Prenatal Medical Care at Goodland Family Health Center
As soon as a woman discovers she is pregnant, she should establish a schedule of prenatal care visits with her healthcare provider. Regular appointments with your healthcare provider throughout your pregnancy are important to ensure the health of you and your baby. In addition to medical care, prenatal care includes education on pregnancy and childbirth, plus counseling and support.
Frequent visits with your healthcare provider allow you to follow the progress of your baby’s development and these visits also give you the opportunity to ask important questions.
What happens during prenatal care visits?
The goal of prenatal care is not only to provide the best care for the pregnant woman and the unborn child, but also to prepare the mother-to-be for the delivery of a healthy baby. During prenatal visits, tests are performed on both the mother and the baby to assess any potential risks, to treat any maternal or fetal complications, and to keep an eye on the growth and development of the fetus. In addition, counseling and guidance are provided regarding various aspects of pregnancy, including weight gain, exercise, nutrition, and overall health. A typical prenatal visit may include any or all of the following:
Weight measurement
Blood pressure measurement
Measurement of the uterus to check for proper growth of the fetus
Physical exam of the mother to identify problems or discomforts, like swelling of the hands and feet
Urine test to measure sugar and protein levels. This can indicate diabetes or preeclampsia (a condition characterized by high blood pressure, proteinuria, and swelling due to fluid retention). However, swelling does not need to be present to make the diagnosis. And having swelling does not always mean a woman has preeclampsia.
Fetal heart rate measurement (usually beginning in the 10th to 12th week of pregnancy)
Prenatal screening tests like blood tests to check for anemia
Additional tests might be required, depending on your individual condition or special needs
For normal pregnancies without significant complications, prenatal exams are usually scheduled as follows:
Every 4 weeks until the 28th week
Every 2-3 weeks from the 28th to the 36th week
Weekly from 36 weeks until delivery
This schedule may vary depending on your personal medical condition and your healthcare provider's preference. Additional prenatal care may be necessary if there are any preexisting medical conditions, like diabetes, present in the mother or if complications arise while carrying the baby to term.
Who provides prenatal care at GFHC?
Prenatal care can be provided by any of our Providers: Dr. Daise, Jade, Jackie and Jonathan.
Labor and Delivery
During the last months, your office visits will include discussions about labor and delivery. Since Goodland Regional Medical Center is not currently providing labor and delivery services, your healthcare provider will discuss your options for establishing care at an alternate facility of your choice where you will deliver. Establishing this care is essential for the continuity of care of both you and your little one.
Post-Delivery Care for Mom at Goodland Family Health Center
Postpartum care is an ongoing process after your delivery and our healthcare providers will ask you to follow-up with us within 3 weeks after delivery and continue to receive follow-up care as needed, including a comprehensive checkup/evaluation by 12 weeks postpartum. The goal is to spot possible problems early since women have a higher risk of serious complications during the weeks after giving birth than at any other time during pregnancy. During these appointments your healthcare provider will check your mood and emotional well-being, discuss contraception and birth spacing, review information about infant care and feeding, talk about your sleep habits and issues related to fatigue and do a physical exam to make sure you're healing well.
You may still be dealing with some pregnancy- or childbirth-related aches and pains, and you may have some questions about how your body has changed. You may also have questions about your labor and delivery and about postpartum issues like breastfeeding, birth control, exercise, sex, and work. This is a great time to talk about any other concerns you might have as well. In addition to your specific concerns, your healthcare provider will likely want to discuss any complications you had during pregnancy and delivery and what bearing, if any, they'll have on future pregnancies and your overall health.
Before you go, your healthcare provider will:
Order lab tests, if necessary. If you were anemic during pregnancy or lost a lot of blood at delivery, for example, your provider will order a blood test to check for anemia. If you had gestational diabetes, you'll need a glucose tolerance test.
Order any immunizations you may need, such as a tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis booster shot, a flu shot, or a rubella or chicken pox vaccine. (If you were not immune to rubella or chicken pox before your pregnancy, you should have been vaccinated before you left the hospital after delivery. If that didn't happen, you definitely should get vaccinated now.) The chicken pox vaccine requires two doses, so if you got your first dose immediately postpartum, you'll get the second dose now.
Take care of necessary paperwork. If you're on maternity leave, for example, you may have forms for your healthcare provider to fill out. (Remember to bring them along.)
Let you know when you should return for routine gynecological care (including any follow-up for your chosen contraceptive method) and give you any necessary referrals.
Well Child Visits for Baby after Delivery at Goodland Family Health Center
After your child is born, our healthcare providers will ask that you return to the clinic to have his or her first child wellness exam. A well child exam is a very important component of your child’s health from infancy through the adolescents. Well child visits are also key times for communication with your healthcare provider. The following are common topics that are often discussed, normal childhood development, nutrition, sleep, safety, parenting, and education. Make the most of these visits by writing down your most important questions and concerns to bring with you to your child’s exam.
Each visit includes a complete physical examination along with recommended vaccinations. This well child exam will assess your child’s growth and development while identifying underlying conditions that exist. Height, weight, and other important information are recorded in our electronic medical record. Hearing, vision, and other assessments are a part of the well child visit. Such preventive care and immunizations are an important part for raising healthy children.
There are a lot of questions that doctors must ask, in the form of tests and measurements, some of which are more important at different stages of their newborn life. Measuring the newborn is an important part of the examination process. Not only do you want to know how much your newborn weighs and how tall they are, but by taking these measurements every time you visit, you can see how fast he or she is growing throughout the earliest stages of their life.
