Prenatal Care Services in Queens, NY
Being pregnant can be a wonderful and exciting but sometimes scary phase of life, and Choices is here to help you with your medical care, provide factual information and offer a level of concern and involvement that goes way beyond the doctor-patient relationship. Your Prenatal Team includes a provider; board certified obstetrician; licensed nurses; licensed counselors; and a clinic support staff. This team, your team, will be with you through each phase of your pregnancy and after your delivery. Here is what our program consists of:
- Regularly scheduled office visits to monitor and measure your health and the health of your baby.
- A carefully planned schedule of sonograms and blood work.
- A comprehensive plan to address pain management during delivery and after your baby is born.
- An ongoing relationship and regular meetings with a licensed clinical social worker that will support and assist you with your pregnancy, stress or any problems you may be having in your life.
- A visit to your delivery hospital of choice to go over all aspects of the day you give birth. Choices has close working relationships with gold standard delivery hospitals including Long Island Jewish (LIJ) and Jamaica Hospitals.
- Nutritional counseling.
- Special educational workshops on stress, pain, breast-feeding and parenting.
The Choices Prenatal Team will provide care to you from the initial prenatal visit through your post-partum (after delivery) course. Six weeks after birth you will come in for a post-partum visit to ensure that you are having a healthy recovery from your pregnancy. Choices can then offer you care for family planning, including birth control methods and ongoing gynecological care.
Choices’ dedicated practitioners are available to you in case of emergency, 24 hours a day by telephone. During our clinical hours, both medical providers and counselors are on staff and available to address your questions, problems or just to talk.
All insurances and Medicaid are accepted for the Choices Prenatal Program. If you are uninsured, you can still receive your prenatal care at Choices Women’s Medical Center. We have developed an affordable, all-inclusive fee that covers pregnancy testing, your prenatal visits, all laboratory blood and urine testing, sonography and post-partum visits. Just ask our staff!
Choices Women’s Medical Center is a progressive and comprehensive healthcare facility. Our healthcare team assures that every patient receives the highest quality medical treatment in a positive, supportive and educational environment. Choices is committed to the idea of knowledgeable choice, and we offer complete patient-centered medical care for any of your healthcare needs.
Choices Prenatal Services
Choices is excited to announce new genetic testing services that will give patients the power to know more about their pregnancy! These services are possible through our partnership with Natera, a leading worldwide genetic testing and diagnostics company.
These non-invasive testing services will inform patients on:
- Genetic disorders
- Sex of the fetus
- Possible genetic causes of miscarriage based on blood samples
If you are interested in utilizing one of the following testing services you can start a conversation about non-invasive prenatal testing with your provider on your first prenatal visit. Learn more about each testing service below.
Choices Prenatal Program monitors your health and your baby’s growth to make sure everything is developing properly. It is a partnership between you and a Choices health care provider. Your first prenatal check up is the foundation on which that partnership is built. Your Choices health care provider will answer any questions you may have throughout your entire pregnancy. Through a comprehensive questionnaire, you will be asked to provide information about:
- Health problems you may have, like diabetes, high blood pressure or sexually transmitted diseases (STIs)
- Past pregnancies
- Medicines you are taking or are allergic to
- Lifestyle choices such as drinking, smoking or drug use
- Exercise
- Stress, and if you live in a safe environment
- Your health history and the health history of your partner
Throughout the prenatal program you will have check ups and be given tests by a Choices health care specialist to make sure you are healthy and your baby is developing properly. You will have physical and pelvic (internal) exams, blood and urine tests to make sure you are not anemic or have any type of infection, a PAP test to check for cervical cancer and screening to make sure you have not been exposed to any sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Your weight and blood pressure will be checked regularly, and at various points of your pregnancy an ultrasound will be administered to create an image to check on your baby’s growth and development. You may be prescribed prenatal vitamins or other medications if needed to keep you feeling fine. Remember, everything you share and discuss with your Choices Prenatal Provider is confidential and safe. So don’t be afraid to be honest or to share any concerns you may have.
A sonogram is an image or picture taken during an ultrasound scan that uses high frequency sound waves to create the images or pictures of your baby. As part of its Prenatal Program, Choices has convenient, on site sonography suites and certified technicians available to regularly monitor your baby’s development.
