Prenatal & Maternity

stethoscope-doctor

What makes Sound Family Medicine different from other maternity and family practices? Our team of providers will be there with you through the whole experience. We’ll provide care for you throughout your pregnancy and beyond, as well as providing pediatric care for your baby as they grow.

Our pregnant moms tell us that they really appreciate the way our maternity providers take the time to get to know them and understand their values. Our birthing experiences are family-oriented, so support partners are welcome at prenatal visits and the whole family is invited to hear the baby’s heartbeat.

When you get prenatal and maternity care with us, we commit to:

Answer all of your questions

Whether it’s your first pregnancy or your third, you’ll have a lot of questions. We’ll provide plenty of information on what’s happening with your growing baby. We’ll also help you understand the changes in your body and guide you as you keep yourself and your baby healthy throughout the pregnancy.

Be there with you during delivery

When it is time to deliver, you’ll be at one of the best medical facilities in the area, the new state-of-the-art Good Samaritan Birthing Center.

Many medical practices assign births to the doctor on call, regardless of who you have been seeing. Here at Sound Family Medicine, almost all our deliveries are by the doctor you get to know through your prenatal care.

Our physicians are on call for their own maternity patients and will counsel you on delivery decisions. If for some reason your doctor is unable to deliver your baby, you can feel comfortable and confident in the expertise of another physician in the Sound Family Medicine group, as they all provide best-in-class care.

Provide prenatal and maternity care for mom and baby now, and adult wellness and pediatric care post-pregnancy

As a family medicine practice, we provide continuous care for the whole family. That means care during pregnancy and after for both you and baby. We’ll be here for baby with well-child checkups and to treat all the scrapes and bumps that come with childhood. And we’ll also be here for you, for the well adult and preventative care you’ll need to keep up with your little ones.

We are here to help and care for you every step of the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, we do. You may walk in to our clinic for a urine test for a small fee. If you would like a pregnancy test via blood draw, please note that this type of test will need to be ordered by a provider and will require an appointment or a visit to a walk-in clinic to see a provider.
Once you have a confirmed positive pregnancy test, begin taking prenatal vitamins. Please call us at 253-848-5951 to schedule your new OB appointment at approximately 8 to 12 weeks gestation, or earlier. To view bios of our maternity care providers, please see our Provider Overview page.

Your provider will be checking your vitals, blood type, iron level, immunities to certain diseases, and urine sugar/protein levels. This visit may also include a pap smear, STD screening, and in-house ultrasound.

We will provide you a one-sheet handout of what to expect for your upcoming appointments and will also include which over-the-counter (OTC) medication you can take safely during pregnancy, and which OTC medication to avoid.

You will also receive a complimentary gift bag from us that includes a pregnancy book to help answer many of the questions you as a new mother may have as your body is changing, along with information on breastfeeding and other resources.

As you check in during your first OB appointment, our helpful Front Desk staff will walk you through the required forms and financial agreements going over maternity care and delivery fees, billing your insurance, etc.

So that you have the necessary financial information, we also suggest for you to contact your insurance company to verify what they cover and potential out-of-pocket costs. We can assist you with Prior Authorization Forms and questions your insurance company may have about your pregnancy care and procedures.

You will need to schedule a follow-up visit every 4 weeks until you are approximately 28 to 32 weeks pregnant. From there, your provider will need to see you every 2 weeks until your 36th week. From your 36th week, your provider will need to see you weekly until you have delivered.

We know this could be a lot to track – our friendly Front Desk staff can help you schedule in advance and provide you with an OB Appointment Card to list out your upcoming appointments.  

On your first OB appointment, we will provide you a printed handout that gives a description of what will need to happen during your upcoming maternity care. Below is an overview: Between 10 to 18 weeks pregnant You may be offered a test to check for fetal chromosomal abnormalities. Approximately 20 weeks pregnant You will need to schedule fetal anatomy ultrasound to check baby’s size, anatomy, fluid levels, and placenta. Approximately 24 to 28 weeks pregnant You will be tested for gestational diabetes. We also recommend getting a  T-DaP vaccine to help your baby start to develop immunity to whooping cough. Approximately 36 weeks pregnant You will be tested for Group B Streptococcus.

Our staff of Physician Assistants (PA) and Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNP) are able to provide excellent prenatal care but are not involved in the delivery process. If your maternity care provider is not an MD or DO, one of our team doctors will serve as your delivering physician. You will meet your delivering physician during your 2nd OB follow up visit. As you reach the end of your pregnancy, he or she will step in and partner with your maternity care provider to ensure great care through the delivery process. 

You will be at one of the best medical facilities in the area, the new state-of-the-art Good Samaritan Birthing Center where our physicians are always on call for their own maternity patients. You may visit the birth center for a tour and you can find information here on how to.

We recommend looking into Good Samaritan Family Birth Center’s childbirth and parenting classes. Classes range from a single day, weekend class, to a 5-week childbirth series.

The  CDC recommends that women who are and will be pregnant during the flu season get a flu shot. Flu shots are made from inactivated influenza virus, making it safe during any stage of pregnancy. Flu season in North America usually peaks from November to March.

Pregnancy can affect your immune system, so you may be at an increased risk of getting the flu. By getting a flu shot while pregnant, you will be protecting yourself and your growing baby.

Within two weeks after your baby is born, he or she will need their first well-baby check up. You will also need to come in for a 6-week post pregnancy visit so we can check your well-being and health after delivery. Please call us at 253-848-5951 to schedule an appointment. During this appointment, as our gift to you, your family will receive some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books. Reading to your child at a young age is important and we hope that these bedtime favorites will help ignite a healthy routine for your family. If your baby’s gender is a boy, you will need to decide if you will have your baby circumcised. This procedure is typically scheduled when the baby is one to two weeks old and can be done within the first month of life. If you choose to have your baby circumcised, the procedure must be done prior to 30 days old in order to avoid a referral to an outside specialist closer to baby’s first birthday. We suggest you verify with your insurance prior if they cover this procedure, as some health plans do not. We also offer birth control options and have providers who can meet to discuss your options. We offer birth control pills, Depo-Provera IUD, Nexplanon, or  vasectomy. And of course, we offer pediatrics care for your child and well-woman care for yourself. We are here for you from the positive pregnancy test, your prenatal care, the delivery of your newborn, care for your growing family, and everything in between.

Ready to make an appointment?