pregnancy Archives – Welia Health

Looking ahead: Your path to parenthood

Congratulations—you’re pregnant! A lot is going to change over the next ten months, but one thing you don’t need to worry about is the schedule of your doctor’s visits.

Here’s our typical timeline of when you’ll be seeing your healthcare provider at Welia Health, and what you can expect at each appointment.

While this is a good guide to our usual process, every parent and every pregnancy is different. Especially if you have a high-risk pregnancy, are getting pregnant later in life, or have other potential complications, this schedule will reflect some changes. Your provider will be able to give you specific recommendations and referrals at every stage to make sure you’re getting the care you need for your specific health needs.

Starting out: Your first trimester

At most of your appointments, your doctor will provide you with prenatal education tailored to the stage of your pregnancy. They’ll conduct a series of tests, including measuring your abdomen to check the baby’s growth and listening to the baby’s heart rate. As you get closer to your due date, they will also check your abdomen to determine the baby’s position.

Most people will have two visits to their obstetrician during the first trimester. At the first visit, which takes place between weeks four and nine, your provider will confirm the positive home pregnancy test. They will discuss prenatal vitamins (and give a prescription if needed) as well as lifestyle factors including diet, healthy habits, and self-care.

Your provider will give you more information on Welia Health’s breastfeeding and prenatal classes, as well as useful resources from local public health and WIC. Finally, the doctor will calculate your estimated due date.

At the second visit, which takes place between weeks 10 and 12, you may have the chance to listen to your baby’s heartbeat. At this stage, our team offers the option of genetic testing to screen for the baby’s sex as well as common genetic disorders and chromosomal abnormalities. This is entirely up to you as parents—our job is to offer you the information and options that you need to make the best choice for your family. You will also have the chance to sign up for prenatal classes.

Onward and upward: Your second trimester

Your second trimester will most likely include three more doctor’s visits to make sure everything is moving forward normally, as well as lactation counseling, as desired.

Your third visit, during weeks 15 to 16, will consist of a routine check-up. At the fourth visit, during weeks 19 to 20, your doctor will order your ultrasound and then visit about the results. This scan will check for physical development, screen for anything unusual, and confirm the official due date given to you at your first appointment. You’ll also have the option to receive your flu vaccination to protect your health and the health of the baby.

The fifth visit takes place around week 24, or about six months into pregnancy. This is another routine check-up, and may also include a test for gestational diabetes. This condition is relatively uncommon, affecting 6% to 7% of pregnancies, but can cause health problems for your newborn if it’s not addressed.

During weeks 20 to 30, you may also choose to visit Welia Health’s Lactation Counselor. Our dedicated team provides breastfeeding education and helps you plan for after the baby is born.

The final stretch: Your third trimester

The third trimester is when things really get busy. Our usual schedule includes a hefty seven visits, with a check-up every week.

At your sixth visit, which takes place during week 28, you’ll go through a regular check-up and receive your Tdap immunization. The Tdap vaccine protects your baby against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (or whooping cough). The doctor will also discuss your birth plan with you. This document outlines what’s important to you in your delivery and gives your team the information they need to take care of you during birth, this can include parameters around pain medication, to important information about your pregnancy, to whether someone special should cut the umbilical cord.

You will meet with your obstetrics team once a week for a regular check-up for the next six weeks. These routine meetings will help your doctor continue to check that everything is going according to plan and give you the opportunity to address your questions as they arise. On or around your thirteenth visit, which takes place during the fortieth week of your pregnancy, you and your doctor will also prepare for delivery.

A pregnancy plan built for you

We design our care schedule at Welia Health to help you know what to expect out of your pregnancy—and to ensure that our doctors are there with you every step of the way. No two pregnancies are alike, and you and your doctor will work together to build a unique schedule for you, your family, and your baby.

We’re honored to be part of this journey and understand the trust you place in us by coming to Welia Health for your care. If you have questions about your pregnancy journey or want to know more about the services that we offer, explore the Birth Center virtually or simply reach out to our team at 320.225.3525.

Mom with Type 1 diabetes delivers healthy baby girl

Pregnant with her third child, Carly Gahler, RN, BSN, a diabetes educator at Welia Health, saw the pandemic preparation unfold in her weekly prenatal appointments.

One week, clinic staff were wearing face masks. The next week they were donning face shields. And the next, scrubs and gowns. Guidelines for personal protective equipment (PPE) were changing as rapidly as new information about the virus arose and availability shifted. Carly had been working from home, so her prenatal appointments gave her a window into Welia Health’s COVID-19 response as a patient.