GYN-Horizon testing is for women and their partners who want to know what genetic conditions they may pass along to their babies. Patients who are thinking of becoming pregnant and who want to be tested will meet with a Choice’s social worker for an informational meeting. Women with questions about finances or insurance coverage will be referred to a financial representative who will answer any questions they may have. Patients will give a blood sample and be asked to return to the clinic to receive results in 14-16 days. Patients who receive positive test results will be referred to a specialist who will guide them through their best options for moving forward.
Click here for more information on Horizon screening.
As early as 9 weeks into pregnancy, a simple blood draw can tell you the sex of your baby. The test will also determine if your baby is at higher risk of having Down syndrome and other common genetic conditions. Non-invasive and highly accurate, Panorama identifies more than 99% of pregnancies affected with Down syndrome and has the lowest reported false positive rate of any prenatal screening test for the commonly screened chromosomal abnormalities: trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and trisomy 13.
This test can be taken by women of any age and ethnicity who are at least 9 weeks pregnant. Panorama is an in-network provider with most health plans, including Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare. A comprehensive list of insurances can be found here. The cost of the test varies according to the prenatal screening panel selected and your specific insurance coverage. Based on previously approved claims, most patients pay between $100 and $200 out-of-pocket after their deductible.
For more information on Panorama Genetic Testing by Natera, visit their website.
With Anora testing Choices patients who have experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth will gain a better understanding of what genetic conditions they may or may not carry. Patients seeking the Anora test will meet with a social worker for an informational session. Financial representatives are available to answer any financial or insurance-related questions patients have. Genetic counselors are also available for any questions Choices social workers and informational materials do not answer. Patients will complete a blood test and should be asked to return to Choices to receive their results within five days. If the test results show a patient is positive for a genetic condition that resulted in the miscarriage or stillbirth the medical provider will refer the patient to a genetic specialist who will help develop a plan for moving forward.
This is an exciting time but it also can be a bit scary, especially if you are a first time parent and have never cared for a newborn. Babies don’t come with a “how-to” manual. Choices Prenatal Program helps you prepare for this incredible experience by giving you access to parenting, breastfeeding and nutritional workshops and counseling. These classes cover the basics about your newborn, and Choices counselors and licensed clinical social workers will answer your questions, support you and get you the help you need.
Choices social workers and health care providers will work with you to create a complete plan for the delivery of your baby, from the selection of your delivery hospital and doctor to pain management. We will address your concerns and give you the answers to questions that really matter to you. Choices Prenatal has developed relationships and delivery protocols with doctors and top hospitals such as North Shore Long Island Jewish and Jamaica Hospital.
Six weeks after the birth of your baby, we will schedule your post-partum visit to ensure that you are having a healthy recovery from your pregnancy. At this point you will have the option to transition into our gold standard women’s health care program to build on the relationship and trusting partnership that has developed throughout your pregnancy. You will be able to access expert and professional gynecological care that includes family planning and birth control methods.
Choices Women’s Medical Center designed its Prenatal Program to treat the whole woman and apply it to all aspects of your pregnancy, including how to maintain a well-balanced yet varied diet of meat, dairy products, fruit, vegetables and grain, and how to safely wash, prepare and store food to avoid food-born diseases such as Salmonella. Counselors offer information on foods to avoid, such as raw eggs, unpasteurized milk products, caffeine and artificial sweeteners, and what to consume on a limited basis such as fish or other seafood products. They help monitor your rate and amount of weight gain and address how to exercise during pregnancy to minimize risk to both mother and baby.
Alcohol, cigarette and drug use is addressed by Choices health care professionals and counselor/social workers who are experts in providing information on the risks associated with these substances, treatment and care on how to deal with the effects, if necessary.
Nutritional and Lifestyle counseling is extremely important throughout your pregnancy, after delivery and beyond. Your decisions must be based on a clear and concise understanding of the facts. You must address issues that might impact your pregnancy head-on and not put the life or health of you or your baby in jeopardy. Learning about these things will give you the ability to take control of your life and give your baby the best start possible.
If you have or develop certain medical conditions and are pregnant, your condition may be classified as a moderate-risk pregnancy, and you and your baby might need special monitoring or care throughout your pregnancy. The highly trained and experienced Choices Prenatal Team is trained to coordinate and supervise your care with the doctors at your delivery hospital. Specific factors that might contribute to a moderate-risk pregnancy include:
- If the mother’s age is 35 or over.
