Centering Pregnancy: Group Prenatal Care at St. Luke's

St. Luke's Centering Pregnancy Program
1580 Valencia St., Suite 508
San Francisco
415-641-2133

St. Luke’s Midwives offer a unique prenatal experience called the Centering Pregnancy Program. It is a new model of prenatal care developed by midwives to improve birth outcomes and foster a sense of community.

You would have your first prenatal visit privately in the clinic for a complete history and physical examination. After that, you join 8-12 other women who are due in the same month as you. You can share your concerns and experiences with other pregnant women in a supportive, friendly group environment with food and music. Each group session also offers one-on-one time with your midwife to discuss more personal issues, lab results, etc. More private time with the midwife is always available should the need arise.

The group discusses relevant issues such as nutrition, labor, breastfeeding, and baby care. Unlike in the clinic, you will be seen by the same midwife throughout the whole pregnancy and spend a total of 20 hours with her over 10 sessions which always starts and ends on time - no waiting. The first four sessions are once a month and the remaining six sessions are every two weeks. You learn to write in your own chart, tracking your weight, blood pressure and gestational age.

All the resources in clinic are available to you such as prescriptions, ultrasounds, lab tests and social services. The latest research about Centering Pregnancy shows that women who participate have healthier pregnancies and healthier babies. They are less likely to have babies born too early and 98% of women from groups feel extremely satisfied with their prenatal care and say they would do group prenatal care again.

Note: Groups are available in English and Spanish.

A few people with complex medical problems may not be appropriate for group care.

For information from the national Centering Pregnancy Consortium, go to: www.centeringpregnancy.com Opens new window