Plan of Care for a Normal Pregnancy
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Initial Consultation: You are welcome to tour our birth center, get your questions answered, and discuss our
risk assessment policy to determine if you are low risk and are a good candidate for a birth center birth. We will
also discuss various financial arrangements.
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First Visit: We will do a history and physical including lab work for initial assessment of your pregnancy. You will
need to sign a financial contract and terms and conditions contract. We will discuss lab tests that will be
offered.
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6-28 Weeks Visits: Prenatal visits will be scheduled once every four weeks during this period. At each visit, we
will check your weight, glucose, and blood, check your blood pressure, measure the size of your uterus, and
listen to the fetal heart rate. We will also discuss nutrition, your plans for your birth, and answer any questions
you may bring. We want to help you and your baby to remain healthy.
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18-20 Weeks: We will schedule an ultrasound for general assessment of your pregnancy. You will be given the
phone number and address of the ultrasound clinic you need to go to.
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28 Weeks: A glucose tolerance test will be scheduled to rule out gestational diabetes. You will come to the
birth center after fasting for 8 hours and your blood will be drawn. Next, you will drink glucose and your blood
will be drawn after one hour and again after two hours. We will also recheck your hemoglobin (iron level) at the
same time.
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28-36 Weeks: Your prenatal visits will be scheduled every two weeks. We will continue to check your weight,
blood pressure, the fetal heart rate, and the size and position of your baby. We will verify your baby is growing
at a steady rate, and getting into a normal position for birth. We recommend you register for childbirth
preparation classes which are offered here at the birth center.
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36 Weeks: We will perform a Group B Strep culture and also check your cervix for signs of readiness for labor.
Additional blood work may be required at this visit.
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36-40 Weeks: We will see you every week until your baby is born. We will pay close attention to the size and
position of your baby. We will discuss signs of labor, when to call if you think you are in labor, and what to
expect from labor and birth. We will also discuss newborn care and breastfeeding.
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40-42 Weeks: We will see you every 3-4 days and pay close attention to your blood pressure and the fetal heart
rate. We may ask you to keep a fetal kick count chart to make sure your baby is staying healthy.