Prenatal Counseling and Care - prenatal care is divided into trimesters;

• first trimester - up to 14 weeks of gestation
• second trimester - 14 to 28 weeks of gestation
• third trimester - 28 weeks to delivery

Prenatal care is important in screening for various complications of pregnancy. This includes routine office visits with physical exams and routine lab tests: Prenatal care is important in screening for various complications of pregnancy. This includes routine office visits with physical exams and routine lab tests For an idea of the routine tests and exams during your pregnancy go to Prenatal Care Screenings. To get a better idea of changes during pregnancy and the reasoning behind these changes go to Physiological Changes During Pregnancy.

• Nutrition -
• Alternative Therapy -
• Screening & Diagnostic Testing -
• Lifestyle Issues -
• Calculating Due Date -
• Dealing With The Changes - During pregnancy, the woman undergoes many physiological changes, which are entirely normal, including cardiovascular, renal, hematologic, metabolic or respiratory changes that become very important in the event of complications.
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• Antenatal Counseling and Care -

Centering Pregnancy Program - The Centering Pregnancy® Program alters routine prenatal care by bringing women out of exam rooms and into groups for their care. Women have their initial intake into their obstetric care in the usual manner with history and physical examination occurring within the office/clinic space. Then they are invited to join with 8-12 other women/couples/teens with similar due dates in meeting together regularly during their pregnancy. The groups form between 12 and 16 weeks of pregnancy and continue through the early postpartum period meeting every month for the first four months and then bi-weekly. To get more information or to be able to print a brochure on the Centering Pregnancy Program

The Centering Pregnancy® Program is a model of empowerment: empowering to women to take control of their bodies, their pregnancies, and their families, and empowerment to us as health care providers to share our care-giving with our guests.

We have State of the Art Diagnostic Equipment - There is need to go elsewhere for additional testing in most cases

Antenatal care
In obstetric practice, the obstetrician will see a pregnant woman on a regular basis to check the progress of her pregnancy. The exact schedule varies depending on resources and risk factors, such as diabetes. The main rationale for these visits is surveillance for diseases of pregnancy which are detectable. Some examples are: pre-eclampsia. The blood-pressure and urine of a pregnant woman is checked at every opportunity to check for this. placenta praevia. On ultrasound, the placenta is visible obstructing the birth canal
abnormal presentation (late pregnancy only). The fetus may be feet-first or buttocks-first(breech), side-on (transverse), or at an angle (oblique presentation) IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction), this is a general designation, where the fetus is too small for its gestational age. Causes can be intrinsic (in the fetus) or extrinsic (usually placental problems). IUGR refers to fetal growth that is less than 10% of what is expected at that gestational age.


Antenatal record
On the first visit to her obstetrician or midwife, the pregnant woman is asked to carry out the antenatal record, which constitutes a medical history and physical examination.
On subsequent visits, the gestational age (GA) is rechecked with each visit. Symphysis-fundal height (SFH; in cm) should equal gestational age after 20 weeks of gestation, and the fetal growth should be plotted on a curve during the antenatal visits. The fetus is palpated by the midwife or obstetrician using Leopold maneuver to determine the position of the baby. Blood pressure should also be monitored, and may be up to 140/90 in normal pregnancies. High blood pressure indicates hypertension and possibly pre-eclampsia, if severe swelling (edema) and spilled protein in the urine are also present.
Fetal screening is also used to help assess the viability of the fetus, as well as congenital problems. Genetic counseling is often offered for families who may be at an increased risk to have a child with a genetic condition. Amniocentesis at around the 20th week is sometimes done for women 35 or older to check for Down's Syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities in the fetus. Even earlier than amniocentesis is performed, the mother may undergo the triple test, nuchal screening, nasal bone, alpha-fetoprotein screening and Chorionic villus sampling, also to check for disorders such as Down Syndrome. Amniocentesis is a prenatal genetic screening of the fetus, which involves inserting a needle through the mother's abdominal wall and uterine wall, to extract fetal DNA from the amniotic fluid. There is a risk of miscarriage and fetal injury with amniocentesis since it involves penetrating the uterus with the baby still in utero.

Trimesters
First trimester: elevated β-hCG (up to 100,000 mIU/mL by 10 weeks GA) can cause morning sickness, fatigue, mood swings and food cravings. The symptoms can last through 12 to 16 weeks of gestation.
Second trimester: The abdomen shows an obvious swelling arising from the pelvis, starting the "obvious phase" of pregnancy. Hyperpigmentation, including linea nigra, may appear.
Third trimester: The mother may experience backaches due to increased strain. Typically, the curvature of the spine is changed as pregnancy evolves in order to counteract the change in weight distribution. The mother may also suffer mild urinary incontinence due to pressure on the bladder by the pregnant uterus, as well as heartburn (due to compression of the stomach).