From insurance to the types of care you want for you and your baby, obstetrician Amanda Flicker, MD, shares it all
Choosing an obstetrical clinician and care team for your pregnancy is important, and there are many factors to consider. Obstetrician Amanda Flicker, MD, Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), part of Jefferson Health, offers advice on what you need to know when you are selecting a new obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) or midwife.
Make sure the doctor or midwife and services you need are covered by your plan, which will help avoid any surprise expenses down the road.
Because of how often you’ll be receiving prenatal care, convenience becomes key. “While each pregnancy is different, you can generally expect to see your OB-GYN every four to six weeks with more frequent visits toward the end of your pregnancy,” Dr. Flicker says.
With more than 20 convenient locations, LVHN makes it easy to receive care close to where you live and work. This includes LVPG Midwifery–Pond Road, the area’s first-ever facility exclusively dedicated to providing outpatient midwifery services. Our certified nurse-midwives are highly educated professionals who can care for women who have average risk pregnancies before, during and after pregnancy.
In addition to traditional obstetrical (OB) care, LVHN also offers CenteringPregnancy® – an evidence-based program that goes beyond the traditional prenatal care visit by taking you out of the exam room and into a comfortable, welcoming group setting where you’ll receive prenatal care alongside other expecting women and their partners. Through this small-group prenatal care approach, you have the opportunity to form friendships with other women going through the same pregnancy milestones as you while also enabling you to spend more time with your clinician, getting to know them and fellow group members on a much deeper and meaningful level.
We also offer virtual prenatal care. Perfect for the busy mom or for those who may have challenges getting to their appointments, our virtual prenatal care option helps save expectant women time by offering virtual visits after the second trimester. Here’s how it works: During the first and second trimesters, you will have standard maternity care where you’ll see your OB-GYN for in-office visits. Then, in the third trimester, in-person visits will alternate with virtual visits, which involve real-time remote monitoring of blood pressure, weight and the baby’s heart rate using monitoring equipment provided by the practice.
LVHN is also home to the region’s first Women’s Health Center, which provides dedicated care – from obstetric care, to midwifery care, to maternal fetal medicine and beyond – just for women. Women’s Health Center at Tower Place features thoughtful amenities like a café and on-site child care for patients with children while they are receiving care at the facility.
Whether you are expecting a routine pregnancy or are considered a high-risk pregnancy, it’s important to choose a practice that offers medically appropriate care for you and your baby.
At LVHN, your care team may include certified nurse-midwives, family medicine physicians, obstetricians and maternal fetal medicine specialists to provide the care you and your baby need. The team also includes physician assistants, nurse practitioners and dedicated nursing care in many locations.
“Your practice should offer a full spectrum of care for a normal pregnancy and also offer you access to specialized high-risk care,” Dr. Flicker says. “Our maternal fetal medicine clinicians provide the highest level of care for complicated pregnancies.”
Think about what type of pregnancy and childbirth experience you would like before choosing a network. Not all practices offer the same experience.
At LVHN, we want your birth experience to be exactly as you imagined it. That’s why we’ve created hospital birthing units that deliver exceptional clinical care in a home-like setting. Our family birth and newborn centers offer:
You also will want to consider your baby’s health after delivery. “Most babies receive newborn care from pediatricians or family medicine physicians. However, if your baby has more complicated health concerns, you will want the reassurance of having a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU),” Dr. Flicker says.
Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest is home to the region’s only Level IV NICU where we offer the highest level of intensive care for newborn and premature infants. Our neonatology team and facility are equipped to care for the most complex neonatal conditions and the tiniest and most critically ill newborns, no matter their gestational age at birth. Here you also will have access to the region’s most trusted children’s hospital through Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital for routine newborn care and specialists, if needed.
LVH–Hazleton and LVH–Schuylkill have newborn nurseries for newborn care. Level II NICU care is offered at LVH–Muhlenberg, and Level III NICU care is available at LVH–Pocono.
The fourth trimester is a term for the three months (and beyond) after a woman gives birth. During this time, women may be challenged in not just healing from birth but doing so while caring for their newborn. Not only does LVHN offer care for moms physically during this time, but also mentally and emotionally through its WAVES (Women Adjusting to Various Emotional States) program. This one-of-a-kind program is designed to help women struggling with postpartum depression and other associated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the first 12 months after giving birth.
Learn more here about WAVES and the education, resources, treatment and support this program provides to moms here.
“Choosing an obstetric team that listens to your concerns and makes you feel comfortable is important as well. Having the right team can help provide reassurance and joy during your unique and special pregnancy and childbirth experience,” Dr. Flicker says.
