Healthy Habits - How Women Can Steer Their Pregnancy Outcomes

 Many women feel at the whim of both physicians and the healthcare system during their pregnancies. What are some ways for women to feel more in control of their pregnancies, and even steer their pregnancy outcomes?

 

OBGYN and Maternal Health Expert Alan Lindemann, M.D., has over 40 years of experience delivering over 6000 babies, and is author of the brand new book "Pregnancy Your Way: Choose a Safe and Happy Birth," released August 2023!

 

"Pregnant women so often feel like they shouldn't question the expert, the obstetrician," says Lindemann. “My goal with 'Pregnancy Your Way' is to provide women the knowledge I’ve gained over forty years of practice so that they can be empowered to ask questions, make the best possible decisions for themselves, take control of their pregnancies, and confidently steer their pregnancy outcomes.”

 

Dr. Lindemann can talk about:

• Making the Best Decisions for You and Your Baby: How to find the right doctor for you, make decisions with them, advocate for yourself in the health care system, and take care of yourself.
• Making a “Flight Plan”: Most birth plans only cover a few hours during your hospital stay to deliver your baby. Instead, Dr. Lindemann suggests making a “flight plan” to cover prenatal care, labor, delivery, and the first year after the baby is born!
• Interviewing Your Doctor: Based on your decisions and your Flight Plan, interview prospective OBGYN’s to make sure they match your delivery and outcome preferences. Important questions might be what their C-section rate is, if you will be seeing them for every appointment, and if they will be present for your delivery.
• Managing Your Body's Response to Your Pregnancy: How to monitor yourself at home (blood pressure, preeclampsia, morning sickness, etc), so you can let your physician know about a possible problem right away instead of waiting for your next scheduled visit.
• Adjusting Your "Flight Plan" for the Unexpected: Getting yourself prepared for unexpected events which can turn up on the way to delivering your baby, such as multiple births, genetic factors, miscarriage, and premature birth.
• Deciding Where to Deliver Your Baby: Important points to keep in mind regarding hospital vs. home delivery, natural birth vs. C-sections, inductions with Pitocin, and vaginal birth after C-sections (VBACs)
• Dealing With Postpartum Depression: Signs and treatments for PPD, as well as recognizing the losses associated with pregnancy (physical and psychological) and choosing to successfully grieve for them.

For more information, visit LindemannMD.com and PregnancyYourWay.com.

 

About Dr. Lindemann:

An obstetrician and maternal health expert, “Rural Doc” Alan Lindemann, M.D., teaches women and their families how to create the outcomes they want for their own personal health and pregnancy. A former Clinical Associate Professor at the University of North Dakota, he served as a clinical faculty member and preceptor with medical students in rural rotations. In his nearly 40 years of practice, he has delivered more than 6,000 babies and achieved a maternal mortality rate of zero! His new book is "Pregnancy Your Way: Choose a Safe and Happy Birth." Learn more at PregnancyYourWay.com.