[By Maureen Murphy, MS, CM, LM, Capital Region Midwifery, a member of St. Peter’s Health Partners Medical Associates.]
While the benefits of new parent support groups have long been known – they offer a sense of community, provide social interaction, and offer an opportunity to share resources and valuable parenting advice – an innovative new program at St. Peter’s Health Partners is taking those benefits and providing them as part of its prenatal care.
Capital Region Midwifery, a practice of St. Peter’s Health Partners Medical Associates (SPHPMA), has introduced the innovative CenteringPregnancy program, offering a new model of prenatal care that fosters community, education, and support for expectant parents. This groundbreaking program is the only one of its kind in the Capital Region and is proven to improve birth outcomes, including reducing preterm birth rates by 40%, minimizing racial disparities, lowering postpartum depression, and increasing breastfeeding rates.
CenteringPregnancy, first developed in the 1990s by Sharon Rising and the Centering Healthcare Institute in Boston, combines personalized health care with engaging group sessions. Expectant parents join a cohort of 8–10 individuals with similar due dates, attending 10 interactive group visits that each last between 90 minutes to two hours.
These sessions provide ample time with a midwife and fellow expectant parents, fostering friendships and a supportive environment. Participants take an active role in their health care by tracking their vital signs, engaging in private check-ins with their provider, and participating in group discussions covering topics such as nutrition, labor preparation, breastfeeding, and infant care.
Proven benefits of CenteringPregnancy include:
- Better Health Outcomes: Research shows CenteringPregnancy significantly improves birth outcomes, reducing the likelihood of preterm births and reducing racial disparities.
- Empowered Self-Care: Participants actively engage in their health management and gain confidence in monitoring their pregnancy.
- Increased Provider Access: Expectant parents receive 10 times more time with their midwife compared to traditional care models.
- Stronger Support System: The program fosters friendships and a strong support network among expectant parents navigating pregnancy together.
- Interactive Learning: CenteringPregnancy’s dynamic, discussion-based format ensures higher engagement and understanding of key health topics.
The program at Capital Region Midwifery has already welcomed 12 individuals in its first two cohorts, with recruitment for future cohorts happening on an ongoing basis. As part of the program’s curriculum, Burdett Birth Center (BBC) at Samaritan Hospital will offer exclusive tours of the facility to enhance the experience for Centering participants and their partners.
These tours will include an introduction to the “Labor Cart,” a unique initiative developed by BBC labor and delivery nurses. The Labor Cart – available to anyone who births at BBC – is stocked with items such as battery-operated candles, Bluetooth projectors, massage balls, fans, and aromatherapy diffusers to help women manage labor in a calming, safe space.
Capital Region Midwifery employs five full-time midwives (with a sixth to join in July) at 2231 Burdett Avenue, Suite 160, in Troy, all of whom deliver care at Burdett Birth Center. Capital Region Midwifery strives to provide a uniquely warm and personalized environment where the providers work with expectant people throughout their pregnancy to ensure the health of both them and their baby.
Those interested in joining the next cohort of Capital Region Midwifery’s CenteringProgram can contact 518-326-1620 or visit https://www.sphp.com/location/capital-region-midwifery to learn more about our services.
