VCU Medical Center Receives March of Dimes Grant for Group Prenatal Care Program

By Malorie Burkett

A $25,000 grant awarded to the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center from the Virginia chapter of the March of Dimes is making it possible for expectant mothers to receive more than just monthly health checkups when it comes to prenatal care. 

VCU's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is the first in Virginia to offer this new model of care known as Centering Pregnancy, which is supported by the March of Dimes to enhance prenatal care. Centering Pregnancy offers prenatal care to women in a group setting and allows them to learn more by sharing their experiences with other women throughout pregnancy.

The grant will aid VCU in preparing training sessions for healthcare workers to modify their care delivery so that they will be able to provide optimal service for pregnant women, and it will provide funding for supplies and healthy snacks for group participants.

"Pregnant moms often look forward to appointments with their midwives or doctors and go in armed with questions, but unfortunately, time constraints may leave the women feeling rushed or even isolated," said Margie Rickell, certified nurse midwife at VCU. "These groups allow women to spend more time with their doctor or midwife and they also meet other women facing similar changes."

Led by a certified midwife, nurse or physician, the groups are made up of 10 to 12 women who are 14-18 weeks pregnant and due in the same month. During each session, the women discuss their pregnancies and any questions they have about pregnancy symptoms, prenatal testing or about their babies.

Each meeting, which lasts about two hours, also allows for group interacting and learning with providers as well as private time with the facilitator for individual questions.

"The women bring up different ideas and questions during group sessions, which pull the wisdom and knowledge of the entire group," said Kathryn Beaton, also a VCU certified nurse midwife. "The group equalizes the relationship between the facilitator and each woman and also empowers them. We as facilitators learn as much from the women as they do from us. 

Beaton also says the group sessions create a reciprocal relationship, where there's give and take from facilitators and expectant mothers.

"As midwives, we want the women to be able to take more responsibility as mothers instead of projecting it onto others," Beaton said.

According to facilitators, some of the benefits of participation include spending more time with a doctor and/or midwife; meeting other women facing similar challenges; less waiting due to pre-scheduled session times; the opportunity to receive more education than traditional prenatal care; and the involvement of married couples as well as single women.

VCU's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is made up of five areas, including general obstetrics and gynecology, maternal and fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility and urogynecology. The department ranks 37th in the country in federally sponsored research.

VCU first began the pilot program for Centering Pregnancy in May 2005 and has formed several groups since then due to a response from expectant mothers who were invited to join after their first exam. The department currently is enrolling mothers for new groups.

For more information, visit www.centeringpregnancy.com.