Henry Ford Hospital helps moms with prenatal care

(WJBK) - Henry Ford Hospital is bringing moms together for prenatal care, and its benefits go beyond having a healthy baby.

When an ultrasound discovers your baby's heartbeat, that's a pretty remarkable moment. It's also one of many that happen at the group prenatal care gatherings.

"With the group, they have a peer of women that's in their same gestational age of pregnancy. So, what they do is they grow together, they learn a sisterhood, they may think they're the only ones going through something to realize they're not," explains Nada Dickenson, a community health worker.

It's a program at Henry Ford Hospital bringing together moms to be with certified nurse midwives and doctors to turn what would be a 15 minute routine appointment into a meaningful experience. 

"I actually get to form a bond with the patients. This is the highlight of my week, is group prenatal care because I'm actually getting the patients I actually know. I know their families; I know their kids; I know their story, whereas in a 15 minute conversation you can't really get that information," says midwife Elikem Amable.

Two hours of detailed information, life experiences shared and a bond formed with other women all due around the same time.

Doctor visits, you don't really talk about much; you're scared to bring it out. But with other females around you, you can to talk to them and get release and breathe about the whole situation," says Cecilia George, a prenatal care group member.

Here the ladies also learn about how to combat very real challenges.

"If it's domestic violence, or utilities issues, or housing issues, or mental health issues, or even baby items. Whatever those barriers are to have a successful pregnancy, we are there to help them," says Dickenson.

As the women go thru the ten prenatal checks up together they grow with their caregivers and with each other.