Start Centering Pregnancy (between 12-17 weeks)

Centering Pregnancy

When you are pregnant, a lot changes. Your baby is developing and your body is changing. But not only that. Pregnancy is often also a period in which you will make different choices. Where and how do you want to give birth? What food will you give your baby later? Are you going to work more or less? There are many more things you need to think about. And of course you also want to know if your baby is growing well and if the other medical checks are good.
Centering Pregnancy is a program that combines medical checks and all information about pregnancy, childbirth and the first baby period. In addition, there is also time to ask all your questions and share your experiences with women who are due around the same period.

The first conversation

At CenteringPregnancy, the first meeting (consultation) takes place individually. During this interview, the midwife asks specific questions about, for example: your health, your lifestyle and the health of your partner and family members.

After the first conversation

Subsequent checks are no longer offered individually, but in groups. You form a session group together with a group of women, who are due approximately in the same period. During a session, medical care, such as monitoring blood pressure and the growth of the baby, is discussed. In a session you talk to women who can all experience and experience their pregnancy in a different way. You support each other in this. You will also learn how to go through your pregnancy in a healthy way. The sessions take place in a group of 8 to 12 women.
During the sessions you play a major role in your own care process: you learn to measure your blood pressure, weigh yourself and keep your own file.

Coaching

A group is supervised by two permanent persons: one midwife and another
healthcare professional. For example, this could be a
practice assistant, a doula (a professional who naturally supports you during the
pregnancy and childbirth without medical support), lactation consultant (she
assists mothers in all aspects of breastfeeding) or being a maternity nurse.
The meetings always take place on set days and times. These are known in advance until the end of your pregnancy. The meetings last approximately 2 hours per meeting. This is much longer than the (first) personal conversation. This takes an average of 15 minutes. As a result, the interaction time between the healthcare provider and the pregnant woman is longer and it is easier to discuss more and more extensively factors that influence the pregnancy and the health of mother and child

Wat is Centering Pregnancy?

As of today, we offer an additional form of prenatal care, centering pregnant.
You can see it as a combination of pregnancy checks and a pregnancy course. After an initial individual check with your midwife you will be assigned to one of several women who are about as far along in their pregnancy as you are. You meet ten times with that group and receive information about your pregnancy, the delivery and the time afterwards. This is done in an interactive way; there is a lot of time and space to exchange experiences with each other. The unique thing about Centering Pregnancy is therefore the group dynamic: all women have their own input, support each other and complement each other. The midwife is part of the group and can also introduce topics.
Scientific research supports better pregnancy outcomes following this form of prenatal care.