Pregnancy Care

Every pregnancy is its own story. At the Providence Swedish Women’s Health Institute, your prenatal care is built around yours – your health history, your preferences and your voice.

Care Designed for Your Comfort and Safety

Our care includes:

  • OB/GYN physicians, family medicine physicians with OB certification and certified nurse-midwives across Western Washington
  • Prenatal visits, ultrasounds and lab work every trimester
  • Genetic screening and counseling
  • High-risk co-management with maternal-fetal medicine specialists
  • Birth plan support and childbirth classes
  • Doula services and culturally centered birth support

Choosing the Right Pregnancy Care

Whether you're newly pregnant, exploring your provider options or preparing for delivery, here's what to know about your prenatal visits and building the right care plan for you.

Your first prenatal appointment is typically scheduled between eight and 10 weeks. During this visit, your provider will confirm your pregnancy, calculate your due date and review your health history. You'll have blood work, a physical exam and often your first ultrasound. This is also a good time to discuss your questions, your concerns and what kind of support you're looking for throughout your pregnancy. If you're newly pregnant and haven't yet established care, our team can help you find the right team and location.

Prenatal visits typically happen once a month through 28 weeks, then every two weeks until 36 weeks, then weekly until delivery. Each visit builds on the last, tracking your baby's growth, checking your blood pressure and monitoring for any changes that need attention. As your due date approaches, your provider will check your baby's position and talk through what to expect during labor. These visits are also your time to ask questions, so bring a list. No concern is too small.

We offer three primary paths for pregnancy care: OB/GYN physicians, certified nurse-midwives and family medicine physicians who offer obstetrics.

  • OBs manage the full range of pregnancies, including high-risk cases and cesarean deliveries.
  • Midwives specialize in healthy pregnancies with longer, relationship-centered appointments.
  • Family medicine physicians keep your pregnancy within your existing primary care relationship, consulting with OB physicians if complications arise.

Many patients also add a doula for emotional and physical support. If you aren’t sure where to start, our team can help you find the right fit.

All pregnant patients are offered basic genetic screening during the first trimester. Additional testing may be recommended based on your age, family history or ultrasound findings. It's important to understand that screening tests identify risk – they’re not diagnoses.

If a screening result is concerning, our perinatal genetic counselors will walk you through what the findings mean and what diagnostic options are available before any decision is made. Carrier screening is also available for both partners before or early in pregnancy.

A birth plan is your way of communicating your preferences for labor, delivery and immediate postpartum care. You plan may include:

  • Your choices around pain management
  • Who you want in the room
  • Your preferences for the moments after delivery
  • How you plan to feed your baby

Your care team will review your birth plan with you and help you understand which preferences are possible given your specific situation. Birth plans work best as a starting point for conversation. Birth can be unpredictable, and a flexible plan helps you stay confident even if things don't go exactly as expected.

Some pregnancies require a higher level of monitoring and expertise. Our maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) team manages conditions like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, fetal anomalies and placental concerns in close collaboration with your OB or midwife. If your pregnancy becomes complex, you won't need to change systems or find new providers. Our MFM specialists are integrated within the Providence Swedish Women’s Health Institute, so your care stays connected and your team stays informed.

Find Care That's Close to You

More Resources for Your Pregnancy

Your pregnancy is part of a bigger journey. Here are more resources to support you.

Mother in hospital holding newborn with doctor
Labor and Delivery

Birth day care with pain management options and 24/7 physician coverage.
Parents holding newborn speaking with provider
Postpartum Care

Recovery support, lactation consultations and mental health screening after birth.
Pregnant woman looking at phone
Childbirth and Parenting Classes

Expert-led classes on labor, breastfeeding, infant safety and newborn care.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a complex or high-risk pregnancy, your doctor will connect you with specialized care at a Providence Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinic.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinics provide additional testing and a higher level of care for you and your baby. Services include:

  • Amniocentesis
  • Genetic counseling
  • Ultrasound interpretation

Our Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists work with your doctor to closely monitor the health of you and your baby throughout your pregnancy and delivery.

If your Maternal-Fetal Medicine team knows your baby will need extra care at birth, your delivery may take place at a nearby Providence hospital with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Our NICUs provide the highest level of specialized care for babies born prematurely or with serious medical conditions.

It’s our goal to help all patients remain or become healthy and happy and live life to the fullest. We work as a team to ensure we provide comprehensive and compassionate care to all patients with a team of:

  • Fellowship-trained OB/GYN doctors
  • Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs)
  • Nurses
  • Other care providers

We also partner with other professionals throughout the community including midwives and doulas, and specialty providers throughout Providence.

This depends on the type of care you choose. OB/GYN patients are typically seen by providers within a group practice, which means you may see different physicians across your prenatal visits and may not know in advance which provider will be present at your delivery.

Midwifery patients often have more continuity and may see the same midwife at every visit and for delivery. If consistent relationship-based care is a priority for you, that's worth discussing when you're choosing your provider, and our team can help you find the right fit.

Yes. We welcome patients transferring from another provider or health system. When you establish care with us, your new team will review your medical records and prenatal history to make sure nothing is missed in the transition. The earlier you make the switch, the more time your care team has to get to know you and your pregnancy, but it's never too late to find a team that's the right fit. Contact us for help getting started.

Pregnancy does come with some general guidelines around nutrition, physical activity, travel and certain medications, but the right guidance depends on your specific health history and how your pregnancy is progressing. Your provider is the best person to walk you through what to avoid and what's safe for you. If you have questions between appointments, your care team is available to help at any time.