Empower Your Journey: Safe Births and Healthy Beginnings HEALing Community Center, your trusted partner for pregnancy care

The day you find out you’re having a baby could be one of the most emotional times of your life. It’s a cause for celebration, but also caution. Joy, but also deep consideration about how you’re going to make it all work. Excitement, but also the understanding that the journey involves risk.

We’ve all heard the statistics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights that Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, a statistic that is particularly concerning in urban areas like Atlanta. Factors contributing to these disparities include limited access to quality healthcare, systemic racism within healthcare settings, and socioeconomic challenges (CDC, 2021). Access to comprehensive prenatal care can help bridge this gap.

“Good prenatal care significantly reduces risks and improves health outcomes for both mother and newborn.” Diana Wilson, MD., HEALing Community Center’s. chief medical officer and board-certified OBGYN physician.

The OBGYN staff at HEALing Community Center offers competent, compassionate, and affordable care to women who are pregnant or who are planning to become pregnant. Our team consists of a well-respected OBGYN physician, a midwife and a doula, to ensure you are getting the best care possible for you and your baby. “We respect and value our moms-to-be,” says HEAL’s nurse midwife Lanise Barnett, CNM, WHNP-BC. “And it is that respect, understanding and care that leads to better outcomes for our moms and their infants.”

Understanding Prenatal Care

Prenatal care includes regular visits to healthcare providers throughout pregnancy. These visits are essential for monitoring the well-being of both the mother and the developing fetus. Prenatal care encompasses a range of services such as physical examinations, blood tests, and ultrasounds, as well as education on pregnancy, labor, and postpartum care. The goal is to ensure that any potential health issues are identified and managed early on.

Benefits of Prenatal Care

• Early Detection of Complications: Regular prenatal visits allow your doctor to identify potential complications such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and fetal growth issues early on. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), early identification and management of these conditions can lead to better health outcomes for both mother and child (ACOG, 2021).
• Access to Nutritional Guidance: Prenatal care offers essential nutritional counseling, which is particularly important for Black women who may face dietary challenges due to socioeconomic factors. Proper nutrition supports fetal development and can prevent complications during pregnancy (Institute of Medicine, 2009).
• Mental Health Support: Mental health is often overlooked during pregnancy. Prenatal care can provide access to mental health resources, essential for addressing issues like depression and anxiety, which disproportionately affect African American women (Rosenberg et al., 2020).
• Education on Labor and Delivery: Prenatal visits also provide education about the labor process, pain management options, and breastfeeding, all of which prepare parents for a smoother transition into parenthood (National Institutes of Health, 2020).
• Building a Support Network: Engaging with healthcare providers during prenatal visits helps build trust and a support system. This can be especially important for working-class families who may feel isolated due to their socioeconomic status (Davis et al., 2021).