Media Articles March 01, 2009
Group care helping some moms go distance
NEW HAVEN, Conn. –– In a spare, windowless room in the basement of Yale-New Haven Hospital, five women are laughing and munching on crackers, while music plays. They shift and wriggle in their plastic seats, the pregnant woman’s endless and usually fruitless quest for a comfortable position.
One by one they take turns on an exam table in the back of the room, where nurse-midwife Susan Hally checks their bellies. All are within eight or so weeks of delivering. They are here — two hours every other week — for prenatal care through a program called Centering Pregnancy.
And despite the humble setting, the women potentially could reap huge benefits.
Contrary to popular belief, the traditional form of prenatal care –– 15-minute private visits with a doctor or midwife –– doesn’t seem to prevent preterm birth. But the Centering Pregnancy model, combining camaraderie and education, was shown in at least one study to lower rates of premature delivery, especially among African-Americans.
For the full story, please click below:
http://www.projo.com/news/content/PREEMIE_BABY_CENTERING_PREGNANCY_03-01-09_68D_v18.29cdf08.html#
