with others who'll deliver at about the same time.
Each month this group weighed themselves, took their own blood
pressures and gave urine specimens. They learned about healthy eating and the dangers of substance abuse during pregnancy. |
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They also learned the physiology of conception.
"I would say 97 percent of the pregnancies
we see are unplanned," Renn said. Women are invited to bring in their partners for a discussion of birth control control options.
The group approach gives the women peer support as well as prenatal care, a selling point for Wallace. |
|
"I didn't have any friends who were pregnant or had babies," said Wallace, who was eager to compare notes with
other pregnant women.
The camaraderie, healthy snacks and little gifts at meetings make women anxious to
come back, Renn said. "The group gets tightly knit, and all their bellies grow together," she said. The sisterhood became
so strong that Wallace drove back to Grand Rapids for group care even after she moved to Lansing. |
