Prenatal, Labor, Birth, & Postpartum Care
Prental care
The transition to motherhood is an important experience unique to each woman. At East Dallas Birth & Wellness, the goal of prenatal care is to prepare women and families for this formative event in a safe, supportive environment. In addition to standard prenatal care, a woman receives individualized care, adapted to her own needs. All visits, labs, and sonograms can be performed in the comfort of the center.
Components of Prenatal Care:
Standard prenatal visit schedule and routine labs
Blood pressure, weight, fetal heart beat and growth assessments
Nutrition and exercise counseling
Labor and birth preparation
Labor and birth Care
At East Dallas Birth & Wellness, we honor the birth process as a normal, physiologic event requiring minimal interventions. Monitoring during labor is done safely and non-invasively to avoid interrupting the natural birthing process. Interventions are performed only if medically necessary. Women have the opportunity to move freely, eat and drink as desired, and use a variety of comfort measures, including soaking in a birthing tub. The woman is ultimately in control of her labor and birth.
Components of Labor & Birth:
Standard fetal heart rate and maternal assessments
Choice of movement, comfort measures, birth positions, and support team
Nutrition & hydration as desired
Waterbirth
Delayed cord clamping
Emergency equipment and medications available
immediate postpartum care
The moment immediately after birth is a special time for family bonding, as well as a time of monitoring a newborn’s transition to the new world. Routine assessments on the mother and newborn are performed with minimal interruption to the bonding process. Newborn bonding is fostered by promoting skin-to-skin contact and delaying newborn procedures. Once considered stable, the birth team will leave the home, usually 2-3 hours after birth, to allow the woman and her newborn to snuggle in their own bed and rest. The woman will have 24/7 access to the nurse-midwife for any questions or concerns.
Components of Immediate Postpartum Care:
Routine newborn and maternal assessments
Uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact
Comprehensive newborn exam
Delayed newborn procedures
Breastfeeding support and counseling
Postpartum care
Lots of change and adjustment, physically and emotionally, occurs in the postpartum period as mother, newborn, and family adjust to the new life. At East Dallas Birth & Wellness, we provide individualized postpartum care until 8 weeks, with 3 different scheduled visits: a 2-3 day home visit, a 2-3 week birth center visit, and a 6-8 week birth center visit. The frequent contact enables us to promote optimal health and healing in the woman.
Components of Postpartum Care:
Standard maternal assessments
Emotional support
Postpartum depression and anxiety screening
Breastfeeding support and counseling
Family planning
Annual exam, with pap smear if necessary
