CenteringPregnancy

In February I am going to be starting a new prenatal program and changing my provider. I will still be using a nurse midwife and it will still be through UCSF, but I am joining a program called CenteringPregnancy. This is a great program that combines prenatal care with group education and support. The CenteringPregnancy groups usually have about 12 women who are all at about the same place in their pregnancy - within a few weeks of each other. The group I am joining starts on February 26, and I will be at 16 weeks. There are appointments each month and then in July, there are 3 appointments and then 2 in August. I will still finish out the program even after I have the baby, and I will bring the baby with me, as will the other women in the group. The two dates in August are both after my due date.

Each appointment is 2 hours. The 1st hour is the prenatal appointment and the 2nd hour is support/education. The program is run by a nurse midwife. As a group, we will talk about various issues that come up during pregnancy, and there will also be an education component. Some weeks there will be people who come in to talk about various issues such as lactation, parent education, etc. Like all prenatal appointments, spouses/partners are encouraged to come to all of the appointments, and Joe will be coming to most if not all of them.

It is a great program because I will get to meet other pregnant women, and as a couple, we will be able to meet other couples who are about to be parents. It is also a place to find support during this time and to hear other women's experiences which is always helpful. Plus it will be great to progress through the pregnancy together with other women, and we will all have our babies around the same time. The education component is obviously a positive because there are so many things to learn about pregnancy, birth, babies, and parenting. Joe and I will also be doing birthing classes and other prenatal classes that are available through UCSF. I will still be giving birth at UCSF, so this program doesn't change where I will have the baby. This does change some of the other prenatal appointments that I have made and I will no longer be seeing the nurse midwife who I saw at my first appointment and who I will see on February 9th - I am keeping my February 9th appointment since it is before the CenteringPregnancy programs begins.

The feedback that they have received about this program from other women has been really positive, so I am excited about joining it. The only downside is that it is in Daly City, which is south of San Francisco. They didn't have a program starting in the city until April and by then I would be too far along. It means about a 20 minute drive as opposed to 5 minutes, but its worth it. I'm really looking forward to it and think it will be a really positive and enriching experience.