Pregnancy Resources

Pregnancy is a time filled with questions and decisions for most families. Even if this is not your first baby, you may be confronted with new issues as standards of care change, new prenatal tests are introduced, and you discover that each pregnancy is unique. One of the most important things to realize is that pregnancy is not a disease. For the vast majority of women, everything works perfectly from conception through birth, just as any other process in our amazing bodies- from digestion to respiration to elimination. If that wasn't the case, the population would surely never have reached over 6 billion human beings on the planet today!

One of the first decisions you make once you are pregnant is choosing the place of birth. Most women in the United States may not even be aware that there is any choice but to have their baby in a hospital with an obstetrician. Learn more about choosing the place of birth and find the right choice for yourself.

Once you have decided where to have your baby, the next step is finding a care provider that will respect your choices and be a partner in your prenatal care. Read more about the different types of care providers and compare the advantages of each to help you make your decision.

There are many other areas that are important to research during your pregnancy. An array of prenatal tests are available to pregnant women today, but often routine tests carry risks in addition to their benefits, and not every test is necessary or desirable for every woman and her baby. Another important choice is selecting childbirth education classes that fit your own needs. Finally, there are many special special circumstances that affect pregnant women including those who are interested in vaginal birth after a previous cesarean section (VBAC), those who have special medical conditions including gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, or pre-term labor, and other common concerns such as the impact of a breech presentation on the choices available for a safe birth. Use the menu on the left to explore these concerns.

If you have other questions, please don't hesitate to contact me to suggest a new addition to these pages.