Prenatal Care

Prenatal Counseling Appropriate prenatal care is the most important gift that you can give to your unborn child. Attending all scheduled visits, paying attention to instructions provided and observing precautions can help protect your child. Our doctors have a basic care plan that is tailored to each pregnant patient to ensure the safest and most memorable pregnancy, labor and delivery. Your doctors will always keep you informed regarding necessary blood tests, ultrasounds, and exams. Dr. Dresdner can be reached via the office or emergency phone service 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

The First Prenatal Visit

During your first prenatal visit, the doctor will perform an internal exam, perform a Pap Smear if necessary, and take vaginal cultures to check for infections. You will then have an ultrasound to check on the baby. On the ultrasound the doctor will show you the baby, it’s heart beat, and any visible anatomy, and measure the size of the baby to determine your EDD or Estimated Due Date. You will then give blood and urine at our lab for a variety of tests that check for genetic diseases, anemia, and infections. For your convenience, Excell Laboratories is located in our own beautiful facility. If your insurance requires the use of other laboratories, we will arrange for your bloodwork to be safely sent there.

The Prenatal Visit Schedule

Your pregnancy progress will be counted in weeks, not months, with your Estimated Due Date (EDD) being the last day of the 40th week. After your first prenatal visit, the doctor may want to see you in 2 weeks to make sure the baby is growing well and to review your blood tests with you. After that, visits will be every 3-4 weeks until 28 weeks, every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, and then every week until delivery. During every prenatal visit, you will be weighed, have your blood pressure taken, and give urine to be checked for protein and sugar. The doctor will use one of our three ultrasounds to assess the baby by listening to the baby’s heart beat and checking to make sure the baby is growing adequately. This will be the time to bring up any concerns or questions you may have. At certain intervals during your pregnancy, additional blood tests and ultrasound will be done.

Prenatal Nutrition Classes – A Recipe for a Healthy Pregnancy

With the addition of an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach & Chef, Sharon Goldner, we now offer each new prenatal patient to attend a one-time only invaluable review of nutrition in pregnancy. Dr. Dresdner will review physiological changes in pregnancy and Sharon will offer techniques to stay healthy before and after the baby's birth. Sharon will also do a cooking demonstration and provide snacks/small meal options. The class will be a one-time fee of $25. Periodically, we also will offer optional specialty classes for our diabetics, GYN patients and holiday eating, etc.
See also... ACOG Nutrition During Pregnancy

Take a Tour

We also recommend that patients take a birthing class at Saint Barnabas. Our goal at South Orange OB/GYN is to prepare our patients as much as possible, especially our first time mothers. Please take a tour of the Labor and Delivery suite in order to remove some of the stress and uncertainty when it’s time to go to the hospital.

Here are some helpful links to help guide you throughout your antepartum period:
Routine Tests Durin Pregnancy
Morning Sickness: Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy
Nutrition During Pregnancy

Cord Blood Banking

If you wish to collect your cord blood, tissue or placenta, your provider will help you with the process. There are several companies who provide and collect the kits. Our office is not associated with any particular company.