OB-GYN Associates and Your Pregnancy

Dear Patient

Congratulations on your pregnancy and thank you for choosing OB-GYN Associates. Our goal is to provide you and your unborn baby with quality care in a caring environment and to make our patient-provider relationship a pleasant experience.

Please take a moment to review our Policies & Procedures regarding labor and delivery.

Communication is essential for all involved. As with any pregnancy, complications may arise. Please keep us informed of any concerns you may have. During office hours (8 a.m.- 5 p.m.weekdays) any calls you make will go to the OB assistant assigned to calls on that day. After 5 p.m., all pregnancy related calls will go to the Nurse-Midwife. Should you not receive a call back within 15 minutes, please place a second call. Limit these calls to situations that cannot wait until regular office hours. If you are having an emergency, call 911.

Please remember that we only deliver at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. This means that our providers DO NOT have privileges at other hospitals, including other Wellstar facilities, therefore cannot care for you at any hospital other than Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. Prior to 20 weeks of pregnancy, any problem requiring a visit to Kennestone will be seen in the emergency room. After completion of your 19th week, you would be seen in the triage unit in Labor and Delivery on the 3rd floor of the Kennestone Hospital Women's Center.

If a call is urgent, but not an emergency, inform the front desk of this when leaving your message. These calls will be taken first. Please be respectful of the term "ASAP." You can expect a routine call to be returned to you within an hour.

As with any obstetrical practice, unexpected delays may occur. If the provider you are scheduled to see must leave the office, we may ask you to see someone else in order to decrease your wait time.

Pregnancy is an exciting time and we welcome family participation. If more than one person is accompanying you, such as for a sonogram, please have them wait in the front main waiting room until you are called. This will help us eliminate the volume in the smaller areas. Remember, pregnant patients sit first.

At every visit you will be called to the lab station for a urine, weight, and blood pressure. At intervals, we will also obtain a blood sample with a finger stick for a blood count In order to protect your privacy, the privacy of other patients, and in compliance with HIPPA law, please ask your family members not to stand in this area. The lab staff will direct them to the appropriate waiting area.

Please remember that this is a medical facility and not all patients are well. We ask that your children are quiet and monitored. Also, please silence or turn off cell phones after leaving the front waiting room.

Our practice includes six physicians and four nurse-midwives. Please click on the corresponding links to learn more about them. We ask that you rotate providers during your prenatal care to enable you to meet each of them. We have a physician and a midwife available for deliveries every day. Upon the admission to Labor and Delivery, the option will be given to you to have a physician or midwife for your delivery.

Lab work will be ordered on your first visit. These need to be drawn as soon as possible. This panel includes a HIV test which is now mandatory prior to delivery. This is for the protection of you and your baby. A majority of babies can be reversed if treated immediately after delivery and not have HIV. Also, early in your pregnancy, we will do a Pap smear and obtain cultures to test for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). We also reserve the right to do urine drug screening as indicated. In order to notify you of test results, please keep us updated of any changes in your address or phone number.

The delivery of your baby will take place at Kennestone Hospital. We encourage you to schedule a tour. Please read the book they have provided for you. It contains very valuable information. At the time of delivery, the hospital restricts the number of people attending the delivery to two plus the father of the baby. This is not a policy we at OB-GYN Associates can change. This allows adequate room for emergency equipment and staff should it be needed. If a C-section is indicated, only one person will be allowed in the operating room. During flu season, Kennestone Hospital is taking extra precautions regarding visitation. Please contact them for additional information. Remember to choose a pediatrician to care for your baby. The hospital will notify this physician after delivery. Please submit your pre-registration paperwork at least four weeks prior to your due date.

Obtaining cord blood is a personal and important decision. This website has links available to provide you with additional information in deciding if this is right for you. OB-GYN Associates had decided to remain neutral regarding the company you may decide to use.