New childbirths are recorded daily in almost every hospital and local clinic, both nationally and globally. Some also take place at home with the help of a nurse-midwife in a situation where the mother is unable to access the medical facility. Such births are known as home births. Pregnant women are required to start visiting medical facilities from conception throughout the whole gestation period for them to get maternal care. During this maternal care, pregnant women are advised on the safe and good practices to observe during pregnancy. Mothers are advised to stay away from teratogens that can harm the fetus. Exposure of the fetus to teratogens like alcohol and drugs can be very harmful to the embryo and maybe cause complications during pregnancy. Some teratogens can even be medically prescribed drugs that the mother has been using over time but may be harmful to the fetus. Such drugs can be discontinued by the doctor if they are found to cause any harm. Such observations and realizations can only be possible or noticed early if the mother is visiting maternity.
A birth experience can be very emotional and involves many events, and pain is common in every birth experience. This is why it is advised to seek medical attention during birth to make the whole process manageable. To understand more about the birth experience, I decide to find out about the labor and delivery services of our local hospital. I had to talk to the wife of one of our neighbors who has sought delivery services in that hospital. I withhold the name of our local hospital, for I do not intend to market or discourage anyone from visiting the facility.
In this birth center, they offer prenatal care, labor and birth, water birth, postpartum and newborn care, well-woman care, and genetic counseling (“Prenatal Care Near Me | SF Birth Center | Services”, 2021). They have developed a prenatal care model that is usually delivered by a certified nurse-midwife. This model starts with three private sessions that mainly deal with in-depth discussions of behavioral and physical checkpoints in early pregnancy. What follows next is eight group prenatal care visits. They then resume private sessions at thirty-six weeks, and these sessions now happen weekly until birth.
This hospital has put group prenatal care at the core of its birth center program (“Prenatal Care Near Me | SF Birth Center | Services”, 2021). Group prenatal care is very important because it gives each mother a chance to share experiences and learn new things from one another. The prenatal groups meet once a month during the second trimester and then twice a month in the third trimester. The group sessions begin with a private meeting with the midwife and then an hour and a half discussion on various topics that are relevant to the current stage of pregnancy. Guest speakers are often invited from the community to bring in more expertise.
The pre-labor classes are only for mothers, and they have none for fathers and siblings. In this facility, birth is supported as a normal and natural process, and women are allowed to eat and move around during labor. They also allow mothers to choose the positions that are most comfortable for them. Family members are welcome and encouraged to participate during birth according to the mother’s preference. This birth center charges an average of $10,000 for vaginal delivery and an average of $14,500 for C-sections. They have a payment plan where an initial payment is made at the beginning of prenatal care, and the remaining balance is divided into equal monthly auto payments. The balance has to be completed by the 36th week of gestation. The maternal mortality of this birth center is low and meets the national Healthy People objective (“Prenatal Care Near Me | SF Birth Center | Services”, 2021). From the information sought out, I can conclude that this birth center is a good facility to handle maternal services.
Reference
Prenatal Care Near Me | SF Birth Center | Services. San Francisco Birth Center. (2021). Web.