(gentle instrumental music)
- Congratulations on your pregnancy.
When it comes time to choose where
you'll get your prenatal care you have wonderful options.
The provider types we will discuss today
include obstetrician, certified nurse-midwife,
family medicine physician, and maternal fetal
medicine or perinatology specialist.
At the end we'll review helpful questions
to ask when choosing a healthcare
provider for your pregnancy and birth.
Let's meet the team.
- I'm Gina Frugoni and I'm an obstetrician.
An obstetrician is a medical doctor
who has completed a four-year residency training
after medical school in obstetrics and gynecology.
An obstetrician or OB-GYN cares for women during pregnancy,
birth, post-partum and often continues
gynecologic care after delivery.
Obstetricians care for women with low- and high-risk
pregnancies and they're trained to be able
to perform a vacuum or forceps assisted delivery,
as well as a cesarean delivery if necessary.
Here at UC San Diego Health, medical students,
nursing students and residents
may be part of your treatment team.
Residents are medical doctors who are
pursuing further training in their chosen field.
They are supervised by attending physicians,
but also have considerable experience
in obstetrics and may be working
collaboratively with your provider.
- I am Janna Ekholm and I'm a certified nurse-midwife.
A certified nurse-midwife has completed a Master's degree
and is certified and licensed in both nursing and midwifery.
We have expertise in providing pre-natal care
to women with normal, healthy pregnancies,
as well as care during labor and birth.
If concerns arise, we work together with our physicians
to ensure the health of mother and baby.
At UC San Diego midwives care for women
in both a traditional labor and delivery unit,
as well as a unique spa-like birth center.
- Hello, my name is Rebecca Rosen
and I'm a family medicine doctor.
A family medicine physician is a medical doctor
who is trained to care for all members of the family,
including babies, children, parents and grandparents.
Some family medicine physicians provide obstetrical care
and perform vaginal deliveries,
and some even perform caesarian sections.
Family medicine provides a comprehensive approach
for the whole family and allows for continuity of care.
Most often the same doctor will be able to follow you
through your prenatal care, your delivery,
your post-partum care, and your newborn's care.
Family medicine physicians typically work
with low-risk pregnancies, but we are
also able to address common medical problems
that affect many pregnant women such as asthma,
diabetes, allergies and headaches, to name a few.
We thrive on helping you and your growing family thrive.
- I'm Sandy Ramos and I'm perinatologist here at UC SD.
A perinatologist is also known as a maternal-fetal
medicine physician or a high-risk obstetrician
and it's a specialist obstetrician
who cares for women with very high-risk pregnancies.
Typically you are referred to a perinatologist
by your pregnancy provider if your pregnancy is high-risk
enough to warrant this type of specialized care.
A perinatologist can also be assessed
at any point during pregnancy if medical complications arise
and some of us also have our specialty
clinics where we see high-risk pregnancies.
Perinatologists have special training in fetal
ultrasonography and here at UC San Diego Health,
all our patients are offered an anatomy ultrasound
where a perinatologist is evaluating
the fetus between 18 to 22 weeks of gestational age.
- Now that you know your options
here are some helpful questions to ask
when considering which provider to choose.
Who is likely to be delivering my baby?
Many providers form a call pool with other providers
in their group who may actually be the ones
to deliver you if you go into labor
when your provider is not on call.
Where do you deliver your patients?
It's important to find out about the hospital
or birthing center where you will be delivering your baby.
Some questions to considers include
how close the hospital is to your home,
if they offer on-site lactation support,
if there are private post-partum rooms,
and if they offer vaginal birth after cesarean section.
For midwives and family practice physicians
it's also helpful to ask if my labor becomes complicated
who will you consult if I need a cesarean section?
Most importantly, make sure you feel
comfortable with your provider.
You deserve to be cared for by someone
you trust during your pregnancy.
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