Method
Also a method that focuses on the essential naturalness of childbirth, it prepares women to avoid medical interventions and pain medications through diet, exercise and the learning of specific deep breathing techniques, in which the husband or partner is an important participant.
We can’t tell you which method or class is best for you, so do some research in your area to find a class, and a teacher, that fits your own style and philosophy! In short, get your “pregnancy team” up and running to support you, and your baby, for the next 9 months, and beyond!
