A woman going through pregnancy shouldn’t actively avoid going to the doctor—but Allison Matthews, considered at low risk for certain complications like preeclampsia during her first pregnancy, didn’t see much benefit in shuffling to and from physicians’ offices.
“I was taking time off work and it wasn’t doing a lot for me,” said Matthews. “I kind of felt like I was almost doing it more for the clinic’s benefit than for myself.”
The clinical services designer at Mayo Clinic, she enrolled in OB Nest program for her second pregnancy, which is designed for low-risk expectant mothers to self-monitor specific vital signs. Matthews would also cut her clinic visits from 12 or 14 to just eight.
The modified process matched Matthews’ approach to pregnancy, allowing the at-home monitoring to become a family event, rather than a personal hassle for her.
“It was something we explored together rather than having it done for us,” said Matthews, 35. Their daughter, Lottie, was born about a month ago.
Read the full story from Kaiser Health News at the link below:
Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.