“Connections” Group
“I can’t stress enough how going to group and meeting the women I have met changed my life. It gave me a support network and the opportunity to meet new people and have friends for my unborn children."
- K.S.
We are excited to introduce you to Connections, our newest group model for your prenatal care.
By participating in Connections you will embark on an innovative course of care that will encourage you to create positive connections with your baby, your partner and support people as well as the midwives. Additionally, you will share the experience of pregnancy with up to eight other women and couples who are expecting to give birth within the same month, creating your own parenting community.
As a participant of Connections you will still be provided with the prenatal midwifery care provided in our traditional model. The element that will be enhanced as a result of joining group will be the opportunity to learn from the questions, thoughts and wisdom of other moms and dads. Some participants are pregnant for the first time and others are seasoned veterans of birthing and raising children. Group participants tell us that the sharing of collective wisdom and perspectives is incredibly enriching. And understanding that the range of normal pregnancy and birth is so broad helps women and their partners know they are not alone.
The Connections schedule includes 8 group meetings, each 2 hours in length, plus a group reunion. There will be a facilitator and a midwife present at each group. You will begin Connections at about 16 weeks into your pregnancy, depending on your estimated due date. Groups meet once a month for the first four meetings and then every two weeks for the next four, after which you continue to see the midwives regularly.
During each meeting, which takes place in the group room at the office, you will have a ‘belly check’ with the midwife to connect privately with her and listen to your baby. You will learn to evaluate your urine, read your chart and record your weight and other changes during your pregnancy. You will learn about any testing that may be offered, and the reasons for it.
Each meeting focuses on particular aspects of pregnancy, birth, babies and postpartum. Topics include common discomforts of pregnancy, water birth and other birthing methods, doulas, choosing your baby’s provider, cord blood donation, postpartum wellness planning, breastfeeding, birth control for postpartum, stages of labor, medical interventions, pharmacological pain management, what to expect at the hospital and postpartum emotions. And there is time set aside to socialize with the other members of the group.
Connections is founded on our unshakeable faith in the process of birth along with our belief in the innate wisdom of pregnant and birthing women. Beyond the research-based information shared with you during each discussion our collective focus is to help each participant identify and call upon his or her internal and personal resources.
We consistently encourage you to trust the wisdom of your body and your own intuition as you continue to make decisions that feel right for you and your family. Your birthing and parenting involves your own gentle rhythm and timing, moving to the next stage at your own pace. Gaining confidence and communicating your needs to the people who will support you is invaluable in your role as parents.
Group reunions are special events. Parents return with their babies and reconnect around their excitement as well as their challenges in adjusting to their newest role as parents. No one can offer support quite like a friend who is experiencing the very same thing or who has ‘been there’ in the last few days or weeks. Our group participants continue to give us positive feedback on their experience. Many of the groups keep in touch and meet after their babies are born. After all, they know each other from Connections and know they can continue to receive and offer support to one another.
If Connections sounds like it would be right for you or you’d like to learn more, be sure to let us know.
Connections: Content Overview
Session 1 - Welcome
Orientation to group, charting, checking in/common complaints, healthy snacking, body mechanics, exercise, sex.
Session 2 – Thinking Ahead
Checking in/common complaints, gestational diabetes screening, other classes and birthing methods, water birth, birth doulas
VIDEO: Gentle Birth Choices – water birth
Session 3 – Baby
Sibling and pets, choosing your baby’s doctor, cord blood donation
GUEST: Kathryn Landon Malone, PNP
Answering your questions about vaccinations, circumcision, sleeping, feeding, infant behavior and development
Session 4 – Planning Ahead
Reasons you should call BCM, family stuff, relationships, postpartum wellness, breastfeeding, birth control, postpartum doulas
Session 5 – Labor
Stages of labor discussion, comfort measures for labor, birth preferences
VIDEO: Stages of Labor
Session 6 – Labor
Alert to changes, GBS testing, hospital routines, medical interventions, C-section, pharmacological pain management
VIDEO: 3 R’s – Relaxation, Rhythm, Ritual
Session 7 – Birth and Postpartum
When to call the midwives, what to pack, mom and baby immediately after birth, postpartum adjustments and emotions,
Session 8 – Review
Review labor, questions, evaluation, and reunion reminder
VIDEO: The Happiest Baby on the Block-The 5 S’s