OBSTETRICS at ARIZONA WOMEN’S CARE
Pregnancy and motherhood is an exciting time, and you want the best for you and your baby. This is why we offer the best obstetrical care in Arizona. Our highly experienced obstetrics team at Arizona Women’s Care is there for you to provide the best birth experience and healthiest outcome for your and your baby.
Our Obstetricians
We have four experienced doctors to help you through your pregnancy and childbirth. Do you have a low-risk pregnancy? Congratulations! However, if you’re concerned about a high-risk pregnancy, not to worry. Drs. Kwatra, Langer, Heathcott and Helms are all extensively trained and experienced to help you through this exciting and vulnerable time.
We bring our patients the best prenatal care, nurturing them through the pregnancy and attending them for the labor and delivery process and complete the journey with postpartum care.
Our High-risk Pregnancy Experience
What sort of pregnancies have we helped our patients through? A full list would take too long to outline, but this is a sample of the more common issues:
- High blood pressure in pregnancy
- Preeclampsia
- Multiple gestations
- Diabetes in pregnancy
- Preterm labor
- Bleeding/clotting disorders
- Patients with pre-existing conditions
If necessary, we can consult with many perinatologists in the Scottsdale area to ensure that you and you baby have the very best care. Depending on patient needs, we can help you see a fetal medicine specialist, co-managing your pregnancy or giving you a referral if necessary.
Our hospital, Scottsdale Healthcare Shea has an excellent level III neonatal unit, we are fully equipped to deal with whatever you might face in a pregnancy, even including a preterm delivery.
What to Expect for Prenatal Care
If you’re healthy and we have determined your pregnancy is low-risk, you’ll come in once a month. As you get to the 28th week, we will need to increase the frequency of visits. After 36 weeks, you’ll come in once a week.
If you have a high-risk pregnancy, we will need to schedule you as medically indicated.
A Typical Obstetrical Visit
- Height
- Weight
- Blood pressure
- A urine test
- Uterine measurements to check fetal size, position and the baby’s heartbeat
- Lab tests as needed. (We’ll be discussing them with you.)
To ensure a healthy baby and mother
Take one prenatal vitamin daily
Take one omega-3 supplement
Eat a healthy diet
For low-risk pregnancies, we also encourage moderate exercise.
Will I need an Ultrasound during my pregnancy?
Yes, we recommend at least three. The first will be in the first trimester to be sure of your due date. You will need another ultrasound in the second trimester for an anatomic survey. The last one will be during the third trimester to check on your baby’s growth.
If you have a high-risk pregnancy, you will need more ultrasounds. While most ultrasounds are in-office procedures, we do sometimes refer you to fetal specialists when we deem it medically necessary.
How Can I Contact My Obstetrician at Arizona Women’s Care?
For non-emergencies and routine care call 480-451-8454 and speak to a triage nurse.
For serious matters after 4:30 PM, call the same number and press 1 to page the on-call physician.
While you will receive a timely return call, please remember that the on-call doctor is available for emergencies and patients in labor. You can safely call for things like prescription refills during office hours.
Arizona Women’s Care Call Schedule
Babies don’t arrive according to a schedule, and emergencies can happen at any time. So, we have a physician on call 365 days a year, 24/7.
We do want you to be primarily under the care of a single physician, and it’s very likely that your own physician will deliver you. However, if you go into labor at a time when another physician is on-call, you will be getting the same excellent standard of care you receive from your own doctor.
Where Will I Have my Baby?
We deliver exclusively at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea.
Please call 480-882-4636 for perinatal classes, where you can get detailed information on what to expect during childbirth, tips on breastfeeding and newborn care. You can also get information about the childbirth classes at http://www.shc.org.
What about inducing labor?
There are two types in induction – elective and medically indicated. If you have pregnancy complications, a medically indicated induction may be what you need. This is usual when it is unfavorable for the mother or baby to continue gestation. Typically, this will be close to term, but it can happen at any time during the pregnancy.
If you area a low-risk patient at term, you can elect to induce if you meet the following criteria.
- pregnancy at least 39 weeks
- favorable cervix (your doctor will determine this)
- a time that is convenient for both you and your physician
- availability at the hospital
The safety of the mother and the child is always our primary goal for your childbirth experience.
Our experience in childbirth, including complications, will help to keep you and your baby safe.
If you have ideas for a birth plan, we will definitely discuss and honor your requests. However, we will never compromise you or your baby’s safety. Childbirth can be unpredictable and emergencies do arise. Our primary goal will always be the health of you and your baby.
