Your care team
At Kaiser Permanente, your labor and delivery care team may include:
- Obstetrics-gynecology physicians
- Certified nurse-midwives
- Family medicine physicians
- Pediatricians
- Maternal-fetal medicine specialists
- Neonatologists
- Anesthesiologist/Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA's)
At the hospital
Our obstetrical team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the hospital — whenever you arrive in labor, we’ll be ready.
When you’re a Kaiser Permanente member, your prenatal care team, primary care doctor, and labor and delivery team are all connected through your electronic medical record. The physician on call when you’re in the hospital may not be the same one you saw during your prenatal visits, but they will have the same knowledge, expertise, and experience. Kaiser Permanente delivered more than 101,000 babies in 2015, so you can rest assured that you and your new baby are in very good hands.
Midwifery
In addition to the traditional ob-gyn care model, you’ll have the option to get care from a team that includes certified nurse-midwives and ob-gyn physicians working together.
The midwife philosophy takes a holistic approach, recognizing that conception, pregnancy, and birth are part of a natural cycle. Ob-gyn physicians specialize in all aspects of women’s health and medical care, and are highly trained in caring for women before, during, and after childbirth. We’re proud to be part of a national movement toward this new collaborative care model, where new moms and new babies can benefit from the knowledge and expertise of two types of medical professionals.
Depending on your preferences and needs, you may receive care from a physician or a certified nurse-midwife during your pregnancy. If you or your baby needs special care, we’ll refer you to one of our high-risk specialists.
Choosing your baby’s clinician
Selecting a personal caregiver is one of the best things you can do for your child’s health. By choosing a clinician during your pregnancy, you can begin to develop a trusting relationship with them and prepare for your baby’s first visit.
- If you see a family medicine physician for yourself, that physician may be able to see your child as well.
- If you already have a clinician for your other children, this clinician will be happy to take care of your new child.
- A “Meet and Greet” session can be helpful if you have specific questions for a clinician you are considering. If you are interested, you may call 503-813-2000 and schedule an appointment to meet with one of our clinicians.
- We will help schedule the baby’s follow-up appointments with your chosen clinician before you leave the hospital.
Here are some tools to help with that selection:
- For a list of clinician who can currently accept a newborn: kp.org/healthengagement/lookbook (PDF)
- For complete list of all clinicians: http://doctorreviews-northwest.kaiserpermanente.org/(PDF)