Whether you’re thinking about starting a family or already expecting, our prenatal care providers are here to support you every step of the way.

From family planning to postpartum support, we’re committed to helping you feel informed, cared for and confident throughout your journey.

Our Approach to Prenatal Care

Having a baby can bring many changes — and that starts even before your baby is born. You’ll find a prenatal care partner to guide you through it all with MU Health Care’s OB/GYNs and midwives. 

Many of our family medicine doctors can also provide prenatal care and counseling at every stage of your family-planning journey, including if you’re: 

  • Considering starting a family
  • Growing your family
  • Having your first child
  • Trying to conceive

What Does Pregnancy Care Include?

Here’s what you can expect from your prenatal care team at MU Health: 

  • Prenatal counseling to provide you with information about trying to conceive, including safely going off birth control, diagnostic testing, fertility testing, lifestyle changes and more.
  • Expert care to help you stay as healthy and comfortable as possible during pregnancy. Your prenatal care will include screening ultrasounds, diagnostic testing, nutrition counseling and social and emotional support.
  • Support and treatment for common pregnancy symptoms, discomfort and complications.
  • Education about how pregnancy affects your body, the social and emotional challenges of pregnancy and parenthood, and labor and delivery planning.

Personalized Labor and Delivery

At MU Health Care, you have options when it comes labor and delivery. Our two Birthing Centers are designed to accommodate your personalized birth plan. We also offer tours of our Birthing Center in Columbia so you can know exactly what to expect on delivery day. 

Your prenatal care providers will discuss your labor and delivery options, which may include: 

Prenatal Conditions We Treat

In addition to caring for general pregnancy, we have experts who specialize and care for: 

Pregnancy Tests and Treatments

Why Choose MU Health Care for Prenatal Care

Expert Care for High-Risk Pregnancy
If you have a high-risk pregnancy, our team will ensure that you and your baby get the specialized care you need. This may include connecting you with our maternal fetal medicine team. These providers are OB/GYNs with additional training to care for conditions that affect you and your unborn baby during pregnancy. Your care team may also include fetal care providers who specialize in treating unborn babies facing health complications. 

Group Prenatal Care (Centering)
MU Health Care offers pregnant women in their second trimesters an opportunity to receive routine prenatal care and learning through group prenatal care. Through 10, 90-120 minute sessions, you’ll have the chance to ask questions and practice skills related to breathing exercises, child safety, how to hold and comfort a baby, and more. You can also use this time to record your own health data, have one-on-one conversations with your provider and enjoy group discussions and activities. 

Informative Childbirth Classes
Our prenatal team believes a successful pregnancy starts with education. To help you understand what to expect and how to prepare, we offer free childbirth classes. In these classes, you can learn about breastfeeding, preparing for labor and delivery and caring for a newborn.

Bonding with Your Baby
Studies have shown how important it is for babies and parents to bond in the first few days of a baby’s life. We’ll help you and your baby bond immediately after delivery through skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding support. These are just some reasons why MU Health Care received Baby-Friendly designation, which recognizes our commitment to parent-baby bonding.