TITLE:
Improving Infant and Maternal Health through CenteringPregnancy: A Comparison of Maternal Health Indicators and Infant Outcomes between Women Receiving Group versus Traditional Prenatal Care
AUTHORS:
Ruth Zielinski, Leslie Stork, Megan Deibel, Catherine L. Kothari, Kimberly Searing
KEYWORDS:
CenteringPregnancy, Prenatal Care, Breastfeeding, Group Care, Smoking Cessation, Pregnancy
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.4 No.9,
June
24,
2014
ABSTRACT: Background: Despite
efforts to increase participation in prenatal care, outcomes for women and
infants in the United States remain below global and national health targets.
CenteringPregnancy, a model of group prenatal care, incorporates practices
consistent with national and international guidelines while allowing for
greater freedom in providing content tailored to the specific needs of women
receiving care. Objective: To determine whether the CenteringPregnancy model
improves maternal and neonatal health indicators such as prenatal care
attendance, smoking cessation, weight gain during pregnancy, gestational age at
delivery, mode of delivery, and initiation and continuation of breastfeeding.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted including all pregnant women
participating in CenteringPregnancy at two prenatal clinic sites in southwest
Michigan from January 2010 to April 2012 (n = 173). A comparison group of women
receiving traditional care from certified nurse-midwives was created using
propensity scores to match for age, race, and insurance status (n = 170). A
chart review was performed to analyze maternal and neonatal health indicators
including attendance at prenatal visits, gestational age at delivery, baseline
maternal weight and weight gain during pregnancy, smoking cessation, infant
birth weight, mode of delivery (vaginal birth vs. cesarean section), and rates
of breastfeeding. Results: There were no significant differences in
pre-pregnancy weight, amount of weight gained during pregnancy, prenatal care
attendance, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery or infant birth
weight. The CenteringPregnancy group had significantly higher rates of smoking
cessation during pregnancy, as well as higher rates of breastfeeding initiation
and continuation. Conclusions: This study provides support for the benefits of
CenteringPregnancy in improving rates of smoking cessation during pregnancy
which is important to both maternal and infant health. Additionally, in this
population CenteringPregnancy resulted in improved rates of breastfeeding
initiation and continuation, providing benefits to both infants and mothers.