OB Clinic

The Obstetrics and Prenatal Clinic provides comprehensive care to childbearing women. Services include:

• Prenatal care for low-risk pregnancies 
• Prenatal care for high-risk pregnancies
• Prenatal education 
• Postnatal care after delivery

Prenatal Care

At your first visit, a lot will happen. We need a lot of health information and lab work to get off to a good start, so you may be in the clinic area for one to two hours. You will see a nurse at each of your prenatal visits. Many nurses in the OB Clinic are nurses in the Family Birthing Center. These same nurses will be among those caring for you and your baby in the hospital. The nurses and doctors are available to you at each clinic visit for questions or concerns you may have.

At your first visit, your urine will be checked for infection and the presence of sugar and protein. Blood will be drawn and tested for type, Rh factor, blood count, syphilis, hepatitis, and German measles. One of the doctors in the clinic will talk with you about your health history, including previous pregnancies, surgeries, and illness. The doctor will also do a complete physical examination to be certain your body is healthy. This will include a pelvic exam to test for infections and a pap smear. You will be given a prescription for vitamins. Be sure to take your vitamins every day! If you have nausea from the vitamins, try taking them after eating a full meal.

After this first visit, your doctor will tell you when you need to be seen again.  Usually you will be seen every four weeks until you are 28 weeks into your pregnancy.  Then you will have a clinic visit every two weeks until 36 weeks. After 36 weeks, you will return to clinic weekly until you deliver your baby.

At each visit, the nurse will check your weight and blood pressure. The doctor will do a brief exam, including listening to baby’s heartbeat. You usually will not have another pelvic exam until you are 36 weeks along.

Please keep your appointments– it is one of the best things you can do to have a healthy baby. If you have difficulty getting to the clinic, ask to speak with the social worker about making special arrangements. If you need to reschedule your appointment, call 282-2228 between the hours of 8 AM and 4 PM.