Intermountain Health has partnered with the nonprofit Centering Healthcare Institute to offer moms-to-be the option of joining together for a group-based prenatal care program called Centering Pregnancy.
The Centering Pregnancy program option offers patient-centered care, longer clinic visits with certified nurse midwives, and a pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum support group all rolled into one.
This innovative approach to prenatal care is currently offered in Utah at Intermountain Health’s Layton Parkway Women’s Health Clinic, which is located on the campus of Intermountain Health Layton Hospital.
“Our midwife patients are asking for more community. They want to have a shared experience,” said Leah Moses, a certified nurse-midwife and the advanced practice provider director for the women’s health clinical program at Intermountain Health.
“The national and global data show Centering Pregnancy groups lead to higher health literacy of patients by the time they deliver, increased self-confidence, reduced preterm birth rates, and better health outcomes for mom and baby. It also helps reduce health disparities among various populations,” she added.
There are plans to offer Centering Pregnancy at other Intermountain Health Wasatch Front midwife clinic locations in Utah in the late fall of this year. Additional sites will be added in 2026. Centering Pregnancy is also currently offered at Intermountain Health Birth Center of Denver.
How Group Prenatal Care Works
Prenatal visits during the first trimester are done as traditional one-on-one visits with the patient seeing their midwife in an exam room.
For the second trimester, participating patients begin to meet in two-hour sessions of small group prenatal care with 10-12 patients who have due dates around the same time. Some are first-time moms and others have had a baby before. Participants can socialize with each other as they arrive and enjoy healthy snacks and beverages.
The sessions include a quick individual, private check to measure fetal growth for each patient done behind a curtain with a sound barrier to maintain privacy. A medical assistant helps patients measure their weight, temperature and blood pressure.
After each patient is checked, the group gathers together for a question-and-answer discussion session with the midwife. Written questions can be submitted anonymously. Moms choose how much they want to share about themselves or their pregnancy.
“Group discussions can become quite in-depth about various topics since the group visits are two hours long,” said Alyssa Lewark, the medical assistant lead for the program. “Moms-to-be learn from their midwife, but they also learn from each other about common concerns, what is normal, and when to call their midwife. And stress and anxiety is reduced.”
Group appointments have no waiting room and consistently start and end on time. Patients in the same group have time to connect with each other and often remain friends long after their prenatal care experience.
During the third trimester appointments group sessions are held every two weeks along with individual appointments closer to the time of delivery.
“It’s not just talking and teaching. We’re participating in different activities that help patients better understand what happens to their bodies during pregnancy and how to use that information,” said Lewark. “We do go over birthing options, stages of labor, pain relief options, and we demonstrate coping strategies. We review basic newborn care and practice swaddling and diapering.”
Moms are also able to attend Intermountain childbirth preparation classes or breastfeeding classes for additional learning if desired. There are in-person, virtual and online options.
The Centering Pregnancy model is practiced at 500 sites in some of the largest health systems in the world and has been in existence for more than 20 years. According to the Centering Healthcare Institute, Centering Pregnancy programs decrease the rate of preterm and low birth weight, increase breastfeeding rates, and improving health outcomes for both birthing people and babies.
For more information visit the Centering Healthcare Institute webpage or ask your midwife about group prenatal care options.
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