Prenatal Patients
All physicians at Meadowbrook are pleased to care for pregnant women up to 20 weeks (for our current patients only). For ongoing prenatal care past 20 weeks, patients can ask to be seen by Dr Patricia Gabriel or Dr Katrina Low who provide care for the full prenatal period at Meadowbrook.
These doctors are part of a family doctor call-group that shares responsibility for being available at the time of delivery. The group they belong to is called the Primary Care Obstetric Clinic. We deliver out of the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, BC. For more information about the model of prenatal care at Meadowbrook Family Practice, please read here.
If you prefer an alternate model of care, or an alternative place of delivery, you can be referred to the appropriate family doctor group or midwifery group. It may be suggested that you are followed by an obstetrician if your pregnancy is considered to have additional risks.
Resources for Pregnancy
Virtual Maternity Hub
Maternity providers in Tri-Cities and New Westminster have developed a website (https://www.maternityhub.ca/) for prenatal and postnatal patients. The site includes prenatal classes, frequently asked maternity questions, delivery information, infant vaccinations, and more.
Covid-19 related information in Pregnancy
Health experts in Canada agree that getting a COVID-19 vaccine is the safest choice for most pregnant and breastfeeding women. If you are pregnant and infected with COVID-19, you three times more likely to end up in the intensive care unit (ICU) than those who are not pregnant.
See this decision aid from the BCCDC to help you decide if the covid-19 vaccine is right for you.
Deciding whether to receive the COVID19 vaccine while you are pregnant can be challenging. There is a lot of information out there for you – here is what care providers are saying, in multiple languages.
First Trimester Resources
Best Beginnings: All patients are asked to register with Best Beginnings. This public health program provides helpful resources to all pregnant women, new moms and babies under age 2. Please register here.
Prenatal genetic screening: All patients are offered the opportunity to screen for common genetic disorders like Down Syndrome. Genetic screening offered varies depending on maternal age and risk factors. For more information on the screening available, please visit the prenatal genetic screening website FAQ. They have an excellent video detailing your options. This is a good resource to review prior to discussing your wishes with your physician.
Third Trimester Resources
Delivering at RCH during the COVID-19 Pandemic: These are the current guidelines for delivering at RCH.
Delivering at RCH if you are COVID-19 Positive. If you happen to have COVID at the time of your delivery, please read here for information.
Virtual tour of the RCH maternity unit : Click here for more information on the RCH maternity unit, what to pack, information about your stay including parking, room rates etc. Here is video from the RCH anaesthesiologist about pain management in labor.
Postpartum
Please watch this video to prepare for your discharge home from RCH. It contains important information about care of the newborn.
Breast massage resource in preparation of breastfeeding: www.firstdroplets.com
Additional reading for the pregnant bookworm
These books listed below may be found at your local library
Pregnancy Day by Day by Dr Elaine Herer
I'm Pregnant! Canadian Edition: A Week-by-week Guide From Conception to Birth by Dr Lesley Regan
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West & Teresa Pitman
The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide To Childbirth For Dads, Partners, Doulas & Other Labor Companions by Penny Simkin