Choose your provider carefully. How the office schedules your visit is important when choosing a healthcare provider. You want an office that is "on time," (although emergencies do occur). But if your provider is chronically late, it does suggest a lack of respect for your time. Similarly, if each visit is so closely scheduled to the next, so that there is no built-in "chat" time, you probably will end up dissatisfied.

Ask friends and family for recommendations, and review the list of providers covered by your health insurance. Check to see which hospitals and birth centers the providers use for delivery. Then schedule appointments to interview providers. Ask questions about the provider's philosophy of birth and how that philosophy is reflected in the management of women's prenatal care and labor and delivery.

Read and ask questions. Your appointments will go more smoothly if you educate yourself on pregnancy, labor and delivery. You'll become more comfortable with the changes your body is undergoing, and you can ask educated questions. Ask your provider for recommendations on books to read, and take childbirth education classes. Becoming educated doesn't mean you can't ask any and all questions you have. No question is silly. But you'll feel more confident asking questions when you have a basic understanding of what is happening to you and your baby and why.

Share responsibility for your care. Being informed allows you to be involved in the decision-making process. Pregnancy and birth are normal physiologic events for most healthy women. Taking responsibility for your own healthcare helps to ensure that you will have a safer and more satisfying experience as you journey into motherhood. You may choose to allow your healthcare provider to make decisions for you, but ceding that responsibility should be a conscious choice on your part. Some women are uncomfortable with being involved in the decision-making process, or there may be times when it is critical that the provider be the one to make a decision in the best interests of the health of the woman and her baby. It is important to let your provider know if you don't want to be involved in this process. However, even if you prefer that your doctor or midwife make decisions for your care, you must be informed and understand all risks, benefits and alternatives. It is your body and your baby.

Have it your way. Even if your care providers generally follow certain practices during labor and delivery, they may be willing to accommodate your preferences. Establish a working relationship with them so that each of you listens to what the other is saying. You may find that actually writing out a birth plan helps you and your provider focus on what it important to you during labor and delivery.

The Website 4women.gov has a great deal of good information on prenatal care, as well.

More...

Prenatal Testing:

• Guide to Prenatal Tests
• Making Choices about Prenatal Testing
• First Trimester Tests
• Second Trimester Tests
• Third Trimester Tests
  
• Tests for Genetic Information
• Tests to Evaluate Baby