- The mother smokes cigarettes, drinks alcohol or uses illegal drugs.
- If the mother has been pregnant before and had a Caesarean section, delivered a low birth weight baby or gave birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy.
- A family history of genetic conditions, pregnancy losses or the death of a baby shortly after birth.
- If chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, anemia, epilepsy, an infection or an underlying mental health condition exist.
- If complications develop during pregnancy, such as problems with the uterus, cervix or placenta; the level of amniotic fluid; restricted growth of the fetus or RH sensitization.
- If there have been multiple pregnancies or the woman has carried twins.
So go online to make an appointment, text the word “Choices or a message to 27126: or call 718 534-3800 to speak to a Patient Representative and make an appointment. Choices can supply you with the support, expertise and supervision needed to manage a moderate-risk pregnancy.
If you are a sexually active teenage girl and not using a reliable form of birth control every time you have sex, you are in danger of getting pregnant. If you think you are pregnant, you should act quickly to get tested and get the help and guidance you need to make sure that you and your baby are not at risk. The longer you wait the greater the risk.
It’s only natural to feel emotional and to be afraid or apprehensive about telling your parents, partner, family members, teachers or friends.
Also, teens have a higher risk of pregnancy-related health issues, such as high blood pressure, premature births and even babies that weigh less than they should when they are born. You don’t need to go it alone, and the best next step is to reach out to an experienced health care professional at Choices Women’s Medical Center and its Prenatal Program and Counseling Services. They are experienced and well trained in dealing with the medical components of teen pregnancy, as well as guiding and supporting you with information that will lessen your fears and get you on the right track. All of the information you share will be kept completely confidential, in accordance with New York State law. A Choices counselor will help you build a support team and enroll you in the Choices Prenatal Program to make sure you and your baby are in the best of health. You must eat right, get the right amount of sleep, take vitamins that guard against birth defects, avoid alcohol, smoking, and drugs and to be sure to use a condom if you are having sex to avoid contracting a sexually transmitted infection. Choices can even help you access government programs or insurance benefits to help pay for the services you require. If you are uninsured, you can still receive your prenatal care at Choices Women’s Medical Center. An all-inclusive fee covers pregnancy testing, your prenatal visits, all laboratory blood and urine testing, sonography, and postpartum visits.
So go online to make an appointment, text the word “Choices or a message to 27126: or call 718 534-3800 to speak to a Patient Representative and make an appointment. Choices is all about knowledgeable choice and offers complete patient-centered medical care for all of your healthcare needs.
Sometimes getting pregnant can have serious consequences; the mother’s age, lifestyle issues, domestic violence, substance abuse, health problems, lack of resources or no support may make it impossible to keep a baby. One of the most important and valuable aspects of the Choices Prenatal Program is its ability to inform and educate pregnant women on all the options available to her. Adoption isn’t easy, and the decision to put a baby up for adoption is not a simple one. Choices counselors will help you understand the lifelong consequences of this decision and assist you in taking the next steps.
Choices counselors can connect you to one of its affiliates, Spence-Chapin, an accredited non-profit agency that has been offering quality adoption services for more than 100 years. If a woman is interested in adoption, Choices counselors will work with the staff of Spence-Chapin to insure that she will immediately be assigned to a Spence-Chapin Counselor to coordinate counseling and support, and to provide information on the adoption process and post-adoption services.
Abortion is another alternative that is offered to pregnant women who want or need to end an unwanted pregnancy. Choices Women’s Medical Center has been providing abortion services with respect, honesty and a high level of professional care for the past 45 years. Choices offers medical (the “abortion pill,” available up to 10 weeks of pregnancy) and surgical abortions (up to 24 weeks of pregnancy). No matter your personal circumstance, your income or your age, Choices is here to help with an experienced, dedicated medical and counseling team, a state-of-the-art facility and the highest quality healthcare practices to keep you safe. Choices accepts most major health insurances, can fast track you to Medicaid, and work with you to see if you are eligible for other government assistance programs. So go online to make an appointment, text the word “Choices” or a message to 27126: or call 718 534-3800 to speak to a Patient Representative and make an appointment.
