By Dr. Charity Robinson

It is exciting to work in a small town where we celebrate new births in our community on a regular basis. Our providers at Clearwater Valley Health look forward to deliveries and enjoy providing full spectrum obstetrical care for healthy as well as complicated pregnancies. At CVH, the providers try to deliver their own patients when possible, and as a group we are able to perform natural as well as surgical deliveries. As family practice physicians, we have been trained to limit medical interventions to only those necessary to provide an environment for a safe and healthy delivery. We encourage patients to talk to their doctor about delivery preferences and encourage a natural labor process whenever possible.
There have been some changes in our recommendations for labor and delivery in order to minimize the length of stay in the hospital as well as medical interventions. We are recommending healthy women with low risk pregnancies labor at home during the early first stage of labor before coming into the hospital. It is normal for the early part of labor to last up to a day in first time moms, and up to 12 hours in subsequent pregnancies. It can be much more comfortable to spend this time at home where you have access to your own bed, shower, tub, food, and family, and limiting medical interventions can lead to a more relaxed and productive labor. We are also trying to limit labor inductions to those that are medically necessary or for women who are past their due date. Waiting for natural labor will lead to a more tolerable and successful labor process.
CVH providers also enjoy the full spectrum of family practice as we not only deliver babies but are privileged to care for them through infancy and childhood. One of the joys of practicing medicine is to provide healthcare to growing families, to be there at each child’s birth, to watch them grow up and develop over the years and establish relationships with them at well child checks. These visits are important to screen for health issues and proper development as well as provide education for safe and healthy lifestyles. It is common to forget to bring older children in to see their provider once they are caught up with their vaccines, but please remember to schedule yearly well child checks even if your children are healthy and not due for immunizations.
For those who have been concerned about the COVID vaccine during pregnancy or childhood, all data demonstrate that the vaccines are safe and effective for pregnant women and children over the age of 5. There is zero data indicating that pregnant women would endanger their babies or future fertility with the COVID vaccine. A benefit during pregnancy is that vaccinated pregnant women offer their babies protective antibodies against COVID through the placenta and later through breastfeeding. Data support COVID vaccination as a safe, effective way to protect baby and mother, similar to other vaccines administered during pregnancy, such as the flu and the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccines. COVID vaccines are available at the clinic for children over age 5, including pregnant women.