The healthcare providers at PinnacleHealth share your goals of having a healthy pregnancy and delivering a healthy baby. Taking care of yourself during your pregnancy is your first priority and parenting task. We will work with you to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle and ensure that you get the prenatal care you need, beginning before conception all the way through the day you go home with your new baby.

Healthy Lifestyle

During pregnancy and while you are breastfeeding, good nutrition is important for you and your growing and developing baby. Stick to a balanced diet of healthy foods, with plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products and lean meats. Limit intake of caffeine and junk food.

• With the approval of your doctor or midwife, exercise regularly to help you stay healthy, feel good and enable your body to accommodate the changes of pregnancy
  
• Avoid smoking, alcohol, and drugs while you are pregnant
  
• Keep your prenatal care appointments

Good Prenatal Care

Routine prenatal care healthcare visits are important for a healthy pregnancy. Plan to visit your doctor or midwife at least monthly to be sure you are healthy and that your baby is developing properly. You can expect your prenatal visit to include checks of your weight, blood pressure and urine protein levels. Later in your pregnancy your doctor will also measure your uterus and listen to the baby’s heartbeat. You’ll also have several ultrasounds (also called sonograms) during your pregnancy to make sure that everything is progressing normally. PinnacleHealth’s providers use state-of-the-art technology to provide comprehensive prenatal care.

Services for Older Mothers

While there is a greater chance of complications and birth defects in pregnant women over age 35, most expectant mothers in their 30s and 40s have healthy pregnancies and babies. Our healthcare providers have extensive experience caring for older mothers through their pregnancies.

Changes to Your Body in Pregnancy

You can expect significant body changes, from weight gain and swelling to skin changes, bathroom and stomach issues and mild aches and pains, during your pregnancy.  Some of these changes may be uncomfortable but most are completely normal. Ask your healthcare provider for advice in soothing discomfort from heartburn, constipation, hemorrhoids and nausea, among others. Not only can they provide solutions, they will also help you understand which symptoms are normal and expectable and which require medical intervention to avoid serious complications.

Learn more about what to expect during pregnancy, childbirth and the PinnacleHealth experience from PinnacleHealth’s “Your Baby’s Birth” booklet. Your Baby's Birth Booklet (PDF)