“I have Type 1 diabetes, which requires a little extra care for mom and baby. Starting at 32 weeks, which for me was early on in March, I was in the clinic twice a week for various appointments, just as everything was starting with COVID. Even though everyone was in masks, and you could only see their eyes, I could feel the warmth and love from the Welia Health team.”
Carly Gahler, Welia Health Diabetes Educator and recent Birthing Center Patient

Diabetes and pregnancy

Although Welia Health was increasing the use of virtual visits, Carly had to physically go to the clinic for her appointments. When pregnant women have Type 1 diabetes, they must complete a weekly biophysical profile starting at 32 weeks. This assessment checks four main categories of the baby’s health – heart rate, fluid level, tone and movement.

While there is a list of complications that can arise with diabetes in pregnancy, the two main concerns are hypoglycemia, a condition where blood sugar can drop to be dangerously low, and larger than average birth weight. Another concern for expectant mothers with diabetes is that continued high blood sugars can cause an increase in amniotic fluid, much more than they need. So, every four weeks, providers recommend a growth ultrasound to make sure the baby doesn’t grow too large or too rapidly. Throughout the pregnancy, both Carly’s and her baby’s assessments came back fine.

A new way of working

In her role as a diabetes educator, Carly focuses on these biophysical assessments when working with expectant mothers with Type 1, 2 and gestational diabetes. She closely monitors her patients, doing everything possible to keep moms and babies safe.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, any high-risk employees were asked to work from home to reduce their exposure. “I worked up until the Friday before the Monday I had my baby. The ability to work from home when you’re pregnant is wonderful – you don’t have to worry about which clothes fit at nine months,” Carly chuckled. “I was fortunate that most of my job duties were able to be done from a home office.”

Scheduled C-section

Carly’s first two pregnancies resulted in emergency c-sections, so with a scheduled c-section she liked having the chance to prepare a little more for her baby’s birth. Plus, the Governor’s Stay-at-Home orders during the pandemic allowed her plenty of time to make sure all the preparations were made. She even made sure her husband Traver’s bag was packed because new hospital rules did not allow him to leave and reenter.

Delivery among friends

Baby Madelyn Gahler, born June 15, 2020

“A planned c-section was a completely different – and much improved – delivery experience than with my previous emergency c-sections,” commented Carly.

Dr. Matthew Schultz delivered Carly’s healthy baby girl, Madelyn, on June 15 at 8:05 am. She weighed 8 pounds and 9 ounces.

“Having my baby at Welia Health was just a wonderful experience,” said Carly. “Given COVID, we couldn’t have visitors, but knowing all of the staff, many quickly stopped by to say hello and wish us well. I could literally feel the compassion from the nurses because they just take such great care of their patients.”

Madelyn was born in the new birthing center. Carly remarked that the rooms are beautiful with large windows allowing in a ton of natural light. She loved having her husband and baby in the room with her.

“Other than a few hints of change and encouraged masking, there wasn’t anything major that made delivering during a pandemic too different,” said Carly. “The whole process was quite comforting. In fact, not having visitors was nice in a way because Traver and I had that time to focus on my recovery and just bond with Madelyn.”

Adjusting to a zone defense

Madelyn has two big adoring brothers, Mason who is six, and Milo who is three. When Carly, Traver and Madelyn were in the hospital, they FaceTimed with the boys, yet only talked for a bit because they were off running and playing. But now that everyone is home and adjusting, it is much different.

“Mason and Milo are just enamored with Madelyn and love her to pieces,” said Carly. “Milo is normally our wild one, always wrestling with his big brother. But now has been so gentle with his little sister, holding her and even singing to her. It’s like a switch flipped in him and he has become a protector and caregiver. Mason is just excited to be a big brother again.”

Carly also has enjoyed seeing Traver be a father to a daughter. Her husband loves to wrestle with the boys, but she is finding his tone with Madelyn so sweet. Carly feels a different vibe when she watches Traver cuddling with his daughter or when he’s simply holding her. She’s enjoying the nuance.

The new parents of three are a little intimidated by being outnumbered. With family close by, Carly is thankful for the help and support she can count on. Having three kids will be a big change, but it’s one Carly and Traver are ready for, particularly as they watch their boys with their baby sister.

Most details of a birthing experience are forgotten in a few years, but Carly will remember this experience as one in a lifetime – giving birth during a pandemic, now being outnumbered, and adjusting to a whole new normal.