Expecting parents find community and support in group visits

“It’s about the reassurance and encouragement, the normalization of everything you’re going through, the collective resources you gain, the emotional support, that feeling that you’re not alone,” she said.

At each visit, members have one-on-one time with a clinician to do a checkup and discuss any private concerns. Then the group comes together to talk in conversation led by a nurse-midwife. Topics include exercise, nutrition, stress, signs of labor, breastfeeding, new baby care, and issues that might arise after delivery.

Shared questions and answers

Through the program, clinicians and patients spend about 18 hours together in total. This is about 10 times more time than they’d get with standard 15-minute monthly office visits. The group setting also inspires people to raise questions they might not think to ask.

“You don’t know what you don’t know,” said McLoughlin. “People would ask questions that were really interesting and helpful and that inspired other questions and discussions.”

Involving partners benefits everyone. Patients feel more supported, and partners know more about what to expect, said Lisa Goolsby, the program coordinator.

“It was nice having both people learning the same things, so it’s not just the mom who has to learn about stages of labor or postpartum mood disorders,” said McLoughlin. “And dads could ask questions, like how to support partners during breastfeeding.”

Healthier outcomes through community

As people had their babies, they’d come back to the group and tell their birth stories, which McLoughlin said helped the moms feel even better prepared for the possibilities that come with labor and delivery.

This model is proven to result in better health outcomes, according to Chiodo. That means lower rates of preterm birth, higher breastfeeding rates, and fewer triage visits. It also reduces some of the health care disparities that negatively affect people of color and other underserved populations.

An added benefit is that the groups’ bonds last far beyond birth. 

“These groups have 1-year-old birthday parties or do nanny-shares together,” said Chiodo. “A long-lasting community is built, which is one of the best things we can do for our patients in terms of social determinants of health.”

McLoughlin says her group stays in touch with a group chat. And now that all of their babies have arrived, they’re planning a get-together with their newly expanded families.

Learn more about Kaiser Permanente’s Centering Pregnancy program.