TOLEDO, Ohio — Having a baby of course brings joy, but it also brings worry, and a lot of questions from soon-to-be moms.
"With the twins it was like very, 'I don't know what I'm doing,'" recalls Kayla Smith, a mom of three.
She had twins eight years ago, but says she pretty much had to re-learn the pregnancy journey when she found out a baby girl would be arriving. Luckily she found a new type of support. She says, "I felt so prepared having this baby."
She says it's thanks to ProMedica's "CenteringPregnancy" Program.
"Centering is the type of group prenatal care that allows you as a provider to spend more time with the patients. You get to know them. You bond with them and essentially you're able to help them more with any needs that they have," says LPN, Kristina Shaffer.
The group prenatal care sessions last two hours, with eight moms in a group. That's much longer that a traditional prenatal appointment of about 15 minutes.
The moms also get one-on-one time with a midwife during each session. "I felt like I was with friends and I can just ask any questions and be really open about what I was feeling. And all the questions that I had because it's been eight years since I had a baby," says Kayla.
Kayla says she felt confident when it was time to have her baby and the nurses and midwives say it's apparent in the delivery room. "You can clearly see who has gone through this program because they ask appropriate questions. There's a lot more education on labor support and breast feeding support that we do during the visits," says Certified Nurse Midwife Alexandria Munson.
The moms are also trained to take their own vitals and keep track of things like blood pressure, which can aid in preventing pre-term delivery.
Kayla recommends centering to other moms, saying she's made lasting friendships. "We have a group chat and we talk almost every other day. We plan monthly outings so we can all get together and have the babies be friends," she says.
If you're interested in signing up, ask your O.B. for a referral. If this program is a success in Toledo, ProMedica hopes to offer postpartum care too, for babies up to 2 years old.