When you are pregnant, there are many decisions you need to make in order to prepare for the birth of your child. At CVMC, we have many excellent providers and services to help you make these decisions and stay healthy and informed throughout your pregnancy.
- Choose a provider
- Decide where to have your child
- Find a doctor for your new baby
- Learn about our doula program
- Enroll in a Childbirth Education Class
- Stay Healthy!
Choosing an Provider
You want to pick a provider you can relate to and feel confident in. Our Women's Health obstetrics and gynecology group practice has a number of obstetricians and certified nurse-midwives to choose from
Having Your Child at CVMC
We provide collaborative, high quality, family centered care for the well being of women and children.
Some people prefer to have their child at home. Others prefer to have their baby at a birthing center for the added safety of having trained specialists and services only a medical center can provide.
If you decide to go with a birthing center, we hope you'll consider CVMC. Our Birthing Center was built with you in mind. Private rooms, labor tubs, views of Spruce Mountain, and room service are just a few of the amenities. Our knowledgeable and helpful staff will give you the information you need to choose the birthing options that work best for you.
Your Delivery Options
Our obstetricians, certified nurse-midwives, and nursing team will help you choose the birthing options that work best for you.
- One-on-One Labor Support: Continuous support throughout the hours of labor, no matter how long or short your labor may be.
- Hydrotherapy: Each room offers private relaxing showers and a deep, comfortable tub for labor.
- Free Movement in Labor: Free movement throughout the labor process is encouraged with the use of birthing balls, squat bars and other upright position options.
Obstetric Anesthesia Services
Our Board Certified anesthesiologists are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Anesthesiologists can provide anesthesia services or labor epidural services.
Learn more about our anesthesia services.
Doula Support Through CVMC
A doula is a professional trained in childbirth who provides emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother who is expecting, is experiencing labor, or has recently given birth. The doula’s purpose is to help women have a safe, memorable, and empowering birthing experience.
Numerous studies have documented MANY benefits of having a doula present during labor. With the support of a doula, women were less likely to have pain-relief medications administered and less likely to have a cesarean birth. Women also reported having a more positive childbirth experience. There are many positive health benefits that occur in pregnancies that incorporate a doula. If you would like to know more about the many health benefits associated with having a doula please ask when you are connected with our office support team for the Doula Program.
❋ You may be eligible for financial assistance for the doula support offered through CVMC. If you would like to learn more about this program, please ask to speak with our Community Health Team in the office. An application would need to be completed to see if you qualify for assistance.
Learn more about our Doula program.
Finding a Pediatrician for Your New Baby
It's really important to find a provider for your baby before they are born. Your baby will need to have frequent check-ups with a provider during the first few years. CVMC has a Pediatric Primary Care practice as well as family medicine practices throughout central Vermont.
Education and Support
We want to help you set the stage for a healthy and happy pregnancy and birth. At CVMC we offer Childbirth Education Classes, Pre/Post Natal Yoga, and more.
Childbirth Education Classes at CVMC
CVMC offers 8-week on-going sessions of prenatal education for soon to be mothers and their support people. All instructors are staff of the Women and children’s Unit and certified childbirth instructors through their organization. There is a fee for the class that we can help with working through insurance companies to help you get reimbursed.
COVID-19 Update: CVMC has partnered with a service to provide virtual classes online. Talk to your Women’s Health provider to learn more.
Staying Healthy
Eating for Two
What you eat and what you don’t eat during pregnancy are important decisions for your baby. Forget the old wives’ tale about craving pickles and ice cream and learn more about how to give birth to a healthy baby.
Here are some helpful links:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pregnancy-nutrition/PR00110
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pregnancy-nutrition/PR00109
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/pregnancynutrition.html
Tobacco Cessation: QUIT SMOKING!
Women who quit smoking before or early in pregnancy significantly reduce the risk for several adverse outcomes.
Compared with women who do not smoke—
- Women who smoke prior to pregnancy are about twice as likely to experience a delay in conception and have approximately 30% higher odds of being infertile.
- Women who smoke during pregnancy are about twice as likely to experience premature rupture of membranes, placental abruption, and placenta previa during pregnancy.
Babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy:
- Have about 30% higher odds of being born prematurely.
- Are more likely to be born with low birth weight (less than 2500 grams or 5.5 pounds), increasing their risk for illness or death.
- Weigh an average of 200 grams less than infants born to women who do not smoke
- are 1.4 to 3.0 times more likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Source: Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Get Help Quitting! Click here to learn about our 4-week Tobacco Cessation Classes offered every month.
Drugs and Pregnancy: A Double Danger
When a woman becomes pregnant, it is very important for her to lead a healthy life: to eat plenty of nourishing food, get plenty of rest, and exercise regularly. It is also vital that she avoid anything that might harm her or her baby-to-be. It is especially important to give up alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.
For a pregnant woman, drug abuse is doubly dangerous. First, drugs may harm her own health, interfering with her ability to support the pregnancy. Second, some drugs can directly impair prenatal development.
Which Drugs are Dangerous?
Virtually all illegal drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, pose dangers to a pregnant woman. Legal substances, such as alcohol and tobacco, are also dangerous, and even medical drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, can be harmful. For her own health and the health of her baby-to-be, a woman should avoid all of them as much as possible, from the time she first plans to become pregnant or learns that she is pregnant.
Going the Distance Makes a Difference
"More and more births are being scheduled a little early for non-medical reasons. Experts are learning that this can cause problems for both mom and baby. If possible, it's best to stay pregnant for at least 39 to 40 weeks. "
To read this full article on "Why the Last Weeks of Pregnancy Count" at the March of Dimes website, click here.