Centering Pregnancy Care Components

The CenteringPregnancy® Program has three care components:

    Assessment

       Women enter a group after their initial prenatal nursing/medical evaluation.
       At each session the standard prenatal assessment is completed within the
       group setting. Unless a woman develops medical problems she would not
       have to re-enter an exam room until 38-40 weeks gestation.

       Women participate actively by doing their own weight and blood pressure
       and recording on their chart. With a practitioner, each women has individual
       time to share problems and concerns and to evaluate the health status of the
       baby.

       Note: Pilot data indicated that women enjoyed hearing the heart beat of
       each other's baby and were reassured that all was progressing well.

    Education

       A general curriculum is defined with handouts, worksheets, and suggested
       visual aids. All of the handouts are available in both English and Spanish.

      Topic areas include:    • nutrition,
                                             • exercise/relaxation,
                                             • childbirth preparation,
                                             • pregnancy problems,
                                             • infant care and feeding,
                                             • postpartum issues,
                                             • communication and self-esteem,
                                             • comfort measures,
                                             • sexuality,
                                             • abuse issues, and
                                             • parenting.

       The education process occurs though a discussion format.

       Note: Group sessions may be altered to focus on specific needs identified
       by the women/couples.

    Support

       A stable group allows for building of trust among the members.
       The CenteringPregnancy® Program begins early in pregnancy and
       continues through the early postpartum period. Women / couples become
       invested in each other and build community as a result of their interactions.
       This leads to increased support and decreased feelings of isolation. Time
       for refreshments and socialization during the sessions helps to promote
       cohesion.

Client Evaluations

      "I wouldn't change a thing about the group. I was very comfortable and enjoyed being in a group of women who were in the same time frame I am in. All of the groups were educational and informative. Things that I had questions about
       were always answered. I would recommend this group to all
       expecting mothers."

      "I liked the group because we got to share our ideas with other
       moms-to-be. We got different answers and different outlooks
       on situations from each individual and also we got to talk
       amon ourselves and discuss how each of us was feeling. I think
       the sessions were better than just regular visits. I would
       recommend it to everyone."