Once Strangers, Now Confident New Parents and Lifelong Friends

When Samantha DeLuca and her husband, Angelo, walked into the CenteringPregnancy© program, they were expecting their first baby. They had a million questions about all the unknowns pregnancy and parenting would bring.

The DeLucas chose to attend CenteringPregnancy, a new path for maternity support. Rather than a mom-to-be going to doctors’ visits individually, a group of moms in approximately the same stage of pregnancy go through the process together. Moderated by a certified nurse-midwife, appointments last two hours, and the group meets 10 times over the course of their pregnancies.

Appointments also include plenty of individual time for moms to have one-on-one checkups. Listening to baby’s heartbeat and tracking mom and baby milestones happen just like they do with more traditional care.

“It was awkward in the beginning, walking into a room full of strangers,” DeLuca says, “but by week three we got to know everyone, and it was a safe space.”

A few short months later, the DeLucas were confident new parents to baby Bryce Karter and had made lifelong friends with a whole group of other new parents.

“Twelve groups have completed CenteringPregnancy so far, and it has been amazing to see the friendships these families build within the groups,” says midwife Christina (Tina) Felten, CNM, DNP, with LVPG Obstetrics and Gynecology. “We see women from all walks of life form these lasting bonds.”

The CenteringPregnancy program started at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) in October 2023 and became a credentialed site by the Center for Healthcare Institute in October 2024. With seven certified nurse midwives trained as facilitators at LVPG Midwifery–Pond Road, there are plans to train more and expand to other locations this fall.

Parents with children are welcome to bring them to CenteringPregnancy meetings, and there is no added charge for LVHN patients. A planned curriculum with built-in flexibility to best suit the group’s needs is part of the program. DeLuca’s group chose guest speaker Morgan Pollock, RN, a labor and delivery nurse and lactation consultant.

“Tina asked us what topics were important to us for guest speakers. Having the extra time to talk with them was invaluable,” DeLuca says. “Being with other couples was helpful. We’re all going through similar things and got answers to questions we may have never thought to ask.”

Before all sessions were completed, many in the group had swapped phone numbers to stay connected. DeLuca missed the last class because she was in labor. That was about a year ago, and since then, the bond the group created at CenteringPregnancy just keeps growing.

“Having the group after the babies were born has been just as meaningful as having them when we were pregnant,” DeLuca says. “We talk about everything from our favorite products to our baby milestones and support each other through life as a new parent. It’s amazing to have other moms to lean on who are living exactly what we’re living.”

One of the best parts of the program for the DeLucas happened at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest when they went to deliver Bryce. They saw a very friendly face on the labor and delivery floor, which brought them comfort and peace of mind. They saw Morgan Pollock, RN, who had been a guest speaker to their CenteringPregnancy group.  

“My husband saw Morgan and said ‘Hey, I know you!’” DeLuca says. “She was assigned to us at random and helped deliver Bryce. She is an angel on earth. I don’t like asking for help and having that familiar person when all these things were being thrown at me, God knew what I needed.”

In their time together, group members shared fun things like baby names, learning the sex of the baby, due dates and debriefings to compare birth stories. The DeLucas were the only ones who didn’t learn the sex of their baby before birth, and they were the first to deliver.

A smaller support group formed among six of the partners who kept in touch when the moms went into labor. The group is just as helpful for support people, educating them on what to expect and how to encourage the moms-to-be.

DeLuca had a lot of backing when she went to the delivery room. Her mom, husband and sister, who is a doula, all went with her. She said she was grateful to have them as advocates. She was so inspired she decided to become a doula herself.

“We love being parents and felt as prepared as we could be,” DeLuca says. “The program gave me a lot of knowledge and confidence as a new mom. I believe the baby feeds off that energy, and we all felt more secure as a result.”

Today, Bryce Karter is sporting seven teeth. He loves to eat, clap his hands, turn the pages of books, is walking all over and just recently celebrated his first birthday. Thanks in part to CenteringPregnancy, he’s already surrounded by a great group of friends around his age.

“If not for CenteringPregnancy, we would not have met any of these families,” DeLuca says. “I think our class was a special group, and I hope every pregnant woman who needs it receives this type of support.”